An Occupational Health Service (OHS) in Bulgaria is a registered preventive service that helps employers protect workers' health and meet their workplace health-and-safety duties. In Bulgarian, it is known as a sluzhba po trudova meditsina (STM).

For founders, establishing an OHS is not simply a matter of incorporating a company. The service may operate only after registration with the Bulgarian Ministry of Health, and the applicant must demonstrate the required specialist team, qualifications, and supporting documentation.

This guide explains who may establish an OHS, the minimum staffing rules, the registration file, the Ministry of Health procedure, and the main obligations that continue after registration.

Occupational-health legislation, administrative practice, and official fees can change. Confirm the current requirements with the Ministry of Health before filing. This guide provides general information and does not replace advice on a specific application.

Occupational Health Service in Bulgaria at a Glance

What Is an Occupational Health Service?

An OHS is a unit with primarily preventive functions. It advises and assists employers, workplace health-and-safety committees, and working conditions groups with:

• maintaining healthy and safe working conditions
• protecting workers' health and capacity for work
• adapting work to workers' physical and mental capabilities
• identifying and reducing occupational risks
• monitoring health in relation to workplace conditions
• developing workplace health-and-safety measures and training

The service supports the employer, but it does not take over the employer's legal responsibility for workplace health and safety.

Bulgarian employers must arrange occupational-health coverage for their workers through a registered OHS. An employer can create an internal service where the statutory conditions are satisfied, establish a shared service with other employers, or contract an external registered provider.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy provides an official overview of occupational-health services for workers and employees.

Legal Framework and Registering Authority

The principal rules are found in:

1. The Health and Safety at Work Act, particularly the provisions on the creation, registration, staffing, and functions of occupational health services.
2. Ordinance No. 3 of 25 January 2008 on the conditions and procedure for carrying out the activities of occupational health services.

The Minister of Health issues the registration certificate. Registered providers are included in the Ministry's public Register of Occupational Health Services, which employers can use to verify a provider's status.

Commercial Register entry alone does not authorise a business to provide OHS services. The entity must complete the separate Ministry of Health registration before operating as an OHS.

Who May Establish an OHS?

The Ministry of Health identifies the following categories of eligible applicants:

• legal entities or natural persons registered under the Bulgarian Commerce Act
• cooperatives registered under the Cooperatives Act
• entities registered under the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act
• companies established under the law of another EU Member State or a state in the European Economic Area
• employers establishing a service individually or jointly, subject to the statutory rules

For an independent commercial provider, an EOOD or OOD limited-liability company will often be considered. The correct structure still depends on ownership, management, financing, tax, liability, and the planned scope of services.

Our company registration guide explains the main Bulgarian legal forms and incorporation process. The company's registered activities should accurately cover the services it will provide, but a broad object clause cannot replace the required OHS registration.

Mandatory Minimum Specialist Team

Staffing is one of the most important parts of the application. The minimum team must include:

The Ministry requires notarised copies of the relevant diplomas, specialty certificates, and professional-experience records. For the technical specialist, evidence can include employment, civil-service, or social-insurance records, work performed abroad, job descriptions, orders, and other official documents demonstrating the required experience.

The names on identity and qualification documents must be consistent. If they differ, the Ministry's guidance calls for a municipal identity certificate establishing that the records concern the same person.

The minimum-team members must also submit declarations confirming that they satisfy the statutory independence and eligibility requirements. Before contracts are finalised, each specialist's status should be checked against the current restrictions in the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Documents Required for OHS Registration

According to the Ministry of Health's current registration procedure and document list, the application file includes:

1. An application to the Minister of Health, signed by the person establishing the service.
2. The applicant's name, registered office, address, and telephone details.
3. A copy of the act or other document establishing the applicant, where applicable.
4. An agreement between the employers when several employers create a shared service.
5. Commercial Register identification data or the applicable current registration evidence for non-profit or EU/EEA applicants.
6. An approved list of the minimum OHS specialist team.
7. Notarised copies of each specialist's education, qualification, and professional-experience documents.
8. Declarations from the minimum-team members under Article 25b(3) of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
9. Proof that the state fee has been paid.

The Ministry currently states that it does not provide a standard form for this procedure. The applicant must therefore ensure that its own application and supporting schedule contain all required information.

Documents issued outside Bulgaria may require Bulgarian translation and appropriate authentication. The exact treatment depends on the issuing country, the document, and any applicable EU rules or international treaty.

Registration Process Step by Step

1. Choose and Establish the Applicant

Decide whether the OHS will be an internal employer service, a shared service, or an independent provider. Establish the appropriate entity and complete any required Commercial Register filings.

2. Secure the Minimum Specialist Team

Confirm the occupational-medicine physician, technical specialist, and technical officer before filing. Review their qualifications, professional experience, and statutory eligibility, then prepare the appropriate contractual arrangements.

3. Collect and Certify the Evidence

Obtain the diplomas, specialty documents, experience records, declarations, and any identity certificate required because of different names. Complete notarisation, translation, or authentication before assembling the final file.

4. Prepare the Application Package

Prepare the application, applicant data, specialist list, registration evidence, declarations, and payment document. Use a document index and check names, dates, qualification descriptions, and signatures across the entire file.

5. Pay the State Fee

The Ministry of Health currently publishes a registration fee of EUR 187.64. Confirm the amount, payment account, reference, and accepted proof of payment immediately before filing.

6. Submit to the Ministry of Health

File the complete package through an accepted Ministry channel. Keep copies of the application, all enclosures, payment evidence, and proof of submission.

7. Respond to Instructions

The statutory review period is up to 30 days. If the Ministry identifies missing or irregular documents, it must provide a correction period of at least 14 days. Failure to remedy the issues can result in refusal.

8. Verify Registration Before Operating

After approval, verify the certificate and the service's entry in the public OHS register. The business should begin providing regulated OHS services only after registration is effective.

How Long Does OHS Registration Take?

The legal review period is 30 days, but the complete setup usually begins before the application is submitted. The practical timeline can be affected by:

• recruiting an occupational-medicine physician
• proving the technical specialist's three years of experience
• obtaining notarised qualification documents
• correcting inconsistent personal names or records
• translating or authenticating foreign documents
• responding to Ministry instructions

A complete, internally consistent file reduces avoidable delays. The 30-day period should not be treated as a guarantee that the entire business setup will finish within one month.

Registration Validity and Changes

OHS registration is not presented as a licence requiring periodic renewal. Continuing operation nevertheless depends on maintaining the statutory team and complying with the applicable rules.

Changes affecting registered circumstances or the specialist team must be handled promptly under the current notification and change-registration procedure. A departing minimum-team member should therefore trigger an immediate compliance review, notification to the Ministry where required, and properly documented replacement arrangements.

The service should verify the current deadline, documents, and fee for a change filing rather than assuming that the original registration procedure applies unchanged.

What Does an OHS Do After Registration?

Registration starts the regulated activity; it does not complete the compliance work. A registered OHS performs preventive and advisory functions that can include:

• participating in workplace health-and-safety risk assessments
• proposing measures to prevent, eliminate, or reduce identified risks
• recommending workplace or work-organisation adaptations for protected or vulnerable workers
• helping develop workplace health-and-safety rules and instructions
• developing or participating in management and worker training
• organising first-aid, self-help, and mutual-aid training appropriate to workplace risks
• informing workers about occupational health risks and medical findings
• supporting workplace health-promotion programmes
• monitoring, analysing, and evaluating health in relation to working conditions
• assisting employers with the organisation of mandatory medical examinations
• preparing fitness-for-work conclusions within the applicable rules

Contracts should define precisely which services are included, which party performs each task, how information is exchanged, and how urgent events or regulatory requests are handled.

Records, Confidentiality, and Data Protection

An OHS handles sensitive employment and health information. Its internal processes should cover:

• records for each employer it serves
• worker health records and fitness conclusions
• access controls and medical confidentiality
• secure transfer and storage of personal data
• retention periods and lawful disposal
• incident, accident, and occupational-disease documentation
• staff responsibilities and substitute arrangements
• evidence of advice, training, and recommendations delivered

Health information is special-category personal data under the GDPR. Contracts, privacy information, security measures, access rights, and retention policies should be designed before client records are accepted.

Common Registration Mistakes

Avoid these recurring problems:

1. Treating company incorporation as permission to operate an OHS.
2. Filing before every minimum-team role is covered.
3. Relying on job titles instead of official evidence of professional experience.
4. Submitting copies that are not notarised where notarisation is required.
5. Overlooking different names across identity, diploma, and employment records.
6. Using foreign documents without checking translation and authentication requirements.
7. Leaving declarations, signatures, applicant data, or payment evidence incomplete.
8. Failing to create operational, confidentiality, and data-protection procedures before serving employers.
9. Failing to monitor later staffing or registered-circumstance changes.

OHS Registration Checklist

Before filing:

1. Select the internal, shared, or independent-service model.
2. Establish and verify the eligible applicant.
3. Confirm that the intended activities are properly documented.
4. Secure all three minimum-team profiles.
5. Review qualifications, experience, and eligibility restrictions.
6. Obtain notarised, translated, and authenticated documents where required.
7. Prepare the application, declarations, specialist list, and document index.
8. Confirm and pay the current state fee.
9. Complete a final consistency review before submission.

Before beginning operations:

1. Verify the registration certificate and public-register entry.
2. Adopt internal organisation and document-control procedures.
3. Put GDPR, confidentiality, and information-security measures in place.
4. Prepare compliant employer contracts and service descriptions.
5. Establish a calendar for staffing, change, and reporting obligations.
6. Arrange accounting, payroll, tax, and insurance processes for the operating entity.

Our Bulgaria corporate tax guide provides a general overview of the tax and compliance environment for a Bulgarian business.

Register an Occupational Health Service with Lion Consult

Lion Consult assists founders with establishing the Bulgarian operating entity, preparing and coordinating the OHS registration file, organising supporting corporate documentation, and setting up the accounting, payroll, tax, and ongoing compliance processes required for the business.

Contact Lion Consult to discuss the proposed service, specialist team, documents, and registration timetable.

This guide provides general information and is not legal, medical, tax, accounting, or data-protection advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Must every Bulgarian employer use an Occupational Health Service?

Bulgarian employers must arrange service by a registered Occupational Health Service for their workers. Depending on the circumstances, an employer may use an external registered provider or establish an eligible internal or shared service.

Who can register an Occupational Health Service in Bulgaria?

Eligible applicants include persons registered under the Commerce Act, cooperatives, non-profit legal entities, and qualifying companies established in another EU or EEA state. Employers may also establish internal or shared services under the statutory rules.

What specialists are required for OHS registration?

The minimum team includes a physician with an occupational-medicine specialty, a higher-educated technical-sciences specialist with at least three years of occupational health-and-safety experience, and a technical officer with at least secondary education.

What is the fee for registering an OHS in Bulgaria?

The Bulgarian Ministry of Health currently publishes a registration fee of EUR 187.64. Applicants should confirm the amount, payment details, and required payment reference immediately before filing.

How long does OHS registration take?

The statutory review period is up to 30 days after filing. If the Ministry identifies missing or irregular documents, it provides a correction period of at least 14 days, which can extend the overall timeline.

Does an OHS registration need to be renewed?

The registration is not subject to periodic renewal, but the service must continuously maintain the statutory team and comply with the applicable rules. Relevant changes must be handled through the current notification and change-registration procedure.