Temporary nursing jobs in Bulgaria

Hi Ady! Welcome to the forum!

Unfortunately, there might be challenges in the path to your dream. Not impossible to overcome, but there are a few things to consider.

As a non-EU citizen, unless your husband has EU citizenship or a permanent residency permit in an EU country, you'll need a long-term visa that permits you to work in Bulgaria. First step is a D visa. The Bulgarian Embassy in Washington gives good information on the various options. It's not necessarily easy to get! Bulgaria has to be very careful not to be seen as an easy gateway into the EU, and so it's harder to get a long-term visa there than in other EU countries or non-EU neighbouring countries. If you don't qualify but your husband does, he can apply for residency then you apply for family reunion.

Working as a nurse - nursing is low paid in Bulgaria, and the language would also be a huge challenge. To work as an RN,  you'd first need to register as a nurse in Bulgaria or another EU country. I'm not aware of any travelling nurse employment agencies. It could be possible to get work as a caregiver for English speaking patients who want a US-qualified nurse. I heard of a British registered nurse who was expert in a cardiology nursing who got work as an assistant to a cardiologist, but that was very much luck and word or mouth. The other possible employer would be the US Embassy in Sofia, as they do employ one or two  qualified nurses in their staff health centre. Those posts are more likely to be filled by trailing spouses - wives or husbands of diplomats posted there, who get preference for Embassy jobs, and my guess is for anyone who isn't a spouse, they'd want knowledge of the local healthcare system and good spoken and written Bulgarian. But check their website job vacancies section, you never know.

I'm a retired RN who worked for a US Embassy as locally employed staff, but not in Bulgaria, so I do know how their system works. I also looked into options for working as a nurse in Bulgaria, but am now waiting it out to retire there, instead.

If the dream isn't specifically Bulgaria but to live and work in Europe or in that region, you and your husband might find getting a work visa is easier in neighbouring non-EU countries like Serbia or Turkey, or EU countries like Portugal and Spain that have digital nomad visas to accommodate remote workers. Unfortunately Bulgaria isn't offering anything like that.

Hello everyone and welcome Ady !

Please note that I have created this new thread from your post and the feedback you've been given on the Bulgaria forum so that you may better communicate with members.

All the best

Bhavna