Looking East for EU Hiring: Why Bulgaria Is on Global Companies’ Radar

Bulgaria is a First-Mover EU Expansion Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight

Europe’s hiring landscape can feel saturated. Every major market has been analyzed, ranked, and debated endlessly. From the outside, it looks like all the obvious moves have already been made.

But saturation often comes from habit, not necessarily reality.

Bulgaria sits in an unusual position. It’s fully integrated into the EU system, meaning its economy is strong through access to the single market, EU funding, and greater investor confidence. It also reinforces political stability, rule of law, and security while giving Bulgarians broader opportunities to live, work, and study across Europe.

And yet, it’s somehow still overlooked by companies that default to the most familiar hubs first. That creates a first-mover opportunity that doesn’t look like one. Bulgaria isn’t an untested frontier, it's a market that’s actually been ready for years but just hasn’t had the same publicity as more tourist-orientated countries.

For teams willing to trade flash for function, Bulgaria aligns with a more thoughtful expansion strategy.

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How Hiring in Bulgaria Offers EU Access Without a Western Europe’s Pricetag

There’s a common assumption that EU hiring comes with a fixed price tag – that compliance, worker protections, and legal certainty can only be accessed at Western European rates. Bulgaria challenges that assumption without stripping out any of the substance you’re looking for.

As a full EU member state, it operates under the same core labour standards companies encounter elsewhere in the bloc:

• Employment contracts are enforceable: Bulgarian employment agreements are governed by the Labour Code and subject to local courts, with clear rules around notice periods, termination grounds, and severance.
• Worker protections are real: Employees are entitled to at least 20 days of paid annual leave, statutory sick leave, and maternity benefits aligned with EU directives. Terminations require documented cause and process, particularly after probation, making Bulgaria a regulated employment environment rather than a grey zone.
• Payroll and compliance follow familiar EU frameworks: Employers withhold income tax and social security at source, report monthly payroll filings, and comply with EU-aligned data protection and employment record requirements. Employer social contributions sit at roughly 18–19%, materially lower than in markets like France or Italy, but structured in the same way.

The fact you’ll perhaps be most interested in, however, is employment cost. Take for example the gross monthly salaries for experienced software engineers. In Bulgaria, you’re looking at a salary that typically falls in the €2,000–€3,500 range, compared to €5,000–€7,000 in many Western European markets.

Combined with a flat 10% income tax and lower employer contributions, total employment costs in Bulgaria is among the lowest in the EU. For remote-first teams hiring over 12 to 24 months, those differences compound quickly – without sacrificing compliance or credibility.

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A Talent Pool Built For Globally Remote Teams

Bulgaria’s talent market has been operating at an international level for years, and multiple indicators show why.

In cities like Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna, it’s common to find senior professionals who’ve spent years shipping products for international customers, leading cross-border teams, and working across time zones as standard practice.

This familiarity reduces onboarding friction for remote hiring – hiring managers spend less time translating expectations, and highly capable teams spend more time building. For remote-first companies tired of over-engineered hiring processes, Bulgaria offers teams that already know how global work really functions.

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The Digital Nomad Visa Signals Long-Term Openness to Remote Work

Bulgaria’s digital nomad visa tends to surface early in conversations about global hiring – but it’s rarely the deciding factor for employers on its own. What it offers instead is context. Its introduction places Bulgaria alongside other European countries – including Spain, Portugal, Estonia, Croatia, and Slovenia – that have updated their immigration frameworks to recognise remote work as a long-term reality rather than an edge case.

Formally introduced in December 2025, Bulgaria’s programme reflects a broader shift across Europe toward supporting cross-border professionals and distributed work models. The visa itself is relatively straightforward:

• Long-stay residence for remote workers: Non-EU professionals can apply for a residence permit valid for up to one year, with the option to renew once.
• Clear eligibility tied to foreign employment or clients: Applicants must demonstrate stable income earned outside Bulgaria, typically above a defined minimum threshold.
• No requirement to work for a local employer: The visa supports remote work from Bulgaria without tying holders into the domestic labour market.
• Part of a wider european pattern: More than a dozen European countries now offer comparable digital nomad pathways, signalling structural acceptance of remote work.

For employers, the visa is best read as a signal, not the full story. It points to a country aligning itself with modern work patterns while maintaining the fundamentals that matter most – EU-aligned labour laws, enforceable worker protections, and systems designed for compliant employment rather than informal workarounds.

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Thinking about hiring or relocating talent into Bulgaria?

If Bulgaria is on your radar, we can help you support international hires without setting up locally or guessing at compliance.

Speak to an Expert

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Why Employer of Record Is the Smartest Way to Hire in Bulgaria

Most companies aren’t looking for a forever answer when they expand into Europe. They’re looking for a smart first move that will give them the opportunity to experiment and test whether that market will work for their business model.

Hiring internationally through compliant models like Employer of Record creates a healthier version of skin in the game. You can commit to real employees, real protections, and real payroll, all while keeping the flexibility to scale up, pause, or change direction as the business evolves.

Playroll exists for exactly this moment – when companies want exposure without overcommitment and compliance without drag. We help teams take real risk without taking reckless risk.

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Start Hiring In Bulgaria Without Opening a Local Entity

Most teams don’t need a fully formed EU footprint on day one. They don’t need an office, a local entity, or a long-term structure they haven’t earned yet. What they need is simpler – the ability to hire a few strong people, pay them properly, and stay compliant while they learn what’s actually working.

Markets that have previously fallen to the wayside like Bulgaria, can make that possible. It offers EU labour protections, experienced talent, and cost structures that don’t force premature decisions. Teams can test roles, build trust, and see real output before committing further. In a hiring landscape shaped by remote work, that kind of flexibility can make or break your business.

And why not do it with a partner that already has boots on the ground? Book a demo with our team today and have a conversation about taking your first step into the EU market.