Guides to Bulgarian law, written for decision-makers

Each guide explains one legal route or problem: who it is for, what the law requires, how the procedure runs and where people usually go wrong.

A small green leaf growing on a tree branch

Corporate

Branch or Subsidiary? How a Foreign Company Sets Up in Bulgaria

A branch keeps everything inside the parent company; a subsidiary keeps Bulgarian risk in Bulgaria. How the two compare on liability, paperwork, tax and the way Bulgarian partners see you.

A person signing a document at a desk

Corporate

Transferring Shares in a Bulgarian Limited Company (OOD/EOOD)

Selling out, bringing in an investor or tidying up ownership: the steps that make a transfer of shares in a Bulgarian limited company valid, and what a buyer should check before signing.

A hand holding a key at a front door

Property

Selling Your Bulgarian Property When You Live Abroad

Owners who have moved away — or never lived in Bulgaria — can sell without travelling. The documents, the deed, the tax rules for EU and non-EU sellers, and the points that most often hold a sale up.

A hand holding a pen over a document

Corporate

Powers of Attorney Signed Abroad for Use in Bulgaria

Most of what international clients do in Bulgaria — buying, selling, setting up and running companies — can be done through an attorney. The power of attorney has to be right the first time: where to sign, which certification, which translation.

Cobbled lane between old stone houses with slate roofs in the Bulgarian village of Leshten

Family & succession

Inheriting Property in Bulgaria When You Live Abroad

A parent or relative leaves a flat in Sofia or a house on the coast, and the heirs live in Germany, Russia or the UK. Which law applies, what has to be done in Bulgaria, and what it costs.

Tall stacks of paper files and folders on an office desk

Civil law

Recovering a Debt from a Bulgarian Company — Options for Foreign Creditors

An unpaid invoice from a Bulgarian customer is rarely a lost cause. The routes from demand letter to bailiff, which EU procedures help cross-border creditors, and the deadlines to watch.

Moving boxes stacked by a sunlit window in a new home

Tax

Becoming Tax Resident in Bulgaria — the Rules That Decide Where You Pay

A residence permit does not make you tax resident, and leaving your old country does not end your tax ties there. The two Bulgarian tests, what they mean for your income, and how to document the move.

Open laptop and notebooks on a long desk by tall office windows, beside a large potted plant

Corporate

Setting Up a Bulgarian Limited Company (OOD/EOOD) in 2026

A founder’s timeline for the Bulgarian OOD — from the first design decisions to the filings due in the weeks after registration — updated for capital in euros.

Workers walking along a wide warehouse aisle between tall orange pallet racks

Immigration

Hiring a Non-EU Worker in Bulgaria — the Single Permit for Employers and Candidates

The standard way for a Bulgarian employer to hire someone from outside the EU. Three questions to answer before filing, who prepares what, and the timeline from application to residence card.

Bright office lobby with glass walls, potted trees in wooden planters and green chairs

Immigration

Residence Through a Trade Representative Office — How the Route Works

A foreign company you own or run can open a representative office in Bulgaria — and its representatives can live here on that basis. What the company must show, how long each step takes and what keeps the permit alive.

Woman with headphones working on a laptop at a window counter overlooking a city

Immigration

Living in Bulgaria While Working Remotely — the Digital Nomad Route

A residence ground built for people who earn their living remotely from outside the EU and want a base in Bulgaria — without hiring locally or trading on the Bulgarian market.

Close-up of a pile of euro coins on a wooden table

Corporate

The Euro Changeover — What Bulgarian Companies Need to Know

Bulgaria’s move to the euro converted every company’s registered capital automatically. What changed by itself, what the September 2026 amendments relaxed, and the practical updates still worth making.

Candlestick chart on a screen showing a rising price trend

Immigration

Permanent Residence for Investors — Skipping the Five-Year Wait

Most foreigners reach permanent residence after five years. Qualifying investors can obtain it at once — and apply for citizenship five years later. The available routes and how the procedure runs.

Modern brick apartment building with glass-fronted balconies framed by green trees

Immigration

Residence Through Buying Property in Bulgaria

A non-EU buyer who invests above the statutory threshold in Bulgarian real estate can obtain a renewable residence permit. The value test, the financing rules and the steps from purchase to residence card.

The historic town of Koprivshtitsa, Bulgaria, with tiled roofs beneath misty forested hills

Citizenship

Bulgarian Citizenship for People of Bulgarian Descent

Having a Bulgarian grandparent or great-grandparent can open a facilitated path to citizenship — and with it an EU passport. What “Bulgarian origin” means legally, what else is assessed and how to build a strong file.

A parent gently holding a child’s hands

Citizenship

Already Bulgarian by Birth? Confirming Citizenship under Article 39

If a parent was a Bulgarian citizen when you were born, you may already be Bulgarian — just never recorded as such. How the Art. 39 procedure confirms it and leads to a Bulgarian birth certificate, ID card and passport.

Hands drafting a technical drawing with a pen and scale ruler on a wooden desk

Immigration

The EU Blue Card in Bulgaria — the Fast Lane for Skilled Professionals

For highly qualified non-EU specialists, the Blue Card skips job advertising and the foreign-staff cap and lasts up to five years. Who qualifies and how it is obtained.

Couple seen from behind on a wooden bench by a river, her head resting on his shoulder

Immigration

Residence for Spouses and Parents of Bulgarian Citizens

Married to a Bulgarian, or the parent of a Bulgarian child? You are entitled to live in Bulgaria on that basis, through one of the quickest and cheapest procedures available.

A family of five walking hand in hand along a beach at sunset, seen in silhouette

Immigration

Bringing Your Family to Bulgaria — Family Reunification Explained

Once you hold a Bulgarian residence permit, your spouse and children can join you through family reunification. Who qualifies, what you need to prove and how the three stages run.

Travellers pulling suitcases across a sunlit stone square in an old European town

Immigration

Moving to Bulgaria from Outside the EU — An Overview of Residence Options

Bulgaria offers an EU and Schengen base, low taxes and a moderate cost of living. A map of the residence options for non-EU nationals — and how each one leads towards permanent status and citizenship.

Apartment blocks and tiled-roof houses among green trees in Varna, with a wooded hill behind

Property

What Foreign Buyers Can — and Cannot — Own in Bulgaria

Apartments are open to almost everyone; land is a different story. Who can buy what in Bulgaria, the company route and its limits, and how a purchase is completed.

Printed architectural floor plans stacked on a wooden table

Property

Checking a Property Before You Buy — What a Title Review Covers

The listing shows the price and the floor plan; the title review shows whether you should buy. The documents we obtain, the checks we run and the problems we find most often.

Complete index

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