Single Permit for Residence and Work
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Единно разрешение за пребиваване и работа as of 2026-08-25[1][4] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | Single Permit for Residence and Work as of 2026-08-25[4] Translation of the statutory name. |
| Legal basis | Закон за чужденците в Република България, чл. 24и; Закон за трудовата миграция и трудовата мобилност, чл. 15 as of 2026-08-25[1][5] The register lists чл. 24и among the grounds of the service; ЗТМТМ чл. 7, ал. 4 names 'заетостта по чл. 24и, 24к, 33к и 33п от Закона за чужденците в Република България', and ЗТМТМ чл. 15 governs labour-market access with the Single Permit. |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-08-25[1] |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA as of 2026-08-25[1] |
|---|---|
| Criminal-record condition | Yes as of 2026-08-25[1] ЗЧРБ чл. 24, ал. 2 as reproduced by the register: foreigners aged 18 and over, other than stateless persons with status in Bulgaria, produce a criminal-record or police-registration certificate issued under the law of the state of nationality, of origin or of habitual residence, at first application. |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | up to 3 years as of 2026-08-25[4] MLSP: 'Единно разрешение се издава за срок от три години, а когато срокът на трудовия договор е по-кратък – за срока на неговата продължителност.' |
|---|---|
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-08-25[4] MLSP describes a later application to extend the permit. |
| Work rights | own activity only as of 2026-08-25[5] ЗТМТМ чл. 7, ал. 2: a third-country worker with granted labour-market access may work only for the specific legal or natural person and for the place of work, position and term stated in the permit. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Not established from a qualifying source |
|---|
Requirements
| Job offer required | Yes as of 2026-08-25[4][5] ЗТМТМ чл. 5, ал. 1, т. 1: labour-market access is granted where the third-country national has an employment contract with a local employer. |
|---|---|
| Labour-market test | Not established from a qualifying source as of 2026-08-25[3][5] |
| Qualification requirement | equivalent experience as of 2026-08-25[5] ЗТМТМ чл. 7, ал. 1, т. 3: the third-country national must hold the specialised knowledge, skills and professional experience necessary for the position. |
| Employer sponsorship | Yes as of 2026-08-25[4][5] |
| Own means requirement | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value as of 2026-08-25[1] |
| Paid in-country | Yes as of 2026-08-25[5] ЗТМТМ чл. 6: the labour and social-security relations of third-country workers hired by local employers are governed by Bulgarian labour and social-security law. |
Process
| Where to apply from | either as of 2026-08-25[4] MLSP: the application is filed with the Migration Directorate or a regional Migration unit by the employer or an authorised person, or by the foreigner in person where they already hold a valid продължително residence permit. MLSP states as a simplification that a foreigner already holding a residence permit is no longer required to be outside the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria at first application for the Single Permit, and that this also applies to a later application to extend it. |
|---|---|
| Statutory processing time | Not established from a qualifying source as of 2026-08-25[1][4] Not stated for this ground. The register's service-level metadata gives 'до 120 дни' overall and states that an application for a продължително residence permit is examined within 14 to 60 days depending on the ЗЧРБ ground, extendable by up to two further months in cases of legal or factual complexity. MLSP states the intermediate clocks: the Migration Directorate forwards the file to the Employment Agency within 14 days of filing, and the Agency issues its written opinion within 15 days of receipt. |
| Quota |
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Physical presence
| none stated | to keep the permit as of 2026-08-25[1] |
|---|
Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | Yes as of 2026-08-25[1] ЗЧРБ чл. 24, ал. 1, т. 13 as published by the register: family members of a foreigner who has been granted продължително or постоянно residence, and of a foreigner granted asylum or international protection, may themselves obtain продължително residence where the documents evidencing the family tie and the maintenance right are recognised under Bulgarian law. The family route itself is recorded separately as bg-semeystvo-na-chuzhdenets. |
|---|---|
| Eligible relations | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Family members' work rights | authorisation required as of 2026-08-25[2][5] ЗТМТМ чл. 8, ал. 2, т. 4 lists family members of a foreigner with продължително residence among those who may be granted access to the labour market, and the Employment Agency issues them a work permit under ЗТМТМ чл. 40, ал. 2 subject to чл. 7, ал. 1, т. 3 (specialised knowledge, skills and professional experience). Access is therefore permitted but conditional on a prior authorisation. |
Your next step
Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
Profile benefits
- A 30-minute call with our consultant, who reads your profile first.
- An offer for legal support built around your case, covering the whole process.
Verification
| Sources cited | 5 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 5 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-08-25 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-25 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-26 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Разрешаване на продължително пребиваване на чужденци — информация за предоставяне на услуга
Администрация на Министерския съвет — Административен регистър (ИИСДА) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25 - [2] Режим 1271: Издаване на разрешение за работа на работници-граждани на трети държави в Република България (Административен регистър, услуга на Агенцията по заетостта)
Администрация на Министерския съвет / Агенция по заетостта · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25 - [3] Вътрешнокорпоративен трансфер
Министерство на труда и социалната политика · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25 - [4] Общ режим за работа на граждани на трети държави в България
Министерство на труда и социалната политика · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25 - [5] Закон за трудовата миграция и трудовата мобилност (консолидиран текст, PDF)
Министерство на труда и социалната политика · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25