Dismissal in Bulgaria — a complete guide (2026)

What "dismissal" means in Bulgarian law

In everyday Bulgarian, the word "уволнение" (uvolnenie) covers any termination of an employment contract. Legally, the Labor Code distinguishes very different scenarios — and the chapter you fall under decides both your severance and your route to challenge it.

There are three main families of termination:

• Termination by the employer — Art. 328 and Art. 330 LC (including disciplinary dismissal).
• Termination by the employee — Art. 326 LC (with notice) and Art. 327 LC (without notice, if the employer is at fault).
• Automatic termination — Art. 325 LC (mutual consent, expiry of fixed term, death, retirement, etc.).

The severance owed depends both on the grounds and on your length of service with the same employer. Below we go through each family in turn.

Termination by the employer (Art. 328 LC)

Article 328 of the Labor Code provides an exhaustive list of grounds on which the employer may terminate an open-ended contract. The employer cannot do it "just because" — the ground must be one of those listed and must be stated in the termination order.

Grounds that trigger severance

• Art. 328(1)(1) — closure of the enterprise;
• (2) — closure of part of the enterprise or redundancy;
• (3) — reduction of the volume of work;
• (4) — work stoppage longer than 15 working days;
• (5) — lack of skills to perform the work;
• (6) — lack of required qualifications or education;
• (10) — acquisition of the right to a retirement pension;
• (11) — changes in the position's requirements that the employee no longer meets.

On these grounds the employer owes: (a) observance of the notice period, or compensation in lieu under Art. 220 LC, and (b) severance under Art. 222(1) LC for the period of unemployment.

Disciplinary dismissal (Art. 330 LC)

Disciplinary dismissal is the most serious labor sanction and is imposed only for a gross breach of work discipline. Article 190 LC lists the typical cases: three lates or early departures by more than 1 hour in one month; two consecutive unexcused absences; systematic non-performance; abuse of trust; arriving at work intoxicated.

The procedure under Art. 193 LC is strict and often overlooked by employers — which makes it the soft spot in many cases that get challenged in court:

1. Before imposing the sanction, the employer must request a written explanation from the employee.
2. The employee is given a deadline (usually 2–3 working days) to respond in writing.
3. The employer must then act within 2 months of discovering the breach, and in any case no later than 1 year from when it was committed (Art. 194 LC).
4. The order is served against signature; if the employee refuses to sign, service is witnessed.

On disciplinary dismissal the employer owes neither notice nor severance under Art. 222. It still owes compensation for unused paid annual leave (Art. 224 LC) and pay for days worked.

The Art. 333 LC protection

Article 333 is the employee's "shield" in the most vulnerable situations. It requires prior permission from the General Labor Inspectorate (ИА ГИТ) before a termination order may be issued for certain protected categories:

• A working mother of a child under 3;
• Workers on reduced-capacity status or with an occupational disease;
• Workers on lawful leave (paid annual, sick, maternity, etc.);
• Elected trade-union representatives;
• Pregnant women and workers in an advanced stage of IVF treatment (Art. 333(5)).

The protection applies to terminations under Art. 328(1)(2), (3), (5), (11) and Art. 330(2)(6) LC. A dismissal without prior permission is unlawful, even if the factual grounds exist.

Severance at dismissal — what is owed

Depending on the grounds and the circumstances, you may be entitled to several severance items at once. They are commonly confused and miscalculated, so make sure you can tell them apart:

Worked example: redundancy after 4 years' service

Challenging an unlawful dismissal

If you believe your dismissal was unlawful, you have two months from the day the order is served to file a claim in the district court of the employer's registered seat or your place of residence (Art. 358(1)(2) LC). The deadline is preclusive — missing it generally bars the claim.

Available claims (Art. 344(1) LC):

1. Declaration that the dismissal is unlawful and its annulment.
2. Reinstatement to the previous position.
3. Compensation for the period of unemployment caused by the dismissal — up to 6 months under Art. 225 LC.
4. Correction of the grounds entered in the employment book and the NSSI/NRA records.

Typical grounds the court identifies for unlawfulness:

• No legal ground stated in the order;
• Mismatch between the facts cited and the legal text invoked;
• Procedural breach under Art. 193 LC (disciplinary dismissals);
• Breach of the Art. 333 protection (no Inspectorate permission);
• "Sham" redundancy where the position effectively continues under a new label.

The court fee for a dismissal claim is 4% of the claim value, but not less than BGN 50. If the claim succeeds, costs are borne by the employer.

What to do in the first 14 days

1. Preserve the order. Make 2–3 copies and photographs. Make sure the date of service is clearly recorded — the 2-month clock starts there.
2. Request a written breakdown of the compensation owed. The employer must provide it. Cross-check with the calculator.
3. Register at the Labor Office within 7 days of termination if you want to claim unemployment benefit under the SIC.
4. Check the employment book — make sure the grounds, date and total insurance length are correctly entered.
5. If you suspect unlawfulness, consult a lawyer in the first 4 weeks. Two months go quickly and preparing a claim takes time.

Frequently asked questions