"Trudova borsa": how to register with the labour exchange in Bulgaria?

Having only just obtained his permanent residence permit, Alexander took a job at a hotel on the coast. But 2020 turned out to be a hard year for the tourism business and the employer soon suggested that the new employee resign. Alexander was left without income and began looking for a new job, and while searching he decided to go to the labour exchange. There he hoped to find work and receive benefits.

How to register?

If you plan to receive unemployment benefit, you must register with the exchange within 7 days of dismissal.

An application to the “Bureau of Labour” can be submitted in person, by post or electronically. In the first case you need to come to the territorial office of the “Bureau of Labour” with your ID card and a completed application form (it can be downloaded from the website https://www.az.government.bg). Online registration is carried out through the single portal for access to electronic administrative services. Registration requires a PIK (a personal code that can be obtained from the National Revenue Agency (NAP)) or a KEP (electronic signature). It is also possible to obtain a free electronic signature for one month.

However, registration as unemployed only means that you intend to use the Employment Agency’s services in searching for vacancies. You cannot count on benefits being awarded automatically after registration.

Who can receive benefits?

Unemployment benefit is available to persons who worked and paid contributions to the “Unemployment” fund for at least 12 months over the last year and a half. These contributions are paid directly by the employer and information about them is shown on the payslips. In addition, several other conditions must be met:

1. You must register as unemployed with the Employment Agency.
2. The applicant must not be entitled to a length-of-service and age pension in Bulgaria or an old-age pension in another country, and must not be receiving a reduced length-of-service pension or a professional pension.
3. The applicant must not be engaged in an activity subject to mandatory insurance under the Social Insurance Code or the legislation of another country (except for persons under Art. 114a, para. 1 of the Labour Code).

When determining entitlement to benefit, not only working time is counted, but also paid and unpaid leave for childcare, temporary incapacity for work, pregnancy and childbirth, adoption of a child under 5 years of age, and unpaid leave of up to 30 working days a year, which counts towards employment and insurance record. Time counted towards the employment record under the law of another country on the basis of an international treaty with Bulgaria is also taken into account.

What is needed to receive unemployment benefit?

In this case, too, you cannot do without a PIK or KEP. To receive benefit you must submit an application electronically on the NOI website. A copy of the act terminating the employment relationship must be attached to it.

An alternative option is to download the application from the website https://www.nssi.bg/forusers/forms/120-unemployment, print it out and send it by post to the chosen NOI office. Only if remote submission is impossible can a pre-completed application be submitted in person. After the documents have been checked, the applicant is contacted and informed about the payment of the benefit.

The amount of the benefit is 60% of the average daily earnings or average daily insurance income on which insurance contributions were paid (or should have been paid) during the last 24 months before dismissal. The minimum and maximum possible daily amount of the benefit is set annually. In 2021 payments can range from 12 to 74.29 leva per day. Payment periods start from 4 months and depend on the length of the total employment record.

Important! If the dismissal was at the employee’s own request or “under the article”, i.e. for some violations, the benefit will be paid at the minimum amount for 4 months. This also applies to those who have already received benefit less than three years ago.

Unfortunately, our protagonist was not entitled to benefit: he had worked too little, less than a year. Nevertheless, registration helped him in his search for a new job.

The “trudova borsa” is available not only to Bulgarian citizens, but also to foreigners long-term or permanently residing in the country, and it is worth making use of this opportunity if you simply cannot find work.

If you have any questions, contact us through the feedback form or in any way convenient for you via Contacts.

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