Freelancing in Bulgaria

20 Feb 2008

If you are a freelancer (writer, programmer etc.) Bulgaria is an attractive place to do your job. Pursuant to the Employment Encouragement Act, being a “freelancer” means that you both:

  1. don’t work for an employer and
  2. you are working in your capacity of a person (not through your company).

Then what type of agreement you are obliged to have signed? Easy, the type of agreement which is required you to have signed is the assignment agreement. The Bulgarian legislation sets a distinction between the employment contract and the assignment agreement. Sure, both of them entitles you to receive certain amount of money for the work, but if you have an employment contract : (inexhaustible)

  • the employer is obliged to register the contract within the National Social Security Institute
  • the employer is obliged to pay part of your social security installments
  • there are certain restrictions and conditions in case of firing an employee
  • there is a mandatory annual full-pay leave etc.

In summary, the Labour Code sets a whole different set of contract conditions in the employer-employee relations. The freelancer is freed of this restrictions, but the work is regulated by the common civil legislation: The Obligations and Agreements Act.

Sufficient funds: Pursuant to the Regulations for the appliance of the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act, a foreigner to be able to stay in Bulgaria if he/she possesses the minimum required 50 Euro per day of stay. This means that if you are a freelancer, you should prove that you have (or will have) at least 1,500 Euro per month.