long-stay residence permit — researcher under a hosting agreement (Foreigners Act, art. 24b(1))
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | разрешение за продължително пребиваване по чл. 24б, ал. 1 от ЗЧРБ as of 2026-08-25[1][2] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | long-stay residence permit — researcher under a hosting agreement (Foreigners Act, art. 24b(1)) as of 2026-08-25[2] Translation. |
| Legal basis | Закон за чужденците в Република България, чл. 24б, ал. 1; Закон за трудовата миграция и трудовата мобилност, чл. 36 as of 2026-08-25[1][2] ЗТМТМ чл. 36, ал. 1 names 'разрешено пребиваване съгласно чл. 24б, ал. 1 от Закона за чужденците в Република България' for researchers admitted under a project contract; the register lists чл. 24б among the grounds of the service. |
| 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 | Not established from a qualifying source as of 2026-08-25[2] Not stated. ЗТМТМ чл. 36, ал. 1 ties the employment to 'срока на продължителност на проекта'; the duration of the residence permit itself is set by ЗЧРБ чл. 24б, which is past the point at which the consolidated Act text available to this session is cut. |
|---|---|
| Renewable | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Work rights | own activity only as of 2026-08-25[2] ЗТМТМ чл. 36, ал. 1: third-country nationals admitted as researchers holding a contract with a research organisation for a research project carry out employment, including academic employment, in Bulgaria without a work permit for the duration of the project. The receiving research organisation registers the case with the Employment Agency (чл. 36, ал. 4). |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Not established from a qualifying source |
|---|
Requirements
| Job offer required | Yes as of 2026-08-25[2] ЗТМТМ чл. 36, ал. 1: a contract with a research organisation for the conduct of research within a research project. чл. 36, ал. 5: the contract must state the conditions for conducting and completing the research, including on the territory of other second Member States where that is planned. |
|---|---|
| Labour-market test | No as of 2026-08-25[2] ЗТМТМ чл. 35, т. 7 excludes researchers admitted for a research project from the Single Permit section, and чл. 36, ал. 1 states they work without a work permit. |
| Qualification requirement | Not established from a qualifying source as of 2026-08-25[2] |
| Employer sponsorship | Yes as of 2026-08-25[2] The receiving research organisation must be entered in the register under чл. 7б, ал. 1, т. 1 of the Act for the Promotion of Scientific Research, per the register's own description of the ground. |
| Own means requirement | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value as of 2026-08-25[1] |
| Job-search route | Yes as of 2026-08-25[2] ЗТМТМ чл. 36, ал. 3: after the research project ends the third-country national has the right, within 9 months, to look for and take up work and to use employment intermediation services under the Employment Promotion Act, after filing an application for registration with the Employment Agency within 7 working days. |
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] ЗТМТМ чл. 37: family members of a third-country researcher have the right to work under an employment relationship and to carry on freelance activity in Bulgaria for the duration of the researcher's residence, with a permission of the executive director of the Employment Agency for access to the labour market. |
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 | 2 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 2 |
| 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] Закон за трудовата миграция и трудовата мобилност (консолидиран текст, PDF)
Министерство на труда и социалната политика · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25