Work

Steps

1. Look for job offers on the EURES portal and on the Employment Agency website (Агенция по заетостта, az.government.bg), which also organises online job fairs.
2. Register if you wish at one of the 106 labour offices (Дирекция „Бюро по труда“) in your place of residence, in person, online or by post, with your identity document, the standard form and a certificate of your address in Bulgaria.
3. Sign your written contract before starting: the employer must give you, before you take up the post, a copy of the contract signed by both parties and a copy of the registration of the start of your employment relationship in the employment register (регистър на заетостта), certified by the territorial directorate of the tax administration (НАП). It cannot let you work before that (Labour Code, art. 63, since 01/06/2025).
4. If you lose your job, register at the labour office no later than 7 working days after the end of the contract, then submit within 3 months the allowance application to the regional directorate of the National Social Security Institute (НОИ): online with an electronic signature or a personal code, or on paper at the labour office (Social Security Code, art. 54а). Bring your U1 if you worked elsewhere in the EU.
5. For a qualification or a regulated profession, contact the national recognition centre (НАЦИД, nacid.bg; see sheet BG-ECOLE-TOUS-001) or the profession's authority.

Documents

• Identity document, address certificate, personal foreigner's number (ЛНЧ) (sheet BG-NIF-TOUS-001).
• Signed contract and certified copy of the registration in the employment register.
• In case of unemployment: registration application, allowance application, form U1.

Costs and timelines

• 2026 minimum wage: €620.20 per month (Commission guide). Normal day of 8 hours, 5-day week.
• Contracts: permanent or fixed-term; a fixed-term contract becomes permanent if work continues 5 days or more after its end without written objection from the employer.
• Probation period: 6 months at most, and 1 month at most if the contract is a fixed-term contract of under one year (art. 70); during probation, the party in whose favour it is provided can terminate without notice (the contract must say which; otherwise, the probation benefits both).
• Notice (when you are the one resigning): 30 days for a permanent contract, which the parties can extend up to 3 months; 3 months for a fixed-term contract, without exceeding the remaining length of the contract (art. 326).
• Working time: 40 hours per week, 8 hours per day; extended days up to 10 hours at most (48 hours per week), 60 days per year at most; rest of 12 hours between two days and of 48 hours per week; meal break of at least 30 minutes.
• Paid leave: 20 days per year at least; more by collective agreement or contract.
• Unemployment (обезщетение за безработица): having contributed to the unemployment fund for at least 12 months out of the last 18 months, being registered as a jobseeker, not being entitled to a retirement pension and not carrying on an activity subject to compulsory insurance. Amount: 60% of the average insured income of the last 24 months, between €9.21 and €54.78 per day in 2026. If you have also worked in another EU country, the Bulgarian Code (art. 54б, para. 8, added in 2024) takes into account, for these 24 months, the income from other countries subject to the European regulations, whereas the Commission guide (July 2026) still says that only Bulgarian income counts: to be confirmed with the INSS. You receive only the minimum amount, for 4 months, if your contract ended at your request, by mutual agreement or through your fault, or if you have already received unemployment benefit in the last 3 years (art. 54б, para. 3 and 4). Duration: 4 months (up to 3 years of insurance record), 6 months (3 to 7 years), 8 months (7 to 11 years), 10 months (11 to 15 years), 12 months (15 years or more).

Common pitfalls

• Delaying registration: 7 working days after the end of the contract. If you register or submit your application too late without a valid reason, the allowance is paid from the date of your procedure and its duration is reduced by the delay (art. 54а, para. 5 and 6).
• Resigning (or leaving by mutual agreement): you receive only the minimum allowance for 4 months.
• Working part time below the minimum wage while receiving unemployment benefit: the allowance is reduced by half.
• Coming with foreign unemployment benefit without a U2: register for at least 4 weeks at home, ask for the U2, then register in Bulgaria within 7 days.

What changes by country of origin

• EU, EEA, Switzerland: free access; insurance periods aggregated thanks to the U1 to open the entitlement.
• British citizens (Scots included) and other non-Europeans: work permit needed: the EU immigration portal indicates a single permit (or a work permit), for which the employer asks the Employment Agency for approval before your arrival, then a type D visa; unless protected by the withdrawal agreement (to be checked with the Ministry of the Interior, sheet BG-SEJOUR-TOUS-001).