Balgarianovinite.com The Bulgarian Retail Association (BRA) Monday expressed concern over the difficulties in hiring workers from third countries and called for urgent changes to the administrative procedures. In a statement on the matter, they say that businesses are facing “an artificially created administrative blockage”, and instead of addressing the labour shortage in the sector, the government is creating uncertainty for employers.
BRA was established in early 2009 and its members include some of the largest Bulgarian and international retail chains operating in Bulgaria through independently owned or leased stores. The association represents a wide range of sectors, including fashion, footwear, sporting goods, perfumery and mobile telecommunications.
The association notes that procedures for hiring foreign workers take between six and nine months, which they consider unacceptable given the fast-paced nature of the retail sector. According to BRA, the lack of coordination between institutions, the requirement to submit documents in person, and the absence of feedback lead to significant delays and financial losses for businesses.
The statement also says that employers face difficulties in securing visas for workers from third countries, including India, where documents for workers from Nepal are processed. The association warns that this creates a risk of corrupt practices and further prolongs the procedures.
The BRA notes that following Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen Area, the country risks “becoming a transit zone” for foreign workers if it does not offer faster and more transparent hiring rules.
The association is calling for an increase or elimination of quotas on the hiring of workers from third countries in sectors with proven labour shortages, for the full digitization of procedures, and for the creation of a unified information system to track applications.
Other demands include the introduction of stricter oversight of administrative processing deadlines, the acceptance of electronic apostilles, and the opening of a Bulgarian consulate in Nepal. Bulgarian Retail Association Calls for Urgent Changes in Rules for Hiring Third-Country Workers 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-05-18 15:09:53 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law