Posting Workers to Bulgaria: Declaration, A1 and Permits

Step by step

How to declare a worker posting in Bulgaria

Employers must declare a worker posting to the General Labour Inspectorate Executive Agency before the services start and correct the declaration at once if details change.

Submit the declaration

Employers from the EU, EEA, Switzerland or a third country must declare the posting to the General Labour Inspectorate Executive Agency before the services start. They can submit the declaration online, in person or through an agent.
Identify the posting details

Include the company, the workers and the place of work in the declaration.
Report any changes

If any details change, correct the declaration at once.

Declaring the posting

Employers from the EU, EEA, Switzerland or a third country declare the posting to the General Labour Inspectorate Executive Agency, online, in person or through an agent, at the latest before the services start.
The declaration identifies the company, the workers and the place of work. Any change must be declared at once by correcting it.
The inspectorate’s national website on posting explains the Bulgarian terms of employment that apply to posted workers, including pay, working time and leave.

Source: KSB: Posting of workers to Bulgaria, rules for companies; General Labour Inspectorate: National website on posting of workers^1,3

How long a posting can last

After 12 months, nearly all Bulgarian terms of employment apply. Before the end of the 12th month the employer can send a reasoned notice to the inspectorate, as a correction to the declaration, to extend the period to 18 months.¹

Social security: the A1 certificate

Workers posted from another EU country can stay in their home social security system. The employer asks the home social security office for an A1 certificate, preferably before the posting starts; if the conditions are not met, the workers must be insured in Bulgaria.¹

Non-EU workers

Posted by a non-EU employer: the Employment Agency issues a work permit for up to 12 months, exceptionally 6 more, within 30 days. The worker then needs a Type D visa and a prolonged residence permit. There is no quota on non-EU staff for postings.
Posted by an EU employer: the Bulgarian company receiving the worker registers them with the Employment Agency, declaring that the minimum Bulgarian conditions are met, with proof that the worker is lawfully employed in the sending country.
Posting the same worker again needs a break of at least six months in Bulgaria.
Moves within a non-EU group of companies use the intra-corporate transfer route instead.

Source: Be Legal: Work permits in Bulgaria 2026; KSB: Posting of workers to Bulgaria, rules for companies; EU Immigration Portal: International service provider in Bulgaria^2,1,4

Frequently Asked Questions

When must an employer declare a worker posting in Bulgaria?

An employer must declare a worker posting in Bulgaria to the General Labour Inspectorate Executive Agency before the services start. The declaration can be submitted online, in person or through an agent.

How long can a worker be posted to Bulgaria before Bulgarian employment terms apply?

Nearly all Bulgarian terms of employment apply after a worker has been posted to Bulgaria for 12 months. Before the end of the 12th month, the employer can send the inspectorate a reasoned notice, as a correction to the declaration, to extend the period to 18 months.

Do non-EU workers need a work permit to be posted to Bulgaria?

A non-EU worker posted by a non-EU employer needs an Employment Agency work permit, issued within 30 days for up to 12 months and exceptionally extendable by six months. The worker also needs a Type D visa and a prolonged residence permit. A worker posted by an EU employer follows a registration process instead.

What permit is needed to post a non-EU worker to Bulgaria from an EU employer?

The Bulgarian company receiving the non-EU worker must register them with the Employment Agency. It must declare that minimum Bulgarian conditions are met and provide proof that the worker is lawfully employed in the sending country.

How long must a non-EU worker wait before being posted to Bulgaria again?

The same non-EU worker can be posted to Bulgaria again only after a break of at least six months in Bulgaria.

Sources

Figures checked 13 October 2026. Prepared by InvestBulgaria for general information. It is not investment, tax or legal advice; please confirm details with a qualified adviser before acting.

Posting Workers to Bulgaria