Regimes and procedures for access to the labour market
Unified residence and work permit
The unified residence and work permit is issued by the Ministry of Interior and it also contains the positive written opinion on access to the Bulgarian labor market provided by the Executive Director of the Employment Agency.
The single residence and work permit is issued to third-country nationals who apply for a residence permit for the purpose of work. These are persons employed by a local employer within the meaning of the Labor Code. The unified residence and work permit is issued for a period of three years, and when the term of the employment contract is shorter than three years, the permit is issued for the duration of the contract.
The foreigner with a permitted residence permit in the country is not required to be outside the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria upon initial application for the unified residence and work permit.
Usefull links:
Employment Agency: Procedure for issuing a Unifies Residence and Work Permit
Issuance of Type D Visa
The labor activity of third-country nationals on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria is performed after obtaining a permit for access to the labor market from the Employment Agency (Art. 70, para. 2 and Art. 72b, para. 3 of the Employment Promotion Act). The work permit issued by the Employment Agency (EA) is the basis for the issuance by the “Consular Services” of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of a visa type “D” for entry into the country for work and a residence permit from the Migration Directorate of Ministry of Interior for the term of the work permit.
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Issuance of a Blue Card of the European Union
The “Blue Card of the European Union” residence permit and work is issued by the Ministry of Interior. A European Union Blue Card is issued to third-country nationals who apply for a residence permit for the purpose of work. These are persons employed by a local employer for the exercise of highly qualified employment under an employment contract according to the Labor Code. “Highly qualified employment” according to the Labor Migration and Labor Mobility Act is the employment of a person who has the necessary competence for the job – acquired higher education, which is certified by a diploma, certificate or other document issued by a competent authority, after training of at least three years, conducted by an educational institution recognized as a higher education institution of the country.
The documents for granting the decision for access to the labor market shall be submitted to the Migration Directorate or to a department / sector / group “Migration” at the regional directorates of the Ministry of Interior by the employer or a person authorized by him or personally by the foreigner, when long-term residence permit, application have to be also signed by the employer.
Useful links:
Procedure for issuing of “EU Blue Card”
Residence permit for employment as a seasonal worker (from 90 days to 9 месеца)
The Residence permit for employment as a seasonal worker is issued by the Ministry of Interior and contains the positive written opinion on access to the Bulgarian labor market provided by the Executive Director of the Employment Agency. The permit is issued to third-country nationals who apply for a residence permit for the purpose of seasonal work from 90 days to 9 months within each 12-month period. These are persons employed by a local employer within the meaning of the Labor Code.
“Seasonal worker” is a third-country national who retains his / her main place of residence in a third country and resides legally and temporarily on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria in order to perform seasonal work on the basis of one or more fixed-term employment contracts concluded directly with an employer whose registered office is in the Republic of Bulgaria (Labor Migration and Labor Mobility Act). “Seasonal work” according to the Labor Migration and Labor Mobility Act is work that depends on the change of seasons and is associated with a certain time of year through a recurring event or series of events related to seasonal conditions in which the need for work force is significantly larger than in ordinary running work.
When applying for the permit, the foreigner must reside outside the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.
The permit is issued for the term of the employment contract, but not less than 90 days and not more than 9 months within each period of 12 months.
Usefull links:
Employment Agency: Procedure for issuing a “Residence permit for seasonal employment”
Permit for a person transferred in an intra-corporate transfer
The permit for a person transferred in an intra-corporate transfer is issued by the Ministry of Interior and it also contains the positive written opinion on access to the Bulgarian labor market provided by the Executive Director of the Employment Agency.
The permit is issued to third-country nationals who apply for a residence permit for the purposes of an intra-corporate transfer. “Intra-corporate transfer” according to the Labor Migration and Labor Mobility Act is a temporary transfer for work or training of a foreign worker from a third country, from an enterprise with registered office or address of management outside the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and the foreigner has an employment contract concluded in a division of the enterprise or in an enterprise belonging to the same group of enterprises, with a seat or address of management on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Upon initial application for a permit for intra-corporate transfer, the foreigner must reside outside the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. When the foreigner has been issued a residence permit, the validity of which expires during the renewal procedure, he has the right to reside on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria until a decision is made on the application.
Usefull links:
Procedure for issuing a “Permit for a person transferred in an intra-corporate transfer”
Procedure for access of third-country nationals to the labor market with the issuance of a “Work Permit” to posted third-country national workers
The work permit document is issued by the Executive Director of the Employment Agency at the request of the local person hiring a posted worker from a third country, on the basis of which it is issued by the Ministry of Interior.
The permit is issued to third-country nationals who are seconded or sent workers and employees – third-country nationals, within the framework of providing services on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.
“Seconded or sent worker or employee within the provision of services” according to the Law on Labor Migration and Labor Mobility is a worker, a citizen of a third country, who within a certain period performs work on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, defined in the employment contract with an employer whose registered office is in the territory of another EU Member State or a third country.
“Local person who has hired seconded or sent workers or employees” within the meaning of the Labor Migration and Labor Mobility Act is a person operating in the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, registered under Bulgarian law or under the law of another Member State of the European Union , the Euroepan Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation, which for its activities uses the services of a posted or seconded worker or employee from the Member States of the European Union or from third countries.
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Permit for freelance activity
A freelance activity permit is issued by the Executive Director of the Employment Agency at the request of a third-country national, on the basis of which a long-term residence permit is issued by the Ministry of Interior (Art. 24a of the Aliens Act). Republic of Bulgaria).
The permit is issued to third-country nationals who wish to pursue a freelance activity on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.
“Freelance activity” is any economic activity carried out in a personal capacity, without commitment to an employer, with the exception of foreigners who carry out commercial activity in accordance with the law (Art. 24, para. 1, item 2 of the Law on Foreigners in the Republic Bulgaria).
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The multi-national project CONNEcting Cities Towards Integration actiON was co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.
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