long-stay residence permit — student in full-time higher education (Foreigners Act, art. 24c)
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | разрешение за продължително пребиваване по чл. 24в от ЗЧРБ as of 2026-08-25[1][4] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | long-stay residence permit — student in full-time higher education (Foreigners Act, art. 24c) as of 2026-08-25[4] Translation. |
| Legal basis | Закон за чужденците в Република България, чл. 24в; Закон за трудовата миграция и трудовата мобилност, чл. 38 as of 2026-08-25[1][4] ЗТМТМ чл. 38, ал. 1 conditions student employment on 'спазване изискванията на чл. 24в от Закона за чужденците в Република България'; the register lists чл. 24в among the grounds of the service and describes the ground as foreigners admitted as students in full-time education at a Bulgarian higher-education institution, pupils in secondary education under an exchange programme, and trainees under чл. 38а ЗТМТМ. |
| 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[3] |
|---|---|
| Renewable | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Work rights | hours capped as of 2026-08-25[4] ЗТМТМ чл. 38, ал. 1: third-country nationals who are students in full-time education at a Bulgarian higher-education institution may take short-term employment after registration by the employer with the Employment Agency within 7 days of its start — up to 20 hours a week during the academic year, and during the vacations officially announced by the higher-education institution. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Not established from a qualifying source |
|---|
Requirements
| Enrolment status required | admitted as of 2026-08-25[1][4] The register describes the ground as foreigners 'приети като студенти в редовна форма на обучение във висше училище в Република България'; ЗТМТМ чл. 38, ал. 1 speaks of those who are students in full-time education. |
|---|---|
| Means requirement | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value as of 2026-08-25[1] |
| Work-hours cap | 20 as of 2026-08-25[4] ЗТМТМ чл. 38, ал. 1, т. 1: up to 20 hours a week during the academic year. Point 2 adds employment during the officially announced vacations, for which no hours cap is stated. |
| Post-study route exists | Yes as of 2026-08-25[4] ЗТМТМ чл. 38, ал. 2: after completing the studies the third-country national may use the rights under чл. 36, ал. 3 — the researcher's post-project job-search right. |
| Post-study permit duration | up to 9 months as of 2026-08-25[4] ЗТМТМ чл. 36, ал. 3, applied by чл. 38, ал. 2: 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][4] 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 | 4 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 4 |
| 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] Закон за чужденците в Република България (консолидиран текст)
Министерство на иновациите и растежа (публикуван текст на закона) · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2022-03-18 · Accessed 2026-08-25 · Amended by bg-dv-zid-zchrb-52-2025 - [4] Закон за трудовата миграция и трудовата мобилност (консолидиран текст, PDF)
Министерство на труда и социалната политика · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25