BulgariaResidence permit

Work permit in Bulgaria

The permit allows a foreign national from a country outside the EU and EFTA to live and work for a Bulgarian employer at the same time. The employer obtains the permit from the Migration Directorate, the employee then applies to a consulate for a visa and, on arrival, arranges the residence card. Family members (spouse, children) are issued permits on the same basis. It combines the right of residence and the right to work in a single document and is valid for up to three years.

Visa term

up to 3 years

Renewal: yes

Threshold

A long-stay permit costs EUR 56.24, the card EUR 20.45.

Work

The permit combines the right of residence and the right to work

Source: Ministry of the Interior, Migration Directorate — Разрешения за пребиваване и работа

Two stages in obtaining the permit

The route is split between the employer and the applicant, but both stages are essential to success.

On the employer's side

File the application with the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior with the documents on the employee
Obtain the authorisation of the Employment Agency
Pay the state fee to the Directorate
Notify the employee of the decision within the set period

On the foreign national's side

Obtain the document on the employer's permit within 20 days
File the documents at the Bulgarian consulate for a D visa
Arrive in Bulgaria within 180 days of the visa being issued
Arrange the residence card at the regional migration office within 14 days of arrival

When the programme is not a fit

EU and EFTA citizens and their families

A simplified registration of residence at the administration office

The employer owes money to the tax authorities or has breached employment law

Clear the breaches and the debt; the permit may be refused

The share of foreign employees exceeds the limit (20% for large companies, 35% for small and medium-sized businesses)

Recruit local workers or move the foreign national to another category of permit

The foreign national cannot find work in Bulgaria before arriving

Apply for a student visa, long-term residence or a tourist visa, then look for work

What it costs

D visa at the Bulgarian consulateConsular fee; paid by the foreign national	+100 EUR
Residence permit feeTariff No. 4 of the Ministry of the Interior, art. 10(3); paid at the regional migration directorate on arrival	56.24 EUR
Residence cardTariff No. 4, art. 46	20.45 EUR
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. “D visa at the Bulgarian consulate” adds 100 EUR. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	76.69–176.69 EUR

Paid separately

Translation and legalisation of educational documents — Paid by the applicant; not part of the state fee
Health insurance (a minimum of EUR 30,000) — Compulsory, but paid separately to the insurance company
Criminal record certificate — Free in the country of citizenship; the cost of delivery and legalisation depends on the country

Documents to gather

From the employer: an application on the Directorate's form, a statement of reasons for the hire, an employment contract (at least 6 months), a certificate that the salary meets the minimum, and details of other foreign employees on the payroll. From the applicant: a passport (valid for at least 18 months), a translated and legalised diploma, a criminal record certificate, two photographs, proof of accommodation (a tenancy, an agreement or ownership), health insurance (a minimum of EUR 30,000) and a certificate of financial means.

The employer's application (the Migration Directorate's form)
The employment contract (original and copy)
A statement of reasons for hiring the foreign national
The foreign national's passport (a copy)
An educational diploma (translated into Bulgarian and legalised)
A criminal record certificate
Two photographs, 35×45 mm
Proof of accommodation
Health insurance (a minimum of EUR 30,000)
A certificate of financial means

How the process runs

The procedure runs through two agencies (the Employment Agency and the Migration Directorate) and one consular office. The employer acts first, then the applicant approaches the consulate and the migration office on arrival.

1
The Employment Agency examines the employer's application
Up to 2 weeks
The Agency checks whether the position fits the labour market and whether there are local candidates. It then agrees the matter with the Migration Directorate and the State Agency for National Security.
2
The Migration Directorate issues a decision to the employer
Up to 2 months (in exceptional cases up to 4 months)
After approval by the Employment Agency and the security services, the employer receives the permit document. The employer has to notify the employee; the employee then has 20 days to approach the consulate.
3
The consulate issues the D visa
7–21 days (usually 20 days)
The applicant files the documents at the Bulgarian consulate for their place of residence: a passport, the certificate of the decision, health insurance, proof of accommodation and financial evidence. The visa is valid for 180 days.
4
The foreign national arrives in Bulgaria
Within 180 days of the visa being issued
The visa gives the right to a single entry. The foreign national has to arrive before the visa expires.
5
Arranging the residence card at the regional Migration Directorate
3–5 working days of processing; the card takes 3–30 days to produce depending on its period of validity
Within 14 days of arrival the foreign national approaches the local migration unit, pays EUR 56.24 for the permit and EUR 20.45 for the card and files the documents. The residence card is issued within the stated period and runs in parallel with the employer's permit.

Who you can bring with you

Family members (spouse and children) are entitled to obtain a residence and work permit on the same basis — that is, on an employment contract with a Bulgarian employer. Alternatively they may apply for family reunification if the main applicant already holds long-stay status.

Spouse

May work on a separate employment contract; if they are left without work, they may remain as a dependant on the main permit for its period of validity (up to 3 years), after which a renewal or a new contract is required.

Children under 18 (or students under 25)

Receive a residence permit for the same period as the parent; on reaching majority they need an employment contract of their own to renew it, or move to student status.

Children over 18

Need an employment contract of their own to obtain a residence and work permit; they may also obtain one on the basis of study at a Bulgarian institution.

Renewal and the grace period

A residence and work permit is initially valid for up to 3 years. A renewal is applied for at the Migration Directorate no later than 2 months before the end of the period of stay. Renewal requires confirmation that the employment contract continues, or a new contract. If the employment relationship has ended, the foreign national has to leave the country or move to another ground of residence (for example student or pensioner). After work ends, 3 months have to pass before the foreign national can gain access to the Bulgarian labour market again.

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

	Work permit	Trade representative office	Pensioners' residence permit
Visa term	A renewal is applied for no later than two months before the end of the permitted period of stay	Usually 1 year, renewed annually	Usually 1 year, renewed annually
Grounds	Employment with a Bulgarian employer	Representative office of a foreign company	Pensioners with sufficient means
Work	The permit combines the right of residence and the right to work	No; a representative office does not carry on commercial activity	No; a separate ground is needed in order to work

Frequently asked questions about Work permit

Can an employer hire a foreign national if more than 20% of its staff are already foreign?

The limit counts only third-country nationals hired under an employment contract: over the previous 12 months they may not exceed 20% of the average headcount, and 35% at small and medium-sized enterprises. Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, and foreign nationals with long-term or permanent residence, fall outside the limit. Nor does it apply to workers under international treaties, invited lecturers, performers, athletes and coaches. Going over the limit is authorised by the Minister of Labour and Social Policy.

What is the minimum salary for a foreign national?

Pay and working conditions may not be worse than those of Bulgarian nationals doing the same work. The floor is the national minimum salary: from 1 January 2026 that is EUR 620.20 a month and EUR 3.74 an hour. The law sets no separate salary threshold for the single permit.

Can a foreign national work for themselves once the permit is granted?

The single permit works only with the employer, at the place of work and in the position written into it. It does not allow working for yourself. Self-employment takes a separate freelance-activity permit: it is issued by the executive director of the Employment Agency on a detailed plan of activity, and the residence permit by the Ministry of the Interior. There is no need to create ten jobs for Bulgarians — that condition belongs to a different ground, the residence permit for commercial activity.

What happens if the foreign national loses their job after the permit is granted?

The employer reports the termination of the employment contract within three days. The right of residence ends on the date the contract ends — the law gives no period in which to look for new work. Moving to another employer takes a new permit: the single permit is tied to the employer, the place of work and the position. The three-month break before regaining access to the labour market is set for seasonal workers, not for holders of the single permit.

Other ways to move to Bulgaria

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Bulgaria.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.