Bulgaria · Work
Bulgaria Blue Card
First stay: 5 yrs
EU Blue Card (high qualification employment)
Checked against official sources on Record corrected 11 Oct 2026Change log
Key facts
Blue Card is a work route for Bulgaria. Local work: limited. Checked 2026-10-12 against the official source.
- Processing
- Up to 14 days
- First stay
- 5 yrs
Time and long term
RenewalRenewable
Blue Card is valid up to 5 years and can be extended.
Permanent residenceAfter 5 years of residence
Long-term resident status is granted after 5 years of lawful continuous residence; half of study time counts, and seasonal, au pair, posted and formally limited permits do not.
CitizenshipAfter 5 years as a permanent resident
Naturalisation requires holding a permanent or long-term residence permit for at least 5 years, plus income, no intentional-crime conviction and Bulgarian language.
ProcessingUp to 14 days
Applications for prolonged residence permits are examined within 14 days; complex cases can be extended by one more month.
Where to applyFrom abroad
Applied for after a positive Employment Agency opinion; you collect Visa D abroad before the Blue Card is issued.
Presence rulesAbsence limits
For long-term status, absences must stay under 6 consecutive months and 10 months in total over the 5 years.
Why this route may not fit
Check this before you apply.
- Applications are made from outside Bulgaria, not after arriving
- Needs a job offer from an employer in Bulgaria
- Work rights are limited
- Not open to EU, EEA or Swiss passports
What you'll need
Who can apply4
- Applicants hold a higher-education qualification from at least three academic years of study.
- Alternatively, ICT managers and specialists have at least 3 years of relevant experience within the last 7 years (NKPD group 133 or subclass 25).
- Alternatively, for other positions applicants have at least 5 years of experience at a level comparable to higher education.
- The employment contract is with a Bulgarian employer and lasts at least 6 months.
What you must show2
- Gross pay in the contract is at least 1.5 times the average wage in Bulgaria.
- The average wage uses the latest National Statistical Institute data for the 12 months before signing.
Documents2
- The employer's justification, qualification and experience documents and the fixed-term employment contract are submitted.
- A criminal record certificate, proof of housing and health insurance valid for at least three months are submitted.
Steps3
- The employer or the worker files the application at the Migration Directorate; the Employment Agency gives its opinion within 10 days.
- After the notice the worker applies for a long-stay visa within 30 days; applicants already holding a long-term permit need not leave Bulgaria.
- Within 14 days of entry the employer and worker appear at the Migration Directorate; the card is issued within 3 days.
After you arrive2
- The permit is valid up to 5 years and at least 24 months.
- In the first 12 months the holder works only under the conditions of the card; later changes of employer or position use a simplified procedure.
What happens at day 183
How Bulgaria decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Stay on this route
Up to 5 years at first, renewable
- Tax residence
- More than 183 days in each 12-month periodResiding in Bulgaria more than 183 days makes a person a resident for tax purposes.
- Foreign-source income
Total annual tax base of residents on worldwide income; Bulgarian-source income of non-residents.
All tax rules for Bulgaria Tax records checked
What you need to arrange
- Health insurance
A criminal record certificate, proof of housing and health insurance valid for at least three months are submitted
- Accommodation
A criminal record certificate, proof of housing and health insurance valid for at least three months are submitted
- Police certificate and civil documents
A criminal record certificate, proof of housing and health insurance valid for at least three months are submitted
Taken from this route's requirements above. The authority's own list is the one that counts.
Full official text
EU Blue Card issued by the Ministry of Interior, with a positive Employment Agency opinion, for highly qualified workers with a contract of at least six months and pay of at least 1.5 times the average wage. 1 2 3 4
What you must show
- Income · Gross pay in the employment contract of at least 1.5 times the average wage in Bulgaria, using National Statistical Institute data for the 12 months before the contract is signed. No fixed figure is published; the threshold is worked out again for each contract. 1
Requirements
- Applicants hold a higher-education qualification from at least three academic years of study. 1
- Alternatively, ICT managers and specialists have at least 3 years of relevant experience within the last 7 years (NKPD group 133 or subclass 25). 1
- Alternatively, for other positions applicants have at least 5 years of experience at a level comparable to higher education. 1
- The employment contract is with a Bulgarian employer and lasts at least 6 months. 1
- Gross pay in the contract is at least 1.5 times the average wage in Bulgaria. 1
- The average wage uses the latest National Statistical Institute data for the 12 months before signing. 1
- The employer's justification, qualification and experience documents and the fixed-term employment contract are submitted. 1
- A criminal record certificate, proof of housing and health insurance valid for at least three months are submitted. 1
- The employer or the worker files the application at the Migration Directorate; the Employment Agency gives its opinion within 10 days. 1
- After the notice the worker applies for a long-stay visa within 30 days; applicants already holding a long-term permit need not leave Bulgaria. 1
- Within 14 days of entry the employer and worker appear at the Migration Directorate; the card is issued within 3 days. 1
- The permit is valid up to 5 years and at least 24 months. 1
- In the first 12 months the holder works only under the conditions of the card; later changes of employer or position use a simplified procedure. 1
Stay
- Permit valid up to 5 years and at least 24 months; for a contract shorter than 24 months, the contract term plus three months, up to 24 months; extendable.
- First stay: 24 to 60 months, decided case by case.
- Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.
Nationality
Third-country nationals. Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.
Work
Work in the contracted job; in the first 12 months only under the conditions of the card, afterwards employer and position changes by simplified procedure; freelance work in the same sector is allowed alongside; remote work if the contract provides for it.
Family
Family members can get a prolonged-stay permit valid for the Blue Card holder's term of residence, within their passport validity; where the family was not already together in another EU state, the family-reunification procedure applies.
Official sources
- Procedure for issuing the EU Blue Card · Employment Agency of Bulgaria · checked 2026-10-11
- Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act, consolidated text (amended to State Gazette 52/2025) · Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (consolidated text, printed 13 February 2026) · checked 2026-10-11
- Labour Migration and Labour Mobility Act (Bulgarian text, as amended to 2021) · Ministry of Labour and Social Policy · checked 2026-10-11
- Law amending the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act (State Gazette 52/2025) · National Assembly of Bulgaria (State Gazette) · checked 2026-10-11
- Bulgarian Citizenship Act (Zakon za balgarskoto grazhdanstvo), Art. 12-13 · Ministry of Justice, Bulgaria · checked 2026-10-11
Blue Card and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Card | – | 5 yr, renewable | Limited |
| Trade representative permit | Needs income of BGN 100k+ a year ≈ $57k | – | – |
| Intra-company transfer | – | 1 yr, renewable | Limited |
| Seasonal worker permit | – | 9 mo, renewable | – |
| Researcher permit | Needs income of €620+ a month ≈ $690 | – | – |
Questions people ask
How long can I stay on the Blue Card?
Permit valid up to 5 years and at least 24 months; for a contract shorter than 24 months, the contract term plus three months, up to 24 months; extendable.
How long does the Blue Card take to process?
Applications for prolonged residence permits are examined within 14 days; complex cases can be extended by one more month.
Can I work on the Blue Card?
Limited. Work in the contracted job; in the first 12 months only under the conditions of the card, afterwards employer and position changes by simplified procedure; freelance work in the same sector is allowed alongside; remote work if the contract provides for it.
Can I bring my family on the Blue Card?
Family members can get a prolonged-stay permit valid for the Blue Card holder's term of residence, within their passport validity; where the family was not already together in another EU state, the family-reunification procedure applies.
Who can apply for the Blue Card?
Third-country nationals. Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.
Does the Blue Card lead to permanent residence in Bulgaria?
Time on the Blue Card counts toward permanent residence in Bulgaria, which the rules allow after 5 years of residence. Time on the Blue Card counts toward citizenship, which the rules allow after 5 years as a permanent resident.
How are Blue Card holders taxed in Bulgaria?
No special regime in our records is tied to the Blue Card. The standard rules apply: Bulgarian tax residents pay a flat 10% on the total annual tax base; dividends are taxed at a final 5%.
More in Bulgaria
Work visas elsewhere
≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-12 against 5 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Procedure for issuing the EU Blue Card · Employment Agency of Bulgaria · checked 2026-10-11
- Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act, consolidated text (amended to State Gazette 52/2025) · Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (consolidated text, printed 13 February 2026) · checked 2026-10-11
- Labour Migration and Labour Mobility Act (Bulgarian text, as amended to 2021) · Ministry of Labour and Social Policy · checked 2026-10-11
- Law amending the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act (State Gazette 52/2025) · National Assembly of Bulgaria (State Gazette) · checked 2026-10-11
- Bulgarian Citizenship Act (Zakon za balgarskoto grazhdanstvo), Art. 12-13 · Ministry of Justice, Bulgaria · checked 2026-10-11
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.