The National Assembly has adopted amendments to the Law on Foreigners to provide legal residence in Bulgaria to people who work under an employment contract for a company outside the Union (EU) - the so-called digital nomads.
According to the definition, this is "a foreigner employed under an employment contract by an employer registered/established outside an EU member state, and who provides remote services using information technology". People who also have a long-term residence visa valid for at least six months will receive a permit. The permit will also be valid for six months.
The proposals for changes were submitted by the Council of Ministers, but, in practice, they are ideas of the entrepreneurial and startup association BESCO. At the end of last year, its chairman Dobromir Ivanov presented the idea of changing the legislation under the pretext that until now digital nomads had to reside with tourist, not work visas.
The aim of the changes is for people who work for a foreign company to be able to live in Bulgaria, where in theory they could have a better standard of living. Similar legislation already exists in Romania. According to BESCO forecasts, the economic benefit for Bulgaria from the changes will be in the range of tens of millions of leva per year from specialists who will spend their money in the country.
"Bulgaria is already attracting the interest of such people and entire communities are forming in Bansko, Razlog, Semkovo and other cities. We have the potential to develop many more places and help attract investments in underdeveloped regions," Dobromir Ivanov writes on his Facebook profile.
Parliament has made further changes to the law, such as easing the administrative burden for employers when hiring foreign workers. Other amendments include an accelerated procedure for seasonal workers if they have worked in Bulgaria in the last five years, as well as announcing the address where a foreign citizen (from a non-EU country) will reside in Bulgaria within three days of entering the country - except in cases of organized tourism.
The National Assembly has adopted amendments to the Law on Foreigners to provide legal residence in Bulgaria to people who work under an employment contract for a company outside the Union (EU) - the so-called digital nomads.
According to the definition, this is "a foreigner employed under an employment contract by an employer registered/established outside an EU member state, and who provides remote services using information technology". People who also have a long-term residence visa valid for at least six months will receive a permit. The permit will also be valid for six months.
