EU Blue Card in Bulgaria

Highly qualified employment under Article 17 of the Labour Migration and Labour Mobility Act means a job for which you hold a higher education qualification awarded after at least three academic years of study at a recognised institution. For managers and specialists in information and communication technologies, at least three years of relevant professional experience within the seven years before the application can replace the degree; for other posts, at least five years of experience in a post requiring a degree.

The contract must be for at least six months and the gross salary must be at least 1.5 times the average wage in Bulgaria according to the latest National Statistical Institute data for the 12 months before the contract was signed. The Employment Agency gives its opinion without applying the labour market test.

The employer, a person it authorises, or the foreigner submits the application to the Migration Directorate or a regional migration unit, regardless of where the foreigner will live. The Migration Directorate forwards the file to the Employment Agency, which sends its opinion within 10 days and reports any irregularities within the same period. After positive opinions the worker applies for a D visa at the Bulgarian mission, enters Bulgaria and completes the file; the card is issued or refused within three days of the final documents being presented.

A foreigner who already holds a long-stay residence permit in Bulgaria can switch to a Blue Card without leaving; in that case a decision is due within 60 days.

A Blue Card holder from another EU member state who has lived there legally for 12 months can move to Bulgaria with family for highly qualified work; the application is filed no later than one month after entry.

Long-term resident status in Bulgaria is available after 5 years of legal and continuous residence in EU member states as a Blue Card holder, researcher, student or beneficiary of international protection, of which the last two years in Bulgaria as a Blue Card holder.

Family members of a Blue Card holder can obtain a long-stay residence permit valid for the same period as the holder’s card, as far as their passports allow, if they meet the housing, insurance and means conditions of Article 24(2). They may work as employees and as freelancers in Bulgaria for the duration of the holder’s residence.

During the first 12 months of highly qualified employment the Blue Card holder works only in Bulgaria under the conditions for which the card was issued; a change of employer in this period follows a procedure in which the new employer applies. After 12 months the holder can change employer under a simplified procedure.

Holders who become unemployed can, if they register with the Employment Agency, look for new work; the official pages describe a three-month window for finding a new job.