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:
- don’t work for an employer and
- 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.
11 April 2008 6:03 am
I have many friends who are freelancers. I’m sure they’d love to know that Bulgaria is an ideal country for this craft. Thanks for the heads up.
8 May 2008 2:09 pm
Would I be considered a freelancer if I basically work selling property here but as a middle person, sourcing through various agents and then if I bring them a client I get a percentage of their profit which various, or I have a few houses for sale from private sellers. I also rent out property (property owned by my Bulgarian company though) and do little bits and pieces of jobs for people. Could do with a good English speaking accountant really in Stara Zagora region – any contacts?
8 May 2008 5:55 pm
Rachel,
the activity that you mentioned cannot be considered as a freelance activity. Article 1, para 1, point 4 of the Commercial Act stipulates that middleman (a person who brings parties together for the purpose of entering into a contract) is considered as a trader. That means that everyone who practice as a middleman shall register their business as a company or as a sole-person business.