long-stay residence permit — freelance activity (Foreigners Act, art. 24(1)(15))
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | разрешение за продължително пребиваване по чл. 24, ал. 1, т. 15 от ЗЧРБ as of 2026-08-25[1] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | long-stay residence permit — freelance activity (Foreigners Act, art. 24(1)(15)) as of 2026-08-25[1] Translation. |
| Legal basis | Закон за чужденците в Република България, чл. 24, ал. 1, т. 15 във връзка с чл. 24а; Закон за трудовата миграция и трудовата мобилност, чл. 44 – 45 as of 2026-08-25[1][4] |
| 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 1 year as of 2026-08-25[3][4] ЗТМТМ чл. 45, ал. 1: the freelance permit is issued for up to one year. ЗЧРБ чл. 23, ал. 1, т. 2: продължително residence is 'with a permitted term of up to one year, save in the cases provided for in this Act'. The register prices the permit in two bands, up to 6 months and up to 1 year. |
|---|---|
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-08-25[4] ЗТМТМ чл. 45, ал. 2: the term may be extended if the conditions for the initial issue still hold. |
| Work rights | self-employment only as of 2026-08-25[4] The permit authorises the freelance activity set out in the approved activity plan. ЗТМТМ чл. 46, ал. 3: no change in the subject of the activity is allowed during the term of the initially issued permit; чл. 46, ал. 1 requires any change in the declared circumstances to be notified to the Employment Agency within 7 days, and чл. 46, ал. 4 requires notification within 7 days of any temporary difficulty or inability to carry it on. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Not established from a qualifying source |
|---|
Requirements
| Job offer required | No as of 2026-08-25[4] ЗТМТМ чл. 44, ал. 1: the permit rests on a detailed activity plan for the term of the permit, not on an employment contract. |
|---|---|
| Labour-market test | No as of 2026-08-25[4] ЗТМТМ чл. 44, ал. 2: the freelance permit is issued observing чл. 7, ал. 1, т. 3 only — the specialised-knowledge condition. The employer headcount ratio at чл. 7, ал. 1, т. 1 is not among the conditions stated for it. |
| Qualification requirement | equivalent experience as of 2026-08-25[4] ЗТМТМ чл. 44, ал. 2 applies чл. 7, ал. 1, т. 3: the specialised knowledge, skills and professional experience necessary for the activity. |
| Employer sponsorship | No as of 2026-08-25[4] The applicant applies in their own name; the Employment Agency's executive director issues the permit. |
| 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 | in-country only as of 2026-08-25[1] The register: filed in person at the Migration Directorate or a regional Migration unit no later than 14 days before the permitted stay or the type D visa expires. ЗТМТМ чл. 44, ал. 1 provides that the Ministry of Interior issues either a продължително residence permit or a long-stay visa on the basis of the Employment Agency's freelance permit. |
|---|---|
| Statutory processing time | up to 14 days as of 2026-08-25[1] Register: up to 14 days from filing, extendable by one month. The Employment Agency's own freelance permit is issued within 30 days of the application for labour-market access (ЗТМТМ чл. 44, ал. 2). |
| Fees |
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| 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][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
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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