Visas and Work Permits in Bulgaria
For anyone looking to buy a property in Bulgaria, it is an exciting time, and searching with House Sales Bulgaria (http://www.housesalesbulgaria.com/) can improve the prospects of finding that dream house. Most people are looking for a holiday or second home, where they will spend a period of time relaxing each year without the need to work. However, those who will be working will need to know about the visa and work permit situation in Bulgaria.
There are various visas available when travelling to Bulgaria, and most are aimed at stays of three months or less, with an option of spreading the total three months over a year. For anyone spending time in their own property in Bulgaria or a rented holiday home, there are few issues and the Bulgarian government is happy to welcome tourists and holidaymakers into the local society. For those who intend to live and work in Bulgaria permanently a rewarding and simple life awaits, however there may be considerable paperwork to consider before realising the dream of a life in Bulgaria.
For anyone looking to work in Bulgaria, the first step is to consider the kind of work you would like to do, how long for, and what permit or visa you will require. The fact that you own real estate in Bulgaria does not in itself entitle you to work there. One of the main requirements to gain a permanent residents visa is previous residency for a period of over six years if the person is self employed, or ten years if the person is employed. For this reason a period of working under a work permit is required.
Work permits can be tricky to obtain for various reasons. The government requires employers to show that any job offered to a foreign worker could not have been filled by a Bulgarian citizen before they will issue a visa. Each individual business cannot employ foreign workers for any more than 10% of its positions.
Each work permit only allows a person to work for a single employer, and is not interchangeable, so if you lose a job, you will lose your permit and have to re-apply. Many employers aren’t keen on hiring foreign workers because of the extra paperwork involved for them.
Once working and owning real estate in Bulgaria, and in receipt of the necessary permits and visa, it is law that any foreign worker must pay for their own insurance premium, which adds up to around 30% of their total wages.
The Bulgarian Government have such stringent controls in place to protect Bulgarian citizens’ interests. There is currently an unemployment rate of over 11% amongst Bulgarian citizens, compared to 8.3% in the UK, which is at an all-time high due to the current recession.
For anyone considering buying property in Bulgaria, visit http://www.housesalesbulgaria.com/ for advice and the latest property listings.
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