Bulgaria: contract and register entry before the first shift

Before the first shift a worker in Bulgaria must hold two documents: a copy of the employment contract signed by both parties and a copy of its entry in the National Revenue Agency register. Article 63(2) of the Labour Code bars admitting anyone to work without them, and the breach costs 1,500 to 15,000 leva per worker.

The sequence in days

The Labour Code sets five steps in a fixed order. Missing any one of them is a separate violation.

The 3 day period is the outer limit for the entry, not a grace period for starting. If the worker starts on the signing day, the entry must exist that same day, before the first hour of work.

The usual mistake in seasonal hiring

A hotel signs a contract on day one, the worker starts the same evening and the register entry is filed on day three. The entry is within the Article 62(3) period, but the copy required by Article 63(1) did not exist when work began. That is a separate violation under Article 414(3) of the Labour Code, 1,500 to 15,000 leva per worker, and it is found at a summer check.

The register is kept by the National Revenue Agency, and labour inspectors have real time electronic access to it (Article 62(3), wording in force from 1 June 2025). At a site check the inspector matches the people present against the entries and sees the date of each one.

Once the 3 day period has lapsed, an entry can be made only after a binding instruction from the labour inspectorate has taken effect (Article 62(4)). Where labour is provided without a contract, inspectors may declare the employment relationship by decree and fix its start date (Article 405a(1)).

Sanctions and social security contributions

The sanction applies per violation (Article 414(3), (4) and (7)). Out of a sanction under paragraph 3, the social security contributions owed for that worker are deducted and paid into the insurance funds (Article 414(5)). Leva amounts continue to apply after 1 January 2026 under the conversion rules of the Euro Introduction Act (SG 70/2024). The Code is published on lex.bg.

Data from the Black Sea campaign show the scale: between May and September 2026, inspectors from the Burgas, Varna and Dobrich directorates carried out 950 checks at sites employing 27,894 people and found 142 people working without a contract. The Inspectorate lists hiring third country nationals among the undeclared work patterns at seasonal sites.

Checklist for the HR office

1. The contract is signed by both parties before the start date.
2. The NRA register entry is made before the first shift, not merely within the 3 days.
3. The worker has received a copy of the contract and a copy of the entry, with a signed receipt.
4. The start date falls within one week of handover or within another agreed period.
5. For third country nationals the migration documents are on file, see Labour Inspectorate penalties for foreign workers and seasonal work registration for up to 90 days.

Employers hiring for the season can post vacancies on the job board.