Details about the accreditation procedures may be found below in the: “Rules of the National Assembly for the accreditation and the work of the mass media representatives covering the activities of the parliament”.

The request and application forms for accreditation should be sent to the following address: 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq., Press Center and Public Relations Directorate. For more information please call: 939 23 07; 939 20 55; 939 23 03;


Request by the head of the mass medium for permanent accreditation for coverage of the National Assembly’s work (Form 1)

Application form for permanent accreditation for coverage of the work of the National Assembly (Form 2)

Application form for permanent accreditation for coverage of the parliamentary committees’ work (Form 3)

Request for a temporary accreditation for coverage of the work of the National Assembly (Form 4)

RULES OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR THE ACCREDITATION AND THE WORK OF THE MASS MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES COVERING THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PARLIAMENT
    I. General rules
  1. 1.These rules shall regulate the accreditation procedures and the access of the mass media (MM) representatives covering the activities of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria.

    According to these rules, representatives of a mass medium are: the journalists, the cameramen, the photographers and the technical staff designated by the leadership of the mass medium to cover the activities of the National Assembly.

  2. The work of the mass medium representatives inside the premises of the National Assembly, located at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq. and at 1 Knyaz Alexander Sq. held to cover the activities of the parliament and of the Members of Parliament is organized and carried on the base of the present rules and on:
    • The Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria;
    • The Rules of Organization and Procedure of the National Assembly;
    • The Internal Rules of the National Assembly;
    • The Radio and Television Law;
    • The Access to Public Information Law,
    and are in complete conformity with:
    • the professional standards, norms and values formulated in the Ethical Code of the Bulgarian Media;
    • the principles of transparency, publicity and democracy.
    3. ІІ. Accreditation for permanent access of mass media representatives

    Permanent access
  3. Permanent access (for one calendar year during parliament’s sessions) to the buildings at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq. and at 1 Kniaz Alexander Sq. shall be granted to representatives of an accredited mass medium. Each mass medium receives a definite number of passes, according to a predetermined quota.

  4. The passes within the quota may bear names (personal) or be rotational (unnamed). The rotational passes are provided for the day at the request of journalists or other employees of the mass medium who are part of its official list containing their data and included in the access control system database of the National Assembly.

  5. The head of the mass medium which has permanent accreditation is entitled to a personal pass not included in the quota.

  6. 1.In order to obtain permanent accreditation, each mass medium shall provide the Press Center and Public Relations Directorate with a written Request (Form 1) on a blank bearing the logo of the mass medium, signed by its head and stamped with the seal of the medium. The Request shall contain data about the mass medium – company name, headquarters and address of the managing body, the unified identity number, address for correspondence, phone number, fax number, e-mail as well as a list of the proposed for permanent accreditation representatives of the mass medium. The list shall point explicitly the names of those proposed for permanent passes and of those for rotational ones. The Request Form (1) may be downloaded from the Internet site of the National Assembly under the Press Center / Accreditation title.

    Every representative proposed by the head of the medium for permanent accreditation shall fill in and sign the form (Form 2), which may be downloaded from the Internet site of the National Assembly under “Press Center / Accreditation”. Media representatives proposed for permanent accreditation shall send 1recent personal photograph in addition to the rest of the documents. All papers could be sent to the following e-mail address: press@parliament.bg.

    The filled in forms, together with the written Request of the head of the mass medium, shall be sent to the Press Center and Public Relations Directorate.

  7. The Director of the Press Center and Public Relations Directorate presents for approval to the National Assembly’s Secretary General the list of the proposed mass media for permanent accreditation after checking the compliance of their requests with the present rules. The check of the requests is performed within 7 days of the date of their receipt by the National Assembly. Requests with deficiencies shall be returned to the mass medium for corrections.
    8. Criteria for permanent accreditation
  8. Permanent accreditation is granted to electronic media (radio and television), information agencies, dailies and weekly national newspapers and magazines, which support the supply of regular news and surveys with analytical character and commentaries and such covering social and political issues, and such providing regularly analytical information about all aspects of the activity of the National Assembly.

  9. The mass media receive accreditations according to the predetermined quota, defined in point 10.

  10. 1.The quota for accreditation of the mass media are as follows:
    a) National electronic media transmitted by air
          6 accreditations;
    b) Bulgarian News Agency:
          8 accreditations;
    c) National electronic media transmitted by cabel and satellite
          2 accreditations;
    d) Information Agencies:
          3 accreditations;
    e) National Dailies:
          6 accreditations;
    f) National newspapers and periodicals:
          3 accreditations.

  11. The Bulgaria Radio and the Bulgarian Television in their capacity as public operators and in connection with their commitments to cover the work of parliament, in conformity with art. 41 of the Rules of Organization and Procedure of the National Assembly, are entitled to apply for additional passes.

  12. The accreditation passes give right to access the buildings of the National Assembly during:
    • plenary sittings;
    • meetings of the parliamentary committees;
    • meetings held with advanced notice by the leadership of the National Assembly, of the parliamentary groups and the parliamentary committees and meetings of Members of the Parliament;
    • visits of delegations, press conferences and other events of public importance, announced in advance by the Press Center and Public Relations Directorate;
    • meetings of the parliamentary groups, conditional on consent of the latter released before the Press Center and Public Relations Directorate;
    13. ІІІ. Temporary access
    Access to the meetings of the parliamentary committees
  13. Journalists who cover the work of the parliamentary committees and who lack permanent accreditation can still access the buildings during the meetings of the parliamentary committees ( using rotational passes). Their full names should be included in the list asking for accreditation to cover the work of parliamentary committees, together with the names of the representatives for permanent accreditation. The latter shall fill in and sign Form 3, downloadable from the website of the National Assembly under the “Press Center/ Accreditation”.

    14. Access of journalists with one-time pass
  14. Representatives of a mass medium lacking permanent accreditation of the National Assembly who want to cover a particular aspect of the parliament’s work enumerated in p.12 may be given access to the buildings with a one-time pass.

  15. Every representative of a mass medium willing to obtain a one-time pass may ask for one by filling in Form 4, signed by him and by the head of the medium (or in his absence by the editor on duty for the day), and sending it to the Press Center and Public Relations Directorate. Form 4 may be downloaded from the National Assembly’s website under the “Press Center/ Accreditation” title. The form should be sent via fax or scanned and sent through the official e-mail address of the medium.

  16. The access of foreign correspondents (permanent or temporary) of foreign media in Bulgaria is given according to these rules and by presenting in addition a copy of the accreditation card issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria.

    17. IV. Rules concerning the work of the mass media representatives while covering the activities of the National Assembly

    Press Club and Press Galleries
  17. The journalists perform their duties in the following specially designated areas of the National Assembly:
    • Press Club of the National Assembly (second floor, west wing of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S building, located at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq);
    • The Press Gallery (designated area of the west corridor of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S building, located at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq.) and
    • At the gallery “Balconies” of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S building, located at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq.

    At these specially designated areas journalists could watch the plenary sittings on a TV screen, they are given access to computers, they may subscribe to additional information materials and communication tools. The Press Center and Public Relations Directorate provides the mass media representatives with information about the National Assembly, the legislative process and the work of the Members of the Parliament.
    Interviews, statements, quests
  18. Interviews and quests are held in:
    • The Press Club of the National Assembly (second floor, west wing of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S building, located at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq);
    • The Press Gallery (designated area of the west corridor of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S building, located at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq.)
    • In the area of the “Balconies” gallery of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S building, located at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq.

  19. Statements are made :
    • From the special stand located in the southern lobby of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S building, at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq.;
    • From the special stand in the East corridor of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S building, at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq.;
    • From the Press Gallery (designated area in the West corridor of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S building, at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq.);
    • In the Press Club of the National Assembly at THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S building, at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq.

    Procedures for taking of Video Materials and Photo Pictures
  20. Video materials and photo pictures are taken only:
    • In the specially designated areas for journalists, located at the rear of the plenary hall;
    • In front of the stand for statements in the southern lobby of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S building, located at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq.;
    • In front of the stand for statements in the east corridor of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S building, located at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq.;
    • In the Press Gallery (designated area in the west corridor of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S building, located at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq.);
    • In the northern lobby of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY , 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq.;
    • In the area of the “Balconies” gallery of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S building, 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq.
    • In the offices of the respective parliamentary committees during their work time;
    • On other sites where official and public events are taking place.

  21. Taking videos with TV cameras and photo pictures as well as audio recordings is not allowed in the two corridors (located at the east and west sides of the plenary hall) in the building of the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, at 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq.and in the MPs Club in the same building, except for public events held on advanced notice.

  22. Permissions for taking of videos with TV cameras and taking of photo pictures with photographic cameras at other places in the plenary hall and in the buildings of the National Assembly are given by the Press Center and Public Relations Directorate.

  23. During their stay inside the National Assembly the mass media representatives should keep an appropriate dress code, adequate to the authority of the institution in compliance with the generally accepted business attire.

  24. Breaches of these rules of the National Assembly shall lead to the termination of the mass medium representative’s accreditation.

  25. The accreditation process of the mass media representatives at the National Assembly is carried out every calendar year.

    26. PROVISIONAL AND CONCLUDING PROVISIONS
    § 1. These rules are issued on the base of art. 10, paragraph 4 of the Internal Rules of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria.

    § 2. Matters not covered by the present rules shall be settled by internal acts of the President of the National Assembly or by its Secretary General.

    § 3. The implementation of the present rules is entrusted to the Director of the Press Center and Public Relations Directorate, while the control should be executed by the Secretary General.