I.          DOCUMENTS FOR INITIAL REGISTRATION OF A TRADE REPRESENTATION OFFICE OF A FOREIGN ENTITY IN THE BULGARIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY /BCCI/

1. An official document certifying the current legal status of the foreign legal person /commercial company/, issued by the respective competent registration authority under its national legislation. That document shall be issued not earlier than 6 (six) months prior to its submission at BCCI and shall be valid for 6 (six) months as from the date of issue.
2. Provided that the "official" document does not contain any data on the persons, representing the company, you shall submit a second official document, which has been issued by the authority competent at the foreign person registration under its national legislation and which certifies that circumstance.
3. Resolution of the Management Body of the foreign legal person /commercial company/ on setting up a Trade representation office in the Republic of Bulgaria within the meaning of Art. 24, Para. 1 of the Investment Promotion Act (IPA) /a non-legal person with no right to perform economic activity/.
4. Document for tax compliance of the foreign person /commercial company/ for each of the preceding two calendar years prior to the registration of the Representation Office in BCCI, which shall be ascertained with the following document: a Certificate of absence of tax liabilities issued by the competent state authority of the country of the registered office of the foreign person /commercial company/ under its national legislation.
5. A document for the annual turnover of the foreign person /commercial company/ for each one of the preceding two years prior to the acceptance of the regular registration documents at BCCI.

/Note: The annual turnover shall be at least BGN 100,000 or their equivalent in foreign currency, calculated at the official exchange rate of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) and shall be valid on the day of acceptance of the regular documents for registration of the Trade representation office at BCCI./

That shall be proved by:

• an official document drawn up on the basis of the data from the Financial statements for the preceding two calendar years, issued/certified as correct by the Chamber of Commerce where the foreign commercial company is registered, or
•  a Financial statement for each of the preceding two years, certified as correct by the Chamber of Commerce where the foreign commercial company is registered or by the servicing bank.
  
  
6. A notarised Power of Attorney in the original or a notarised copy of the same, issued by the foreign person’s legal representative, responsible for the registration; this Power of Attorney or its copy shall authorise another person to register and/or manage the activity of the Trade representation office in the Republic of Bulgaria and shall specify the scope of his/her rights of representation.

Maximum two representatives of the Commercial company can obtain a Residence Permit.

7. Specimens of the signatures (in the original) of the representatives of the Trade representation office in the Republic of Bulgaria; the signatures shall be notarised or shall be put before an authorised official from the Trade Register Department of BCCI in Sofia or in any Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI).
8. Planned activities of the Trade representation office – a Programme for its activity for the relevant calendar year, signed by the legal representative of the foreign company /no notarisation is necessary/.
9.  The presence of an office of the Trade representation entity – that shall be proved by: a Rental contract or another type of contract for a paid or unpaid use of a property for an office of a Trade representation entity of a foreign person, with notarisation of the signature of the lessor, which is concluded for a period not shorter than one year as from the date of submission of the documents for registration of the Trade representation entity at BCCI, or a Title Deed to the Property in the name of the foreign person (the legal representative or a trade representative, authorised by him/her/.

II.         DOCUMENTS NECESSARY WHEN SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION TO BCCI WITH A REQUEST TO ISSUE - under Art. 19, Para. 1. of the Rules for Application of the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria - a CERTIFICATE OF RESIDENCE EXTENSION for the cited reason (namely, Art. 19, Para. 1 of these Rules).

Note: Maximum two Trade representatives can be granted residency, in respect of whom the authorisation requirements have been fulfilled.

1. An official document certifying the current legal status of the foreign person /commercial company/, issued by the respective competent registration authority under its national legislation. The document shall have been issued not earlier than 6 (six) months prior to its submission at BCCI and shall be valid for 6 (six) months as from the date of issue.
2. Document for tax compliance of the foreign person for the preceding calendar year, certifying the absence of tax liabilities, issued by the competent state authority of the country of the foreign person’s registered office under its national legislation.
3. Document for annual turnover of the foreign person /commercial company/ for the preceding calendar year; that turnover shall be at least BGN 100,000 or their equivalent in foreign currency, calculated at the official exchange rate of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), and it shall be valid on the day of accepting the Application with a Request at BCCI and the regular documents to issue a Certificate under Art. 19, Para. 1. of the Rules for Applying the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria to apply for extension of the residence/.

   That shall be proved by:

   - an official document, drawn up on the basis of the data from the Financial statement for the preceding calendar year, issued/certified as correct by the Chamber of Commerce where the foreign commercial company is registered, or

   - a Financial statement for the preceding calendar year, certified as correct by the Chamber of Commerce, where the foreign commercial company is registered, or by the servicing bank.

4. An annual Programme of planned activities signed by the legal representative of the foreign company /no need for any notarisation of his/her signature/.
5. From each Trade representative - a Declaration of the activities performed by them in their capacity as trade representatives in the period, starting from the previous residence permit to the time of submitting the Application with e Request to issue a new Certificate with the purpose of applying for extension of their residence. The Declaration shall contain data on: the implementation of the Programme of the Representation office activity and any contacts established and/or relationships built between the foreign person and/or Bulgarian partners through the registered Trade representation office.
6.   Evidence of the presence of an office of the Representation entity: from the Lessor - a Declaration of continuing the duration of the Rental contract or of another type of contract for a paid or unpaid use of property with a notarised signature of the Lessor or copies of a new Rental contract with a notarised signature of the Lessor, if changing the address of the registered Trade representation office.

III.        OTHER REQUIREMENTS AS LAID DOWN BY LAW

Within 30 days of changing the circumstances in its registration, the foreign person is obliged to submit a Certificate of current legal status, issued not earlier than 6 months by the respective competent registration authority under its national legislation.

Within 7 days of changing the registration circumstances, the Trade representation entity is obliged to declare them in writing in BCCI and it shall notify timely the Migration Directorate thereof.

If there are any data that the Trade representation office does not meet the legal requirements, the competent state authorities inform BCCI with the purpose of taking actions to strike the office off. The bodies for administrative control of the foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria shall be notified of the deletion made.

BCCI strikes off the registered Trade representative offices of foreign persons which, within two years of the entry into force of the Law on Amendments and Additions to the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria – publ. in State Gazette No. 52/27.06.2025, have not made their registration circumstances compliant with the Law.

IV.         REQUIREMENTS FOR THE VALIDATION OF AUTHENTICITY AND LEGALISATION OF THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS ISSUED FOR THE FOREIGN LEGAL PERSON /COMMERCIAL COMPANY/ BY THE RESPECTIVE COMPETENT REGISTRATION AUTHORITIES UNDER ITS NATIONAL LEGISLATION

These documents have to be validated for authenticity by either:

• the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country and the Consular Service at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in that country; or alternatively
• by the Consular Service at the Embassy of the issuing country in the Republic of Bulgaria and the Consular Relations Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (in the cases when the documents are not validated in the issuing country and this is allowed by the country); or alternatively
• by another Consular Service representing the interests of the issuing country in the Republic of Bulgaria (if the issuing country has no accredited Consular Service in Bulgaria) and the Consular Relations Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Note: after the validation of authenticity, the documents shall be translated into Bulgarian by an authorised Bulgarian translator and the translator’s signature shall be certified by a Bulgarian Notary.

If the document is issued by a country, which is a signatory to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation of Foreign Public Documents (the Hague Convention) and has an "Apostille" in the original, affixed to it, the document does not need any further validation but shall be accompanied by a legalised translation into Bulgarian.

If the document is issued by a country, with which the Republic of Bulgaria has signed a Treaty on Legal Assistance and the document bears an original signature and seal of the relevant competent authorities, that document does not need any further validation but shall be accompanied by a legalised translation into Bulgarian.