How to check your sick leave status with NSSI in Bulgaria
Check online whether your sick note has been filed and registered with the NSSI, which period to search and what to do if the status is missing.
Your doctor has issued you a sick note (болничен лист) and you wonder whether it has reached the National Social Security Institute (НОИ, the NSSI) at all? You do not have to guess. In a few minutes you can see for yourself online whether your sick note has been filed and registered, free of charge and without phoning anyone. Here is how.
More and more people do exactly this check themselves. The NSSI reports that use of the Unified Portal for Electronic Services (ЕПЕУ) grew more than 2.5 times in 2025 compared with 2024.
❓How do I check whether my sick note has been filed with the NSSI?
Two different reports: a filed sick note or a benefit paid out
This is the most common mix-up. The NSSI has two separate reports, and they answer two different questions. First choose which one you actually need, so that you do not wander around the wrong section.
| What you are checking | Whether the sick note has been filed | Whether the benefit has been paid |
|---|---|---|
| What it is for | Whether the doctor has filed the document with the NSSI | Whether the NSSI has transferred the money to your account |
| Which section | “Sick notes” (Болнични листове) | “Benefits for sickness, redeployment to lighter work and maternity” (Обезщетения при болест, трудоустрояване и майчинство) |
| What it shows | The registered sick note and its status | The amount and date of payment of the cash benefit |
| Which date you search by | The start date of the sick leave | The period of the benefit |
This article covers the first column. For the money, see the separate guide on checking payment.
This article shows you the first report: whether the sick note has been filed and what its status is. If you are interested in the money, that is, whether and how much has been paid, see the separate guide on checking payment of sick leave benefits, and for the amount of the benefit, see calculating sick pay (calculator).
Step by step: checking in the social security file
The whole route goes through your electronic social security file in the NSSI portal. Here are the exact steps and the names of the menus, so that you do not get lost.
Checking a sick note at the NSSI
Open the NSSI's Unified Portal for Electronic Services and log in with your ЕГН and an NSSI PIK, an NRA PIK or a КЕП.
Choose “Electronic social security file” (Електронно осигурително досие)
This is the section with your personal social security data.
Open the file for insured persons
“Electronic social security file for insured and self-insured persons” (Електронно социалноосигурително досие за осигурени и самоосигуряващи се лица).
Go to the “Sick notes” section (Болнични листове)
Here you see the sick notes that have been filed and their status.
Set a period and press “Search” (Търси)
Apply the period filter (start and end date) so that it includes the start date of the sick leave.
Set a period that covers the start date
The search works with a period filter, which means you set a start and an end date. A sick note is found by its own start date, so the period you set must include the beginning of the sick leave, not just its end.
If the sick leave began in an earlier month but you search only around the end date, the record may not appear. If in doubt, set a wider range, for example the whole month in which it began plus the next one.
Ask Pravko and get an answer with citations from the law.
What you need for the check
You do not need a company registration or a profile. For a personal report a way to log in and a little preparation are enough.
What you need for the check
One of the login methods is enough
NSSI PIK, NRA PIK or КЕП
The NSSI PIK is issued in person at an NSSI office; a КЕП is issued by a trust service provider
A device with internet and a browser
The month and year in which the sick leave began
The NSSI PIK is not the NRA PIK
These are two different codes from two different institutions. The NSSI PIK works for the NSSI portal, and the NRA PIK for the portal of the National Revenue Agency (НАП, the NRA). Both, together with a КЕП, open the sick leave report, but do not mix them up.
Enter your ЕГН and PIK only in the official portal. Check the address in your browser (the domain must be nssi.bg). Never enter your details on third-party “intermediary” websites, and do not send them by chat or email.
Who files the sick note and why it sometimes does not show
The sick note does not travel through you. The doctor or the medical facility submits its data electronically, directly to the NSSI’s Electronic Register of Sick Notes. This is not new in 2026: it has been the procedure since 1 January 2015. Here is the legal basis:
Ordinance on the Procedure for Submitting to the NSSI the Data from Issued Sick Notes and the Decisions on Appeals Against Them
Art. 3
In force since 1 January 2015 (Council of Ministers Decree (ПМС) No. 241/2014). This is why your sick note reaches the NSSI electronically.
Official Bulgarian text
„Представянето на данните, съдържащи се в издадените болнични листове и в решенията по обжалването им, с изключение на данните, съдържащи се в експертните решения на ТЕЛК/НЕЛК, постановени по повод на обжалвани болнични листове, се извършва по електронен път чрез уебуслуги, предоставяни от НОИ.“
There is also a second side, and it explains why you sometimes see the sick note but not yet the money. The sick note is filed by the doctor. The social security data on which the benefit depends is filed by the employer in a separate certificate (Annex No. 9), and the time limit for it is far longer than most people expect:
Ordinance on Cash Benefits and Allowances under State Social Security
Art. 12, item 1
The employer has until the 10th day of the FOLLOWING month, not a few working days. That is why it is perfectly normal for the sick note to show in the register weeks before the benefit has been calculated.
Official Bulgarian text
„Удостоверенията съгласно приложения № 9, 10 и 11 с данни относно правото на парично обезщетение се представят в НОИ в следните срокове: 1. от осигурителите, техните клонове и поделения и осигурителните каси - до 10-о число на месеца, следващ месеца, през който осигуреното лице е представило документите за изплащане на обезщетението на осигурителя;“
That is why the sick note shows but the benefit does not yet
The two documents start with different people and at different times. The doctor files the sick note, and the employer files the social security data for the benefit. If the employer has not yet filed its certificate, the sick note will show as registered, but the money will not yet have been calculated.
This is a normal stage, not an error. Checking the payment itself is a separate matter, see checking payment of sick leave benefits.
No status? Do this
If you cannot find the sick note or the status looks empty, do not rush to worry. Go through these steps in order.
Check the search period
The most common cause. Widen the period filter so that it includes the start date of the sick leave.
Wait and check again
Statuses are updated. What you see is often an intermediate stage, not the final result.
Contact your employer
Ask them to confirm that the social security data (Annex No. 9) has been filed, if you are also checking the benefit.
Contact the NSSI
If everything looks fine but the record is missing, ask the NSSI for help through its contact centre or an office.
For a general check by ЕГН and PIK in the NSSI system, see checking the NSSI by ЕГН and PIK, and if you are about to log in to the portal for the first time, the guide to the NSSI Unified Portal for Electronic Services (ЕПЕУ) also helps.
Frequently asked questions
Which period or date should I search for the sick note by?
By the start date of the sick leave. The period filter sets a start and an end date, so choose a range that includes the day the sick leave began. If in doubt, set a wider period.
Why can’t I see my sick note or benefit?
Most often because of a wrong search period or because the data is still being processed. The sick note depends on the doctor, and the benefit on the social security data filed by the employer. That is why it is possible for the sick note to show while the money does not yet.
What is the difference between checking a sick note and checking payment?
Checking a sick note shows whether the document has been filed and registered. Checking payment shows whether and how much has been transferred as a benefit. These are two separate sections in the file. For the money, see checking payment of sick leave benefits.
Can I check a sick note without a PIK?
For a personal report you need a way to log in. Besides an NSSI PIK, you can also use an NRA PIK or a qualified electronic signature (КЕП). Without any of the three you cannot open your personal social security file.
Who files the sick note, the doctor or the employer?
The sick note itself is filed by the doctor or the medical facility, electronically, in the NSSI register. The employer files the social security data for calculating the benefit separately. The two things are different and follow different routes.
Is this connected with my social security contributions?
The right to a cash benefit depends on your insurance record. If you want to check whether contributions have been paid for you, see checking health insurance contributions.
Ask Pravko and get an answer with citations from the law.
⚠️ Important
Pravko provides legal information, but it does not replace advice from a lawyer. For important legal matters, consult a licensed lawyer.
