The procedure of registration of recruitment / employment agencies in Bulgaria is regulated under Bulgarian Employment Promotion Act and Ordinance on the Terms and Conditions for Conducting Mediation in Employment.

Offering any of the intermediation employment and recruitment services listed below requires obtaining a registration certificate before starting the activities. These activities are:

• Consulting job seekers and employers
• Professional training
• Referral to appropriate employment programs
• Support to job seekers for starting work
• Offering job positions on behalf of various employers

The certificate of mediation activity is issued by the Minister of Labour and Social Policy but the application is actually filed with Bulgarian Employment Agency. Along with the application form, the recruitment agency applicants should provide a list of documents proving that their company matches the requirements prescribed by Bulgarian and European legislation such as: education of manager and employees of the company, certificate of good standing, certificate of clean tax record of the company, certificate of registration with the Personal Data Protection Commission as well as drafts of the intermediation contracts the company will offer to employers and job seekers.

There is a state fee payable at the time of application. The fee is BGN 400 if the recruitment company will operate only on the territory of Bulgaria and BGN 900 if the employment company wants to operate in other countries as well.

The whole process of registration of an employment agency in Bulgaria takes minimum three months. Actually the application is reviewed by the competent authority within 14 days so this stage is relatively fast. However, the preparation of required legal documentation which should be filed together with the application form takes at least two months.

Once the company has been registered as an recruitment agency it has the obligation to display the registration certificate prominently in all its offices as well as to quote its registration number in all its job ads and publications. The mediator can publish ads or announce job vacancies only if he has a contract with an employer.

Bulgarian Law explicitly stipulates that recruitment services shall be provided for free to job seekers. Any agency fees shall be paid by the employers. Agency fees cannot be deducted from the salary of the employees.