Purchasing a property in Bulgaria
The purchase of real estate property is a process which consists of several stages:
The first and most important stage is finding a property appropriate for you. Our experienced specialist will consult you and help you find properties you may want to visit in person.
Request an inspection of real estate property at this stage of the buying process.
After you have selected a property for purchase, a reserve deposit should be paid, guaranteeing that the property you have chosen will be reserved for you and will be removed from the market. You'll need to complete a purchase application according to standard forms for reserving the real estate property. We provide the required application and receipt for the deposit.

Listed bellow is the supporting documentation required for the transaction.

1.    A document certifying the seller’s ownership of the real estate property they are selling

2.    A cadastre scheme of the real estate property

3.    A certificate for tax assessment of the real estate property.

4.    A Power of Attorney if a Proxy participates in the transaction.

5.    An Heirs Certificate and documents certifying the right of ownership of the legator if the property was acquired by         inheritance;

6.    Civil Marriage Certificate, if the property is held in joint family ownership, is assigned;

7.    Declaration of the Seller pursuant to Art. 226, Para.1 of the Tax Procedure Code – 2 numbers.

8.    Citizenship and Civic Status Declaration in accordance with a standard form.

9.    If a legal entity other than a person participates in the transaction – a Good Standing Certificate, a court decision           for registration, Minutes of the Meeting with a resolution of the Management Body for acquisition/assignment of         real estate property;

10. Real Encumbrance Certificate – a certificate for the absence of encumbrances

11. Certificate for Commissioning

You may obtain detailed information about all the documents needed to purchase real estate property by contract certified at a notary’s office here.

The transaction is witnessed and certified by a Notary Public with a region of practice covering the location of the real estate property. The sale by contract certified at a notary’s office shall be realized in the following sequence:

1.    The Notary Public verifies whether the real estate property is located within their region of practice

2.    The Notary Public confirms the identity, efficiency and representative power of the persons who appeared before them

3.    The Notary Public checks whether there are any legal obstacles to the assignment of the property available at hand

4.    The Notary Public assures that the presented draft for a Notary Deed satisfies the legal requirements

5.    The Notary Public verifies that the Seller is the owner of the property

6.    The Notary Public reads out to the Parties the contents of the draft for a Notary Deed, and the Parties confirm before the Notary Public their declarations of intention reflected in the draft for a Notary Deed

7.    The Notary Deed is signed by the Parties and by the Notary Public

8.    On the day of the sale by contract certified at a notary’s office, the Notary Public will present the Notary Deed in the Registry Service related to the location of the real estate property.

9.    The Registry Judge orders the entry of the Deed

10.    The Notary Public supplies the Parties with a transcript of the Notary Deed

Costs when buying real estate

In a real estate purchase transaction, the buyer pays the following taxes and fees:

1. Local property acquisition tax - payable to the relevant municipality

2. Registration fee at the Registration Agency

3. Notary fee for certifying the transaction – payable to the notary

 
According to the Law on Local Taxes and Fees (LAT), every year, the municipalities in Bulgaria independently determine the amount of the local tax for the acquisition of property in the respective territory in the range between 0.1 and 3 percent on the sale price of the property or its tax assessment, if higher than the sale price.
 
The fee for registering the transaction at the Registration Agency is 0.1% of the sale price. This fee is the same across the country.
The notary fee is also calculated on the material interest and according to the Tariff for notary fees under the Law on Notaries and Notarial Activities. For real estate transactions - new construction, the notary fee most often falls under the following tariff headings:
Notary fees for sale and purchase
The fee is calculated based on the specified "material interest" (the price of the property) in the notarial deed. If the price stated in the deed is lower than the tax assessment, the fee is calculated based on the tax assessment.
In the Tariff for notary fees, the following payable amounts are determined according to the price of the property:
Certifiable material interest Notary fee (in BGN)
up to 100, 30 BGN
101 – 1000: 30 BGN + 1.5 percent for any amount over 101 BGN.
1,001 - 10,000: BGN 43.50 + 1.3 for any amount over BGN 1,001.
10,001 - 50,000: BGN 160.50 + 0.8 percent for any amount above BGN 10,001.
50,001 - 100,000: BGN 480.50 + 0.5 percent for any amount above BGN 50,001.
100,001 - 500,000: BGN 730.50 + 0.2 percent for any amount above BGN 100,001.
Greater than 500,000: BGN 1,530.50 + 0.1 percent for any amount over BGN 500,001, but not more than BGN 6,000.
 
Preparation of the notarial deed is also subject to separate billing.
 
Minimum notary fee
The minimum amount of the notary fee for the purchase and sale of real estate is BGN 60. Half of it is for the preparation of the Notary Deed of the property, and the remaining half is due for properties valued up to BGN 100. All properties from BGN 101 to over BGN 500,000 are charged with a "fixed" fee plus a percentage of the amount of the tax assessment or the amount for which the property is sold.
 
Fee for the preparation of a notarial deed
The preparation of a Notarial Deed is an action that the notary performs, and a separate fee is paid for it.