Long-stay residence permit for the purpose of employment as a seasonal worker
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Разрешение за продължително пребиваване с цел заетост като сезонен работник as of 2026-08-25[1][2][3] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | Long-stay residence permit for the purpose of employment as a seasonal worker as of 2026-08-25[3] Translation of the statutory name. |
| Legal basis | Закон за чужденците в Република България, чл. 24к; Закон за трудовата миграция и трудовата мобилност, чл. 24, ал. 1 as of 2026-08-25[2][3] ЗТМТМ чл. 29, ал. 1 refers to 'случаите по чл. 24к от Закона за чужденците в Република България' for the seasonal worker, and ЗТМТМ чл. 7, ал. 4 lists чл. 24к among the employment grounds; ЗТМТМ чл. 24, ал. 1 sets the conditions. |
| 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 9 months as of 2026-08-25[2][3] ЗТМТМ чл. 24, ал. 1: labour-market access with a продължително residence permit for employment as a seasonal worker covers employment of between 90 days and 9 months within any 12-month period. Seasonal work of up to 90 days without interruption in any 12-month period is not a residence permit at all: it is registered by the Employment Agency on a declaration filed by the employer (ЗТМТМ чл. 24, ал. 2), confirmed by endorsement of the declaration within 10 days of filing, and is recorded here only to mark the boundary. |
|---|---|
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-08-25[2] MLSP: where a seasonal worker continues with the same employer after the registration period expires, the case moves to the permit regime for up to 9 months; the same applies where the worker continues with a different employer. While an extension or renewal procedure is pending the worker has the right to remain in Bulgaria until a decision is taken. |
| Maximum total duration | up to 9 months as of 2026-08-25[3] ЗТМТМ чл. 24, ал. 1: 9 months within any period of 12 months. ЗТМТМ чл. 5, ал. 2, т. 1 requires a break in employment of at least three months after that maximum is reached before new access is granted. |
| Work rights | own activity only as of 2026-08-25[3] ЗТМТМ чл. 7, ал. 2: work only for the specific person and for the place of work, position and term stated in the permit. ЗТМТМ чл. 29, ал. 1 allows the seasonal worker to change employer once, for up to 9 months within any 12-month period counted from the date the initial seasonal permit was issued. |
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] MLSP: a seasonal worker is a third-country national who keeps their principal place of residence in a third country and stays lawfully and temporarily in Bulgaria to carry out seasonal work on the basis of one or more fixed-term employment contracts concluded directly with an employer whose seat is in Bulgaria. |
|---|---|
| Labour-market test | No as of 2026-08-25[2][3] ЗТМТМ чл. 24, ал. 1 and чл. 25, ал. 4: access is granted 'без да се прилага условието на чл. 7, ал. 1, т. 1', and for activities on the sector list чл. 7, ал. 1, т. 1 and т. 2 are not applied. |
| Employer sponsorship | Yes as of 2026-08-25[2][3] Access is granted only for activities included in the List of economic sectors whose activities depend on the change of seasons, approved by the Minister of Labour and Social Policy under ЗТМТМ чл. 25, ал. 1 by Order № РД01-47 of 17 January 2017. The employer also bears the seasonal worker's travel costs both ways, the compulsory health insurance and social security (ЗТМТМ чл. 27) and must provide or help secure suitable accommodation until the contract expires (ЗТМТМ чл. 28). |
| Own means requirement | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value as of 2026-08-25[1] |
Process
| Where to apply from | Not established from a qualifying source as of 2026-08-25[1] The register states the permit is granted to foreigners who meet the conditions for labour-market access and hold a visa under чл. 15, ал. 1 ЗЧРБ, which implies entry on a type D visa; the applicant's location at filing is not stated. |
|---|---|
| Statutory processing time | Not established from a qualifying source as of 2026-08-25[1] |
| 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 | Not established from a qualifying source |
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.
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Verification
| Sources cited | 3 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 3 |
| 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] Сезонна заетост
Министерство на труда и социалната политика · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25 - [3] Закон за трудовата миграция и трудовата мобилност (консолидиран текст, PDF)
Министерство на труда и социалната политика · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25