Who is the sponsor and who is joining
Everything starts here. The conditions depend on the status of the person already in Bulgaria: a Bulgarian citizen, a citizen of a European Union country, or a foreign national with a particular kind of residence.
The second question is who is joining: a spouse, a child, a parent or another family member. The categories are not the same across the different grounds.
So the first job is to establish your exact combination, rather than working from a general list of documents.
What usually has to be proved
The family relationship, with documents from the relevant country prepared so they will be accepted here. See apostille and legalisation.
Accommodation and means of support, depending on the ground. Health insurance. A clean criminal record.
Documents from abroad have limited validity. Obtained too early, they expire while you wait for the rest. So the order of gathering is planned in advance.
If the marriage is recent
Expect closer scrutiny of whether the family relationship is genuine. That is not an accusation, it is standard practice.
It helps to have evidence of real family life: correspondence over time, photographs across the years, trips together, shared expenses.
On refusal
It is appealed, within the deadline. The reasons for the refusal show what was considered unproven, and from there it is decided whether to appeal or to apply afresh. See appealing a refusal.
If the child was born abroad
The birth record has to be entered in the Bulgarian registers first. See reissuing foreign civil records.
What I will need
The status of the person in Bulgaria and the nationality of the person joining. The documents evidencing the family relationship and which country they come from. Information on accommodation and income. If you have applied before, everything received from the service.
This page provides general information and does not constitute legal advice on any specific case. Rights and deadlines depend on the facts and the applicable law.