Updated last 26.03.2021
When is it necessary to send employees on a business trip?
- The business trip assignment is related to a change of the employees’ place of work and it occurs when the company’s business temporarily requires certain functions to be carried out outside the designated place of work. In essence, the business trip requires the performance of the same function outside the permanent work place. The assessment of these needs is made by the employer and it is set out in a written business trip order.
- The business trip assignment may be within the country in which the company is located or abroad.
- The law also allows business trip assignments for the provision of a service, which is stipulated in art. 121 а of the Labour Code. Additional information on this type of business trip assignments is available in the Labour code here.
How long can a business trip last?
- The maximum duration of a single business trip is 30 calendar days.
- When the duration of the business trip exceeds 30 calendar days, the employee must give explicit consent.
- When the employee is seconded to another state the parties agree upon at least the same minimum working conditions during the period of the business trip as those provided to the employees carrying out the same or similar job in the country where the business trip will take place.
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What is the procedure for sending an employee on a business trip?
 | Issuance of a business trip order |
The business trip assignment occurs based on a written order issued by the employer (or an authorised person). The order should state:
- Name of the enterprise and the official, issuing the order;
- Name and position of the assigned person;
- Mode of transportation;
- Destination of the business trip;
- The task the employee is assigned to perform during the business trip;
- Daily subsistence, travel and accommodation allowances;
- Duration of the business trip;
- Necessity and the type of the report for the work performed.
Before the departure, the order must be signed by an authorised person and must be sealed with the seal of the company sending the employee on the business trip.
 | Business trip allowances |
During the business trip the employer is obliged to pay to the employee the following compensations:
- Travel expenses – these represent expenses to get to and from the destination of the business trip. These expenses represent the actual costs incurred in accordance with the business trip order using the shortest and economically advantageous route. The type of the motor vehicle is indicated in the business trip order. If a personal motor vehicle is used for the business trip, payable is the fuel consumed as per consumption norms, determined by the motor vehicle’s manufacturer, at the most economic driving regime.
- Daily allowance – paid for food and normal daily expenses during the time the employee is away on the business trip. The minimum allowance amounts to BGN 20 for each day of the business trip, if the person sent to the business trip spends the night at the business trip place, and BGN 10 – if it is a daily business trip (when the business trip is abroad, the amount of the daily allowance is determined under Appendix 2 to the Ordinance on official business trips and specializations abroad).
- Accommodation expenses – they cover the actual per night amount within the limit approved by the employer. This allowance is set out by the employer in the business trip order.
 | Reporting of the results from the business trip |
The business trip order is certified and dated by an authorized company official and stamped with the seal of the enterprise where the person is sent to the business trip (in which the person is seconded).
Within 3 days as of his / her return from the business trip, the employee is obliged to submit a report on the work performed. His/ her manager is to provide feedback on the report within 5 days.
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 | Additional information on employees’ business trip assignment and the related legislative framework is available on the website of: |
Who covers the expenses of the business trip when the assignment is in the frame of rendering of services?
- The business trip assignment of an employee by a Bulgarian employer is at the employer’s expense (the assigning party) and it is done on the grounds of an agreement signed between the employer and the other party – user of the services.
- The business trip assignment is made by:
– A company registered under the Bulgarian legislation which secures a temporary work assignment in another country; or
– A company providing temporary work assignments, which is registered under the legislation of the respective destination country.
What are the terms and conditions for a business trip assignment in the frame of rendering of services?
- Business trip assignments under the frame of rendering of services may occur when there is employment relation between the two parties during the period over which the business trip is envisaged to continue.
- During the time of the business trip the employee is provided with as a minimum the same minimum working conditions as those received by the employees performing the same or similar work in the destination country, including remuneration, working hours, paid annual leave, etc.