With the accomplishment of 18 years of age the persons attain their majority and shall be completely able, through their activities, to acquire rights and assume obligations. The persons who have not accomplished 14 years of age, is a minor. Instead of them and on their behalf legal actions shall be carried out by their legal representatives - parents or guardians. The persons from 14 years of age until the accomplishment of 18 years of age are juvenile. They shall carry out legal activities with the consent of their parents or guardians but they can conclude on their own common small transactions for meeting their current needs and to dispose of the acquired by their own work.

Children and young people are generally allowed to stay in public places, but some restrictions exist concerning the evenings and the type of the public places. According to the Child Protection Act, parents are obliged to accompany their children or to provide responsible full age person to accompany their children to 16 years of age on public places after 22.00 o’clock. The same responsibilities have other persons who take care for the raising and education of children. Otherwise sanctions are imposed to the parents and caregivers of children. If by not implementing this obligation parents and guardians leave the child without attention and enough care and with this endanger his phisical, mental or moral development, they are sanctioned with imprisonment to 1 year or probation, as well as with public reproach. If anyone allows from 22.00 o’clock to 6.00 o’clock an unaccompanied child, who has not reached 16 years of age in his commercial property, can be fined either in cash or with property sanction.

An unaccompanied children, who has not reached 16 years of age is not allowed to stay in restaurants from 22.00 o´clock to 6.00 o´clock. If anyone allows from 22.00 o’clock to 6.00 o’clock an unaccompanied child, who has not reached 16 years of age in his commercial property, can be fined either in cash or with property sanction.

Disco/Dancehall: Young people under 18 years must leave the discotheque to 10 pm. Additionally there is a child Disco.

Staying in bars, night clubs and similar places is allowed only for persons, who have reached 18 years of age.

In Bulgaria there is no strict difference between light and spirits in general, but nevertheless every person who sells alcoholic drinks and tobacco products to children, no matter the alcohol content, can be fined either in cash or with property sanction if he is not a liable to a harder administrative sanction under a special law or the deed is not considered a crime.

The use of alcohol from adolescents and minors is publicly dangerous and illegal deed and is also immoral and is sanctioned with and educational measure.

As a principle children and young people can visit public film screenings, but some restrictions exist concerning the content of the film. According to the Child Protection Act, parents are obliged to accompany their children or to provide responcible full age person to accompany their children to 16 years of age on public places after 22.00 o’clock. Depending on the content of the shown product (a motion picture or theatre), there is arestriction respectively: until 12, until 16 or until 18 years of age, where persons under the stated age are not allowed regardless of being accompanied by a full age person.

The sale and the consumption of tobacco goods are forbidden for persons under 18 years.

In computer and internet halls after 22 o’clock persons to 14 years of age are not allowed without a full age person, accompanying them, which is a responsibility of the owners or persons who are responsible for these halls for this rules to be followed.

Il n’existe par de disposition légale concernant le port de couteaux, outils d’arts martiaux ou autres armes. Cependant, le port d’armes public est interdit. Seuls des personnes chargées officiellement de la protection des personnes sont exclues de cette interdiction. L’établissement d’un permis pour l’achat, la détention et l’emploi d’explosifs, d’armes et de munitions dépend de l’état physique et psychique de cette personne, du fait qu’elle soit enregistrée comme entrepreneur indépendant et si elle est déjà majeure.

A sexual activity with a person, who is not yet 18 years old and was not voluntarily involved, can be punished with prison.

Sexual activity with a person, who has not reached 14 years of age irrespective of the child sex and his/her voluntary participation are punished with imprisonment.

Who commits and act in order to arouse or satisfy a sexual desire without a copulation regarding a person who has not accomplished 14 years of age shall be punished for fornication by imprisonment of up to six years.

Who copulates with a person who has not accomplished 14 years of age, inasmuch as the act does not constitute a crime according to art. 152, shall be punished by imprisonment of two to five years.

Every Bulgarian citizen and citizen of other country – member of the European Union and of other country – party of the Agreement for European Economic environment or of Switzerland Confederation who seeks a job can register in the territorial department of the Employment Agency.

There are age limits for persons, working under labour relations. Persons who have not reached 18 years of age can not be employed. There are some exceptions – employment of persons, reached 16 years of age, but the rules and conditions for this to be done are specific and oblige the employer to have higher requirements about safe working.

Bulgarian legislation provides special protection to working children and young persons who have not reached majority, by defining the minimum age for job employment, possible exceptions and specific labour conditions, which the employers have to have in mind when employing minors. The basic legal texts can be found in the Labour Code, Ordinance № 6 of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy for the rules and conditions for issuing work permits to persons who have not reached 18 years of age and Ordinance for work of persons, who have not reached 15 years of age of the Council of Ministers.

The minimum age is for job employment is 16 years. Job employment is forbidden for persons who have not reached 16 years. As an exeption persons from 15 to 16 years of age can be employed for jobs, which are light and are not dangerous or harmful for the health and right physical, mental or moral development and which implementation wouldn’t be an obstacle for a regular school attendance or for participation in programs for professional orientation or education.

Also as an exception as students in circuses girls reached 14 years of age and boys reached 13 years of age can be employed and for the participation in filming, preparation and staging theatrical or other performances, persons, who have not reached 15 years of age can be employed, after lighter conditions and according to the requirements for their right physical, mental and moral development. The labour conditions in these cases are defined in the abovementioned Ordinance of the Council of Ministers.

For young persons from 16 to 18 years of age there is a prohibition to be employed for works, which are hard, dangerous or harmful for their health or for their right physical, mental and moral development.

A general condition for job employment for children, who have not reached majority is the performing of medical examination and medical conclusion, that they are able to do the job and that it will not harm their health and their right physical and mental development and after the permission of the labour inspection for every case.

Concerning the employed children and young persons who have not reached majority the Labour Code states a limit for the total working hours – to 40 hors a week, for employees, who have not reached 18 years of age there is a possibility for a limited working hours.

From which age on are young people allowed to work?

The minimum age for job employment is 16 years of age. It is prohibited to employ persons, who have not reached 16 years of age. As an exception persons from 15 to 16 years of age can be employed for works, which are not hard, dangerous or harmful for their health or for their right physical, mental and moral development and which implementation wouldn’t be an obstacle for a regular school attendance or for participation in programs for professional orientation or education. Persons who have not reached 16 years of age are employed with the permission of the labour inspection, issued in every exact case. As an exception a labour relation between the guardians of the person, who have not reached 15 years of age and an employer can be formed when it concerns the participation in the creating works of art, filming TV programs, etc. – Ordinance of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy for the order and conditions for labour for persons, who have not reached 15 years.

Is it possible to spend working holiday in your country?

Such possibilities are not explicitly regulated in the Bulgarian legislation, except in the abovementioned order: According to art.18 para 1 from the Law for stimulating of employment every Bulgarian citizen and citizen of other country – member of the European Union and of other country – party of the Agreement for European Economic environment or of Switzerland Confederation who seeks a job can register in the territorial department of the Employment Agency.

Council of Ministers, State Agency for Child Protection, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Science and their subsidiary state and executive agencies.

German Embassy

ul. Frédéric Joliot-Curie 25
BG - 1113 Sofia

phone: ++359 2
main office: 918 38 0

fax : ++359-2
main office:963 16 58
info@sofia.diplo.de

emergency phone: 00359 887 217511

see: http://www.sofia.diplo.de/Vertretung/sofia/de/Startseite.html (website in german)

www.sacp.government.bg

www.stopech.sacp.government.bg

www.mvr.bg

www.mfa.bg

Legislation

Law For Gambling: http://www.dkh.minfin.bg/images_content/zakon_za_hazarta_en.pdf

Child Protection Act: http://cis-sacp.government.bg/sacp/CIS/content_en/law/item03.htm

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source:
State Agency for Child Protection of the Republic of Bulgaria (10/2008