Bulgaria's working time and leave ordinance (НРВПО) 2026
Analysis of the current НРВПО (Decree No. 72/1986, last amended ДВ No. 52/2025): working time, on-call duty, overtime, rest periods and leave.
The Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave (НРВПО) is the key piece of secondary legislation that implements the provisions of the Labour Code (КТ) on working time, duty and on-call time, overtime, rest periods and leave. Unlike the КТ itself, which sets out the principles, it is the ordinance that regulates the concrete procedure: the deadlines for issuing orders, the way schedules are kept, the documents for taking leave. The current version was last amended and supplemented by State Gazette (ДВ) No. 52 of 27 June 2025 (Council of Ministers Decree (ПМС) No. 105/2025, in force from 30 June 2025). This analysis systematises the whole ordinance and distinguishes precisely what actually changed in 2024 and 2025.
❓What does the Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave regulate?
Source: НРВПО (ПМС No. 72/1986), last amended by ДВ No. 52/2025
What the НРВПО regulates and how it relates to the Labour Code
The НРВПО was adopted by Council of Ministers Decree No. 72 of 30 December 1986 and promulgated in State Gazette (ДВ) No. 6 of 1987. Since then it has undergone dozens of amendments, the most significant recent ones being the new Section on duty and on-call time (ДВ No. 78/2022), the amendments on extended leave in social services (ДВ No. 52/2024) and the four groups of changes from 2025. The ordinance follows the structure of the Labour Code and is applied in inseparable connection with it: the КТ provides the substantive law, and the НРВПО regulates the procedure.
Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave (НРВПО)
promulgation and current version
The consolidated text is also published by the General Labour Inspectorate (ГИТ). The text promulgated in the State Gazette remains authoritative.
Official Bulgarian text
„Приета с ПМС № 72 от 30.12.1986 г., обн. ДВ, бр. 6 от 1987 г.; посл. изм. и доп. ДВ, бр. 52 от 27.06.2025 г. (ПМС № 105/2025).“
The content of the working regime in a particular enterprise is detailed in the Internal Labour Rules (Правилник за вътрешния трудов ред). Under Art. 4а of the ordinance they set the start and end of the working day, the order of rotation of shifts, the time for rest and meals, and the way working time is recorded. This is the first document that labour inspectors check when they inspect working time.
Working time: part-time and summed calculation
The ordinance regulates several working time regimes. Of particular practical importance are part-time work (непълно работно време), which the employer can introduce unilaterally under certain conditions, and summed calculation (сумирано изчисляване), where work is organised through schedules naming each employee (поименни графици) for a reporting period. Errors in deadlines and documentation here are among the most common grounds for sanctions by the Labour Inspectorate.
Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave (НРВПО)
Art. 9
The order is a prerequisite for the lawful unilateral introduction of part-time work.
Official Bulgarian text
„Непълно работно време по чл. 138а, ал. 1 КТ се установява с писмена заповед на работодателя, съобщена на работниците и служителите не по-късно от 10 работни дни преди датата на преминаването.“
Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave (НРВПО)
Art. 9а
The lack of stored schedules makes it impossible to prove compliant summed recording during an inspection.
Official Bulgarian text
„При сумирано изчисляване на работното време по чл. 142, ал. 2 КТ работодателят утвърждава поименни графици, които се съхраняват най-малко 3 години след края на периода, за който се отнасят.“
| Criterion | Day-by-day calculation | Summed calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | General regime under the КТ | Art. 142(2) КТ and Art. 9а НРВПО |
| Reporting period | Every working day | Up to 4 months, set by the employer |
| Schedules | Named schedules are not required | Approved named schedules |
| Retention | Under the general rules | At least 3 years after the period |
Day-by-day versus summed calculation of working time
A common mistake with summed calculation
Duty and on-call time
By a Decree promulgated in State Gazette (ДВ) No. 78 of 2022 (in force from 30 September 2022), a new Section II “а” was created in the ordinance, which implements Art. 139(5) of the КТ. It introduces two separate legal concepts that are often confused in practice: on-site duty (дежурство) and on-call time (време на разположение). During duty, the worker is at their workplace and performs, or is ready to perform, their duties. During on-call time, the worker is outside the enterprise but ready to appear when called.
The distinction has direct pay consequences. For on-call time a specific additional remuneration is due, and the actual work done when called is paid as overtime. That is why accurate documentation of on-call time is essential for payroll (ТРЗ) accounting.
Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave (НРВПО)
Art. 13д(1)
These are absolute upper limits on the on-call time that may be assigned.
Official Bulgarian text
„Максималната продължителност на времето на разположение не може да надвишава: общо за един календарен месец - 100 часа; за едно денонощие през работни дни - 12 часа; през почивни дни - 48 часа.“
100 h
Maximum on-call time per calendar month
12 h
Maximum per 24 hours on working days
48 h
Maximum on rest days
Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave (НРВПО)
Art. 13д(2)
The prohibition limits the accumulation of on-call time and protects the minimum rest periods.
Official Bulgarian text
„На работника или служителя не може да се възлага да бъде на разположение в два последователни работни дни или в две последователни работни смени и в повече от два почивни дни в един календарен месец.“
One of the four amendments from 2025 concerns precisely this section. By an addition in Art. 13д(3), the activity of preventing, containing and overcoming the consequences of accidents at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (АЕЦ „Козлодуй“) was added to the cases in which the stated limits may not apply. The exception for providing medical care existed before the amendment.
Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave (НРВПО)
Art. 13з
A cross-reference to the Ordinance on the Structure and Organisation of the Wage.
Official Bulgarian text
„За времето на разположение се дължи допълнително трудово възнаграждение по чл. 10 от НСОРЗ, а положеният при повикване труд се отчита и заплаща като извънреден труд.“
The amount of the additional remuneration for on-call time is determined under Art. 10 of the Ordinance on the Structure and Organisation of the Wage (НСОРЗ). Because the minimum amounts of remuneration are calculated in euro from 2026 and are subject to updating, we rely here on the structure of the provision and not on a specific sum. You will find a detailed analysis of the mechanism in our article on the additional remuneration for on-call time (Art. 10 НСОРЗ).
Establishing duty and on-call time
Consultations
Holding consultations with the workers’ representatives under Art. 7(2) КТ.
Employer’s order
Issuing a written order that sets the procedure and organisation of the duty or on-call time.
Named schedules
Preparing named schedules within the limits of Art. 13д and ensuring the minimum rest periods.
Informing the workers
Informing the workers of the schedules in advance and recording the work actually performed.
Ask Pravko and get an answer with citations from the law.
Overtime work
The ordinance regulates the procedure for working overtime, while the limits and the pay are matters for Art. 143-150 of the КТ. The key procedural requirement is prior notification, and for certain categories of workers and employees express written consent is required for each individual case.
Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave (НРВПО)
Art. 15
The 24-hour period is a procedural guarantee, not a permission to depart from the limits under the КТ.
Official Bulgarian text
„За полагане на извънреден труд работодателят издава заповед, която се съобщава на работника или служителя най-малко 24 часа предварително, освен в случаите по чл. 144 КТ.“
Written consent for protected categories
Rest periods
Rest periods are regulated in a separate chapter of the ordinance and cover breaks during the working day, daily rest and weekly rest. They are organised through the Internal Labour Rules, and under summed calculation and for on-call time special rules apply to ensure the minimum uninterrupted rest.
| Type of rest | Nature | Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| During the working day | For meals, counted or not as working time depending on the regime | Internal Labour Rules |
| Between working days (daily rest) | Uninterrupted rest between two working days | In line with Art. 152 КТ and the schedules |
| Weekly | Uninterrupted weekly rest | In line with Art. 153 КТ and summed calculation |
Types of rest under the ordinance
Leave: paid annual, extended and the 2024-2025 changes
The section on leave is in practice the busiest part of the ordinance. It regulates the acquisition of the right to paid annual leave, extended paid annual leave for particular categories, leave for maternity, paternity and adoption, and the other types of leave. This is also where the latest amendments are concentrated.
Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave (НРВПО)
Art. 22(1)
Art. 22 contains only paragraphs 1 and 2. In the first year the leave is proportional to the time worked.
Official Bulgarian text
„Всеки работник и служител, който има най-малко 4 месеца трудов стаж, придобива право да ползва платен годишен отпуск по чл. 155 и 156 КТ.“
Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave (НРВПО)
Art. 24(1)
Extended leave for pedagogical specialists is one of the most frequently applied special regimes.
Official Bulgarian text
„Директорите, помощник-директорите, учителите, възпитателите и другите педагогически специалисти имат право на удължен платен годишен отпуск в размер 48 работни дни.“
This is the place to make an important distinction that is often gotten wrong. The extended paid annual leave for social services staff, introduced by the 2024 amendment, is regulated in Art. 26 and Art. 27 of the ordinance, not in Art. 22. Art. 22 has no paragraphs 3 and 4.
Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave (НРВПО)
Art. 26(3) (amended) and (4) (new), ДВ No. 52/2024
The related category under Art. 27(2) has extended leave of 30 working days. The amendments are in force from 21 June 2024.
Official Bulgarian text
„Педагозите и другите специалисти по предоставяне на социални услуги имат право на удължен платен годишен отпуск в размер 36 работни дни (ал. 3), а основните специалисти - в размер 26 работни дни (ал. 4).“
| Category | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| General paid annual leave | Under Art. 155 and 156 КТ | Art. 22 НРВПО |
| Pedagogical specialists | 48 working days | Art. 24(1) |
| Pedagogues in social services | 36 working days | Art. 26(3) (ДВ No. 52/2024) |
| Core specialists in social services | 26 working days | Art. 26(4) (ДВ No. 52/2024) |
| Specialists under Art. 27(2) | 30 working days | Art. 27(2) (ДВ No. 52/2024) |
Main amounts of paid annual leave under the ordinance
Documents and deadlines for the employer on leave
Written request by the worker to take paid annual leave*
Employer’s order approving the leave*
Recording the leave taken and the leave remaining in the employment file*
For extended leave: documenting the grounds (position, category)*
For leave under Art. 167 КТ: proving the conditions under Art. 48(1)
For example, a document showing that the mother has been deprived of parental rights.
* Mandatory
The current changes: 2024 and the four groups from 2025
The 2024 amendment (State Gazette (ДВ) No. 52 of 18 June 2024, ПМС No. 216/2024, in force from 21 June 2024) introduced the new and amended categories of extended paid annual leave for social services staff discussed above (Art. 26(3) and the new (4), and Art. 27(2)), together with related changes in Art. 45б on leave under Art. 163(10) КТ.
The 2025 amendment (ДВ No. 52 of 27 June 2025, ПМС No. 105/2025, in force from 30 June 2025) covers four separate groups of changes. We have already looked at the first: the addition in Art. 13д(3) on the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. The other three concern leave and the additional leave for a non-standardised working day (ненормиран работен ден).
Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave (НРВПО)
Art. 32а (new, ДВ No. 52/2025)
The new Art. 32а fixes a minimum amount and introduces proportionality for leave for a non-standardised working day.
Official Bulgarian text
„Размерът на допълнителния платен годишен отпуск по чл. 156, ал. 1, т. 2 КТ за работа при ненормиран работен ден не може да бъде по-малко от 5 работни дни, като се прилага принципът за намаляване пропорционално на отработеното време.“
Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave (НРВПО)
Art. 48(1) (amended, ДВ No. 52/2025)
The change is in Art. 48(1) and concerns the transferable leave under Art. 167 КТ, not new annexes or leave up to the age of 8.
Official Bulgarian text
„Изменението урежда реда за ползване на отпуска по чл. 167 КТ от бащата (осиновителя) при бременност и раждане, при отглеждане на дете до 2-годишна възраст и при осиновяване на дете до 5-годишна възраст, когато майката (осиновителката) е лишена от родителски права или упражняването им е предоставено на бащата.“
Ordinance on Working Time, Rest Periods and Leave (НРВПО)
Art. 50 (amended, ДВ No. 52/2025)
The right to 2 working days arises from Art. 157(1), item 3 КТ. The amendment regulates only the procedure and period for taking the leave, not the amount itself.
Official Bulgarian text
„Отпускът при смърт на родител, дете, съпруг и други роднини по права линия може да се ползва наведнъж или на части в срок до 8 дни от деня на настъпване на събитието, като размерът от 2 работни дни се запазва.“
Attention: Art. 46ж and Art. 46з are not a 2025 change
| Group | Provision | Substance of the change |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | added Art. 13д(3) | Activity during accidents at the Kozloduy NPP added to the exceptions from the maximum on-call time |
| 2 | new Art. 32а | Minimum of 5 working days and proportionality for leave for a non-standardised working day (Art. 156(1), item 2 КТ) |
| 3 | amended Art. 48(1) | Procedure for the father (adopter) to take leave under Art. 167 КТ |
| 4 | amended Art. 50 | Leave on the death of a relative is taken within 8 days; the amount of 2 working days is kept |
The four groups of changes under ПМС No. 105/2025 (ДВ No. 52 of 27 June 2025)
For practising lawyers and payroll and social security specialists, this map of the ordinance serves as a starting point, but each particular case requires checking against the current consolidated version at the date of application. The official sources are also useful: the full text of the НРВПО on lex.bg, as well as the consolidated PDF of the General Labour Inspectorate and the report of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (МТСП) on ПМС No. 105/2025. For practical calculations see our tools for calculating paid annual leave and for the benefit for temporary incapacity for work (sick pay), and on terminating the employment relationship, the analysis of termination without notice.
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