We found no public tool that checks a Bulgarian work permit by passport number before you travel. The employer applies, Bulgaria's Employment Agency approves, and you then have 20 days to start your D visa application. The permit card is issued only after you arrive. Once you hold a card, Bulgaria's Ministry of Interior offers a public validity check.
The Embassy of India in Sofia has warned that fraudsters pose as Bulgarian companies and ask Indian job seekers for "deposits" for training, travel or visas. For example, imagine an agent sends you an English "Work Permit Certificate" for a hotel job on the Black Sea coast and asks for a deposit before the visa.
This guide explains the real process, the one official online check and its limits, how to check the employer, and the warning signs.
Can you check a Bulgaria work permit by passport number?
No, we found no public way to check a Bulgaria work permit or approval by passport number. Before arrival there is no card: the employer receives the approval and you apply for a D visa. After the card is issued, the Ministry of Interior's tool can confirm whether it is valid, using the document number and date of birth.
- Before arrival: we found no public tool that confirms an approval, a job or an employer by passport number. The employer is informed of the approval (EU Immigration Portal: employed worker in Bulgaria).
- After the card is issued: the Ministry of Interior's validity check can confirm whether a residence permit document is valid.
- Free help from India's Embassy: the Embassy of India in Sofia says Indians can contact it at cons.sofia@mea.gov.in for help verifying whether a job offer is genuine (Embassy advisory).
Got a Bulgarian permit or offer? Get it checked →
How is a real Bulgarian single permit issued?
A real Bulgarian single permit is issued in four steps. The employer applies to the Migration Directorate after a labour market test, the Employment Agency gives its opinion and the employer is informed, you start your D visa application within 20 days, and the card is issued in Bulgaria after you arrive.
| Step | Who | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Application | Employer (or its authorised representative) | Applies to the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior. Must first have actively searched for 15 days and found no suitable Bulgarian or EU candidate. Foreign workers are capped at 20% of the employer's average staff (35% for small and medium-sized firms), with exceptions | EU Immigration Portal; Employment Agency |
| 2. Approval | Employment Agency → Migration Directorate | The Employment Agency sends its written opinion within 15 days of receiving the file. After positive opinions, the Migration Directorate messages the employer within 3 days | Employment Agency |
| 3. D visa | You | The employer tells you about the message. Within 20 days of it being sent, you must take steps to apply for a type D visa. Confirm the current application route and fees with the Embassy of Bulgaria in New Delhi | Employment Agency |
| 4. Arrival and card | You and the employer | Within 14 days of your entry, the employer must appear with you at the Migration Directorate. The permit is issued or refused within 3 days | Employment Agency |
The whole procedure should take no longer than two months, extendable by two months in complex cases. The single permit is issued for three years, or for the length of the contract if shorter. If the employment ends, the right of residence ends with it (Employment Agency: single permit procedure, in Bulgarian).
Employers file work-permit applications through Bulgaria's electronic platform, workinbulgaria.egov.bg, which needs an official login and also publishes public statistics. It is a tool for employers, not a check for workers.
The key point for you: a genuine plastic card cannot exist before you have travelled to Bulgaria. Anyone handing you a card in India is handing you something the official process doesn't produce.
What you can reasonably expect to hold at each stage:
- Before the visa: a written job offer or contract naming the employer, the job, the workplace and the salary, plus the employer's own confirmation that the Employment Agency has approved your application.
- At the visa stage: the documents the Embassy of Bulgaria asks for, collected and submitted by you, not by an agent who keeps your passport.
- In Bulgaria: the single permit card, which you can then check on the Ministry of Interior's validity tool.
If an agent's paperwork doesn't fit this order, for example a "final permit" with no visa step, ask the employer directly before paying anything.
What is Bulgaria's one official online check, and what can't it do?
Bulgaria's one official online check is the Ministry of Interior's "Validity Verification of Bulgarian Personal Documents" tool. You choose "Residence Permit" and enter the document number and date of birth. It only works for documents already issued, after you arrive, and it cannot confirm a pre-arrival approval, a job offer or an employer.
According to the Ministry of Interior:
- Choose the document type "Residence Permit".
- Enter the document number and the holder's date of birth.
- The tool tells you whether the document is valid.
Its limits matter:
- It only covers issued documents. It can't tell you anything about a permit "in process" or an approval letter.
- It doesn't check jobs or employers. A valid card doesn't prove the job offer you were sent is genuine.
- It is rate-limited to 11 requests per 10 minutes.
- Use only the official mvr.bg page. Don't type your details into third-party "Bulgaria permit check" sites.
Holding a Bulgarian "permit" from an agent before you've travelled? An expert can review the whole file. Verdict within 24 hours, from ₹1,600 incl. GST. Check my documents →
How do you check your Bulgarian job offer?
Checking a Bulgarian job offer takes six steps: find the employer in the Commercial Register, test whether it could plausibly hire foreign workers under the cap, contact it directly about the approval, watch the 20-day visa deadline, ask the Indian Embassy in Sofia for help, and check your Indian agent.
1. Check the employer in the Commercial Register
Search the Registry Agency portal for the company's name or UIC number (ЕИК). The portal is mainly in Bulgarian, so use your browser's translate function. Then compare what you find with your documents:
- Is the company name spelled the same way on the offer, the contract and the register?
- Does the registered address match the address on the contract?
- Does the registered activity fit the job? A hotel job from a company registered for something unrelated needs explaining.
- Is the company's status active?
If you can't find the company at all, don't pay anything until the employer explains why.
2. Test whether the employer could hire you
Foreign workers are generally capped at 20% of the employer's average staff over the previous 12 months, or 35% for small and medium-sized firms (Employment Agency). A two-person company "hiring 30 Indians" doesn't add up.
3. Contact the employer directly
Use contact details you found yourself, such as the company's own website, not the ones on the agent's PDF. A genuine employer is informed of the approval and knows your name and the job. Ask:
- When did you file my single permit application, and has the Employment Agency approved it?
- Which job, at which site, and from which date?
- What salary does my contract state, and is accommodation provided?
- Is anyone asking me for money, and why?
If the employer has never heard of you, or its answers differ from the agent's documents, stop before paying.
4. Watch the visa deadline
After the Employment Agency's positive opinion, the Migration Directorate messages the employer, and you then have 20 days from that message to take steps to apply for your D visa (Employment Agency). Ask the employer for the date of the message. An agent who lets the deadline pass and then asks for money to "extend" it is a warning sign.
5. Ask the Indian Embassy in Sofia
The Embassy of India in Sofia offers to help verify job offers. Email cons.sofia@mea.gov.in with the company's name and the offer (Embassy advisory).
6. Check your Indian agent
Indian recruiting agents must be registered. Look up the agent on the MEA's list of registered recruiting agents on eMigrate. If you have already paid, file a police complaint, complain to the office of the Protector General of Emigrants with the agent's details, as the MEA advises, and report online payment fraud at cybercrime.gov.in or call the national cyber crime helpline 1930 (PIB).
If the documents still look doubtful, have them examined independently. Check my Bulgaria documents →
What should you pay for a Bulgarian work visa, and what shouldn't you?
A Bulgarian work visa involves official visa and service fees, which you should confirm directly with the Embassy of Bulgaria in New Delhi before paying. A genuine Bulgarian employer doesn't ask you for a deposit. The Embassy of India in Sofia specifically warns about fake companies demanding deposits for training, travel or visas.
- Visa and service fees: confirm the current amounts with the Embassy of Bulgaria in New Delhi, not through the agent.
- Deposits: a genuine employer doesn't ask you for one. The Embassy of India warns about fake "Bulgarian companies" asking for deposits for training, travel or visas (Embassy advisory).
- Intermediaries in Bulgaria: Bulgarian rules say employment intermediaries may not take any fee or other payment, directly or indirectly, from the job seeker or the person placed. Only the employer pays, and that payment may not come out of your wages (Ordinance on intermediary activity in employment, Art. 4, in Bulgarian). Whether this binds agents in India isn't settled, so ask an Indian agent what any fee is for.
- Red flags: "permit fees", "approval fees" or "Schengen fees" paid in cash or UPI to an agent.
What about seasonal jobs in Bulgaria?
Seasonal jobs in Bulgaria have their own route. For seasonal work of 90 days to nine months, the employer applies to the Employment Agency for a seasonal worker's permit, available only in tourism and agriculture, and you then apply for a D visa (EU Immigration Portal: seasonal worker in Bulgaria). Run the same employer checks.
What are the warning signs of a fake Bulgarian work permit?
The clearest warning sign is a plastic Bulgarian "single permit" or "Schengen work permit" card handed to you before you have travelled. Others are agents offering to check your permit "by passport number", an employer missing from the Commercial Register, deposits for training or travel, and promises that the job lets you work anywhere in Europe.
- ✗ "Check your Bulgaria permit by passport number on our link." We found no such official pre-arrival tool.
- ✗ A plastic "single permit" card or "Schengen work permit" handed over before you've travelled.
- ✗ An employer missing from the Commercial Register, or too small to hire many foreign workers under the cap.
- ✗ A deposit for "training", "travel" or "visa" requested by the "employer".
- ✗ The employer was notified of the approval more than 20 days ago and the agent still hasn't asked you to apply for the visa, or asks for more money to "extend" it.
- ✗ The agent books your visa appointment through an unofficial channel or charges for slots.
- ✗ Promises that the job lets you work anywhere in Schengen.
- ✗ The employer can only be reached through the agent or on WhatsApp.
What do we know about Bulgaria job fraud affecting Indians?
Bulgaria job fraud affecting Indians is documented mainly through the Embassy of India in Sofia, which warns about fake Bulgarian companies asking for deposits. We found no reported Indian police case specific to Bulgaria when we checked on 8 October 2026. The same patterns appear in reported cases for neighbouring countries.
- Embassy of India, Sofia: fraudsters pose as Bulgarian companies and ask Indians for deposits for training, travel or visas. The Embassy offers to help verify job offers at cons.sofia@mea.gov.in (Embassy advisory).
- Similar patterns elsewhere: fake offers, deposits and forged visas appear in reported cases in our guides for Greece, Romania and Croatia.
What should you check before you pay for a Bulgaria job?
Before paying for a Bulgaria job, confirm nine things: the employer is in the Commercial Register, it could hire you under the cap, it confirms the approval, nobody asks for a deposit, you apply for the visa yourself within 20 days, no card before arrival, your agent is registered, the Indian Embassy was asked, and you keep your passport.
- ✓ The employer appears in the Commercial Register.
- ✓ The employer is large enough to hire foreign workers under the cap (20%, or 35% for small and medium-sized firms).
- ✓ The employer confirmed the application and the approval to me directly.
- ✓ Nobody has asked me for a deposit for training, travel or a visa.
- ✓ I am applying for the D visa myself, within 20 days of the employer being notified.
- ✓ Nobody has handed me a "Schengen work permit card" before arrival.
- ✓ My Indian agent is registered on eMigrate.
- ✓ I asked the Indian Embassy in Sofia if I was unsure.
- ✓ My passport stays with me.
Still unsure about the offer, the approval or a card? Upload the documents. A human expert reviews the whole file and you get a written verdict within 24 hours, from ₹1,600 incl. GST. Check my Bulgaria documents → Who runs this service, and how to check us →
What if you can't check the documents yourself?
An independent check of your Bulgarian documents is the next step if you only have PDFs from the agent, the employer doesn't answer, or your family needs a written answer before paying. Do it after the official checks above, including asking the Indian Embassy in Sofia. It adds to those steps; it doesn't replace them.
Testiy is an independent document check for overseas job offers, work permits and visas, run by ARK Tech & Logistics in Thrissur, Kerala. Testiy is not affiliated with any embassy, VFS Global or immigration agency. An AI scan helps a human expert in Germany find signs of editing, and the expert, not the AI, gives the verdict, often after contacting the employer named in the document. The verdict comes within 24 hours, with a certificate and a public verify link, from ₹1,600 incl. GST.
The service does not access Bulgarian ministry systems, does not contact the Embassy for you, and cannot guarantee a visa. See how verification works, pricing and refund terms.
Frequently asked questions
Can I check my Bulgaria work permit by passport number?
No, we found no public Bulgarian tool for checking a work permit or approval by passport number. The employer applies and is informed of the approval, and you then apply for a D visa. Check the employer yourself, ask it about the approval, and contact the Indian Embassy in Sofia if unsure.
Is there any official online check for Bulgarian permits?
Yes, Bulgaria has one official online check, but only after the card is issued. The Ministry of Interior's public tool lets you check whether a residence permit document is valid using the document number and date of birth. It can't confirm a job offer or a pre-arrival approval.
What is a Bulgarian single permit?
A Bulgarian single permit is a combined residence and work permit for a non-EU worker. The employer applies to the Migration Directorate, the Employment Agency gives its approval, and the permit card is issued in Bulgaria after the worker arrives with a D visa. It is issued for three years, or for the contract term if shorter.
How long do I have to apply for the Bulgarian visa?
A Bulgarian D visa application must be started within 20 days of the Migration Directorate's message to your employer about the approval, according to Bulgaria's Employment Agency. The employer must tell you about that message. An agent who delays and then asks for money to "extend" the approval is a warning sign.
How do I check if a Bulgarian company is real?
A Bulgarian company can be checked in the Commercial Register on the Registry Agency portal, by name or UIC (EIK) number. Compare its address and activity with your contract, and contact it using details you found yourself. Bulgarian employers can generally hire foreign workers only up to 20% of their staff, or 35% for small and medium-sized firms.
Can the Indian Embassy help verify a Bulgarian job offer?
Yes, the Embassy of India in Sofia offers to help verify Bulgarian job offers. It warns that fraudsters pose as Bulgarian companies and ask for deposits for training, travel or visas, and says Indians can contact it at cons.sofia@mea.gov.in for help checking whether an offer is genuine.
Is a Bulgarian work permit a Schengen work permit?
No, a Bulgarian work permit is not a Schengen work permit. A Bulgarian single permit lets you live and work in Bulgaria; Bulgaria is in Schengen, so a residence permit allows short visits to other Schengen countries, but not work there. Offers of a "Schengen work permit" are misleading.
More country guides: Check any European work permit · Malta · Italy · Luxembourg · Greece · Serbia · Portugal · Poland · Germany · Romania · Croatia
Last checked against official sources: 8 October 2026.