Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, Republika Bŭlgariya, is a country occupying the eastern portion of the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe. Founded in the seventh century, Bulgaria is one of the oldest states on the European continent. The country is remarkable for its variety of scenery. Its rugged mountains and relaxing Black Sea resorts attract many visitors. Ethnically, the population is fairly homogeneous, with Bulgarians making up more than four-fifths of the total population. Bulgarians are the fastest shrinking nation in the world. In the last 30 years after the fall of the totalitarian regime, Bulgaria has lost 2.4 million people or nearly 28% of its population.
Almost two-thirds of all exports are capital goods such as machinery and equipment, and one-fourth are consumer goods mainly of agricultural origin (such as fruit, wine, cigarettes, dairy products, and meat).
*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Bulgaria.
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Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, Republika Bŭlgariya, is a country occupying the eastern portion of the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe. Founded in the seventh century, Bulgaria is one of the oldest states on the European continent. The country is remarkable for its variety of scenery. Its rugged mountains and relaxing Black Sea resorts attract many visitors. Ethnically, the population is fairly homogeneous, with Bulgarians making up more than four-fifths of the total population. Bulgarians are the fastest shrinking nation in the world. In the last 30 years after the fall of the totalitarian regime, Bulgaria has lost 2.4 million people or nearly 28% of its population.
Almost two-thirds of all exports are capital goods such as machinery and equipment, and one-fourth are consumer goods mainly of agricultural origin (such as fruit, wine, cigarettes, dairy products, and meat).
*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Bulgaria.
The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2025.
| January 1 | New Year’s Day | |
| March 3 | Liberation Day | |
| April 18 | Orthodox Good Friday | Movable - As per the Orthodox Calendar |
| April 19-21 | Orthodox Easter Holidays | Movable - As per the Orthodox Calendar |
| May 1 | Labour and International Worker’s Solidarity Day | |
| May 6 | St. George’s Day and the Bulgarian Army’s Day | |
| May 24 | Culture and Literacy Day and Slavic Script Day | |
| September 6 | Unification Day | |
| September 22 | Independence Day | |
| November 1 | Day of the Bulgarian Enlighteners | Holiday for all educational institutions |
| December 24 | Christmas Eve | |
| December 25 | Christmas | |
| December 26 | 2nd Day of Christmas |
The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Bulgaria is 4 business days assuming no special requests or changes to our standard employment contract. Any such requests or changes would need to undergo internal and external review, directly leading to a time delay.
NOTE: This number is subject to change and is only an estimation of the Contract Sharing Time. The estimated Contract Sharing Time begins from the moment that WorkMotion has received all required information from both the client and the employee.
The total monthly contributions for the employer include:
The National Social Security Institute (NSSI) is the public institution that manages the state social security in the Republic of Bulgaria. NSSI administers compulsory social security for sickness, maternity, unemployment, accident at work and professional diseases, disability, old age, and death.
An overview of the mandatory monthly contributions for the both the employer and employee are presented below:
|
Benefit |
Employer Contribution |
Employee Contribution |
|---|
|
Benefit |
Employer Contribution |
Employee Contribution |
|---|---|---|
|
Pension Fund |
8.22% |
6.58% |
|
Additional Pension Insurance |
2.8% |
2.2% |
|
General Disease and Maternity Fund |
2.1% |
1.4% |
|
Unemployment Fund |
0.6% |
0.4% |
|
Accident at Work and Occupational Diseases Fund* |
0.5% |
– |
|
Health Insurance |
4.8% |
3.2% |
|
Total |
19.02% |
13.78% |
The wage ceiling to which social security contributions are tied is BGN 4,130.
The duration of a working week in Bulgaria is five days, with the normal amount of weekly working time not exceeding 40 hours. The normal length of the working day may not exceed eight hours. For operational reasons, employers may extend the working hours on certain working days by a written order and compensate for that extension by reducing working hours on other days. Extended daily working time may not exceed 10 hours.
The duration of overtime work cannot go beyond 150 hours in one calendar year, 30 hours for a day’s work, and 20 hours of night work in a calendar month. The rate of payment for overtime work can be agreed upon between the employer and the employee but it should not be less than 50% for work on working days, 75% on weekends, and 100% on public holidays.
The probation period may last up to six months. During the probation period, both parties are entitled to the same rights and subject to the same obligations as parties that concluded an unlimited employment contract.
The employer must provide the employee with a written notice regarding the termination.
Contracts with a trial period may be terminated without prior notice.
If the employee or employer terminates an indefinite employment contract with notice, at least a 30-day notice is required.
The notice period for a fixed contract is three months but not more than the remaining period of the contract.
No notice is required if the employment contract is due to expire (as in the case of a fixed contract).
The duration of a working week in Bulgaria is five days, with the normal amount of weekly working time not exceeding 40 hours. The normal length of the working day may not exceed eight hours. For operational reasons, employers may extend the working hours on certain working days by a written order and compensate for that extension by reducing working hours on other days. Extended daily working time may not exceed 10 hours.
The duration of overtime work cannot go beyond 150 hours in one calendar year, 30 hours for a day’s work, and 20 hours of night work in a calendar month. The rate of payment for overtime work can be agreed upon between the employer and the employee but it should not be less than 50% for work on working days, 75% on weekends, and 100% on public holidays.
The probation period may last up to six months. During the probation period, both parties are entitled to the same rights and subject to the same obligations as parties that concluded an unlimited employment contract.
The employer must provide the employee with a written notice regarding the termination.
Contracts with a trial period may be terminated without prior notice.
If the employee or employer terminates an indefinite employment contract with notice, at least a 30-day notice is required.
The notice period for a fixed contract is three months but not more than the remaining period of the contract.
No notice is required if the employment contract is due to expire (as in the case of a fixed contract).
The total monthly contributions for the employer include:
The National Social Security Institute (NSSI) is the public institution that manages the state social security in the Republic of Bulgaria. NSSI administers compulsory social security for sickness, maternity, unemployment, accident at work and professional diseases, disability, old age, and death.
An overview of the mandatory monthly contributions for the both the employer and employee are presented below:
|
Benefit |
Employer Contribution |
Employee Contribution |
|---|
|
Benefit |
Employer Contribution |
Employee Contribution |
|---|---|---|
|
Pension Fund |
8.22% |
6.58% |
|
Additional Pension Insurance |
2.8% |
2.2% |
|
General Disease and Maternity Fund |
2.1% |
1.4% |
|
Unemployment Fund |
0.6% |
0.4% |
|
Accident at Work and Occupational Diseases Fund* |
0.5% |
– |
|
Health Insurance |
4.8% |
3.2% |
|
Total |
19.02% |
13.78% |
The wage ceiling to which social security contributions are tied is BGN 4,130.
