Non-EU foreigner with a long-term residence permit, as parent of Bulgarian citizen
Many Bulgarian employers, same as the state administration, are sometimes lacking basic knowledge about the relevant legal framework. Therefore employers often request from legal residents in Bulgaria to have a work permit in order to employ them. And the administration is applying hefty fines if this is not the case. While in many cases, this may be justified, often it is not.
So let’s see whether a foreign parent of a Bulgarian child, who holds Bulgarian long-term residence card, needs work permit in Bulgaria.
The Law on the labor migration and labor mobility
This is the law that regulates the conditions about the access of non-EU foreigners to the Bulgarian labor market. And it quite clearly stipulates the following:
A permit for access to the labor market is not required for workers – citizens of third countries who are family members of Bulgarian citizens.
Art. 9, par. 1, p. 5 of the labor mobility Law
Further, the Law clearly stipulates who is considered to be a family member of Bulgarian citizen:
Family members of a Bulgarian citizen are the persons within the meaning of Art. 2, para. 6 of the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria.
§ 1. p. 29 of the additional provisions of the labor mobility Law
The Foreigners’ Law
And now, let’s see what the foreigners’ Law states:
Family members of a Bulgarian citizen within the meaning of this law are the persons who live with him in the same household and are: … ascendants of the Bulgarian citizen or the person under item 1
Art. 2, para. 6, p. 4 of the Foreigners’ Law
With all that being said, we can conclude that:
The non-EU parent of Bulgarian child does NOT need work permit in order to work in Bulgaria!
We remind all interested that we are providing consultations and are organizing workshops on legal immigration issues. State officials from the administration, Bulgarian employers and foreign employees can make use of our services. Please contact us for details.