The Labour book is an official personal document described in art.347 from the Labour code. It serves for registration of the Employee’s labour experience. In compliance with the Civil Procedure Code of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Labour book is the official document for proving circumstances and facts connected to the labour activity of the Employee. The Labour book has a standardized form. At the moment in the practice are used two models of Labour books – a new one and an old one.
When the Employee is assigned for first time his Employer is obliged to issue the Labour book and to bear all associated costs. A Labour book shall be issued in a 5 /five/ days term from the initiating of the employment relation. If the Labour book had been destroyed or lost then a new one should have been issued by the State Labour Inspection. The Bulgarian labour legislation does not determine a term for issuing of new Labour book. An Application to the State Labour Inspection for the new Labour book shall be submitted either by the Employee or by the Employer depending on whose fault the lost is.
The Labour book shall stay with the Employee but the Employer shall keep a special register for the issued Labour books. This register is standardized and shall be kept for 50 years.