Updated last 18.06.2025
Program summary:
The program contributes to the integrated management of migratory flows through effective management of returns and by maintaining the capacity of the national asylum system and combating irregular migration in relation to infrastructure and services. The Fund for Refugees, Migration and Integration (FRMI) was established by Regulation (EU) 2021/1147 of the European Parliament and of the Council. The Fund’s policy objective is to contribute to the effective management of migratory flows and to the implementation, strengthening, and development of the Community asylum policy and the Community migration policy, fully taking into account the relevant achievements of EU law and the Union’s international obligations of the Union and the Member States arising from international legal instruments to which they are a party. The Fund will support actions to strengthen systems for asylum provision, reception, return, and service provision to third-country nationals.
What activities does the programme support?
Support is foreseen for:
- prevention and effective countering of illegal migration;
- increasing the effectiveness of returns to the country of origin for those who do not meet the stay conditions in the EU;
- exception of asylum seekers and migrants;
- successful integration into Bulgarian society of persons who have been granted international protection and the effective use of their potential for the country’s socio-economic development.
Specific Objective 1: Strengthen and develop all aspects of the Common European Asylum System, including its external dimension.
Support for persons seeking international protection ( SPSIP) and persons granted international protection ( SPSIP). The support will be aimed at ensuring suitable housing conditions and services to aid the process and facilitate the initial integration of LTSNP. A specific focus of the support will be on vulnerable persons, particularly unaccompanied children seeking international protection, for whom specialized support is planned in line with their specific needs.
Specific Objective 2: Support for legal migration to EU Member States, including contributions to the integration of third-country nationals.
Specific Objective 3: Contribution to the fight against irregular migration and ensuring the effectiveness of returns of third-country nationals.
What is the size of the budget from which they can benefit under the operational program?
Budget: 6 788 738.26 BGN.
How is the budget distributed across the program?
The program resources are allocated into several specific objectivess:
- Common European Asylum System;
- Legal Integration/Legal Migration;
- Return;
- Solidarity
For each specific objective, there are open procedures that are planned on an annual basis and published in the Indicative Annual Work Program on the official website of the Republic of Bulgaria’s Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund Program 2021–2027.
| For more information | |
 | Information on open funding procedures for project proposals under the program can also be found in the Information System for Management, Implementation, and Monitoring (I UMIS 2020) created specifically for the 2021–2027 programming period. It includes the approved Operational Programs co-financed by the Cohesion Fund and the EU Structural Funds; for more specifics you can visit the page: |
How can you apply for funding?
To create and submit a project proposal for a specific procedure under the programme, you must register in the UMIS system.
The system is interactive and easy to use. If you encounter difficulties when submitting a project proposal, you can consult the system’s user guide published to guide and assist users.
On the official PKIP website, for a specific procedure you can find information on how to submit inquiries, to whom, and within what deadlines you can ask for clarifications regarding the Procedure’s Terms for Applicants.
What are the conditions for applying to procedures under the programme?
For each procedure there are published “Application Conditions,” where you will find specific information tailored to the specifics of the chosen procedure:
- goals, indicators of the procedure;
- the total amount of non-repayable financial assistance under the procedure;
- minimum (if applicable) and maximum amount of non-repayable financial assistance for a specific project;
- co-financing rate;
- the criteria your business must meet to be eligible;
- activities eligible for funding;
- eligible and ineligible costs under the procedure;
- minimum and maximum project duration;
- applicable regime of minimum/state aid;
- the rules, criteria, and methodology by which project proposals are evaluated, both for administrative compliance and eligibility, and for the technical and financial evaluation requirements;
- the method and deadline for obtaining clarifications about the procedure.
In what timeframe can I apply for procedures under the programme?
You can apply for funds under the programme depending on the submission deadline for project proposals for each procedure until the end of the operational programme in 2027.
The evaluation of project proposals proceeds in two stages, as follows:
Stage 1
Evaluation of administrative compliance and eligibility – this evaluation addresses, for example, the following questions: have all required documents been submitted; is the project proposal correctly submitted; is the KEП (electronic signature) valid for signing; is the power of attorney for submitting the project proposal valid; does it comply with the specific eligibility criteria listed in the Application Conditions, and other aspects.
This stage also includes verification and evaluation of the realism, effectiveness, and eligibility of all planned activities and costs (whether the project proposal includes ineligible activities, ineligible and/or unrealistic costs, duplication of planned activities and/or costs).
Stage 2
Technical and financial evaluation. The technical and financial evaluation is carried out only for project proposals that have successfully passed Stage 1 administrative compliance and eligibility evaluation. At this stage, the technical capacity of the participants, the environmental impact of the project, compliance with the indicators and priorities of the procedure, partnerships, and other aspects are evaluated.