Bulgaria's Central Credit Register and your mortgage: what banks see, how long arrears are remembered, and how to prepare

"Will the credit register let me through?" is one of the questions we hear most from buyers who need a loan. Bulgaria's Central Credit Register (CCR) is not a "blacklist" and does not decide whether you get a mortgage. It is where the bank sees your credit history — which is why it pays to know what it says before you apply.

What the CCR is

The Central Credit Register is an information system run by the Bulgarian National Bank, governed by BNB Ordinance No. 22. Banks and financial institutions that lend report data on their customers' loans to it, and institutions assessing creditworthiness receive reports from it.

Key points from the ordinance:

• loans are reported regardless of their size — the only exception is overdrafts below €1,000 with arrears of up to 30 days (Art. 5);
• data on active loans is reported monthly (Art. 10);
• the register also holds data on co-borrowers and guarantors (Art. 19).

What the bank sees

When you apply, the bank receives a report showing:

• your current loans — type, amount, outstanding balance, due dates;
• arrears — amounts and duration;
• loans on which you are a co-borrower or guarantor;
• the history for the last 5 years — including loans already repaid (Art. 19(2)).

Credit cards and overdrafts count as credit too. Even if you don't use them, the approved limit may be counted when your debt burden is calculated. If you have cards you never use, consider closing them before you apply.

How long arrears are remembered

Data is kept in the register for 5 years from the reporting period (Art. 20). In practice, arrears from 2–3 years ago will still show up. If the loan has been serviced properly since then, many banks will treat it as a one-off — especially if you can explain the cause. If the arrears were long, or the loan was passed on for collection, the conversation is harder.

The bank does not decide on the CCR alone. It assesses your creditworthiness as a whole, based on your income, expenses and other financial circumstances, as required by the Consumer Real Estate Credit Act (Art. 16). It also applies the BNB lending standards — payments on all your loans should not exceed 50% of monthly income. That is why an existing consumer loan can reduce the mortgage amount even if it has been serviced perfectly.

How to check yourself

Any individual can request a report from the BNB on their own credit exposure. Under Ordinance No. 22:

• free of charge — within 14 days (Art. 21(2));
• faster — for a fee under the BNB tariff;
• you can also ask who has checked your data (Art. 21a).

The current ways to submit the request — in person at the BNB or electronically — are described on the BNB website. Request the report at least a month before you apply, so you have time to act if something is wrong.

If the report contains an error

The register shows what the lending institution has reported. If you see a loan that is not yours, a repaid loan shown as active, or arrears that never happened, contact the institution that reported the data, in writing, with evidence — a repayment certificate, payment orders. After the correction, request a new report.

Watch out in particular for:

• old loans repaid when an account was closed — small fees or interest sometimes remain and show as arrears;
• guarantees you have forgotten about;
• assigned debts — a loan sold to a debt-collection agency.

How to prepare before the mortgage

1. Request a CCR report and go through it line by line.
2. Pay off or reduce small consumer loans and card limits if that improves your payment-to-income ratio.
3. Take no new credit in the months before you apply — including goods bought on instalments.
4. Prepare an explanation and documents for past arrears — sick leave, a job change, a reporting error.
5. Be careful with guarantees. Debts you guarantee or co-signed are counted against you too — the bank will take them into account even if someone else is paying them.

The overall loan process is set out in our guide Mortgage loans in Bulgaria, and what banks look at with non-standard income in our guide to foreign or self-employed income.

In short

• The CCR shows the bank all your loans, guarantees and arrears.
• History is kept for 5 years, including for repaid loans.
• The report for individuals is free within 14 days.
• Errors are corrected by the institution that reported the data.
• Prepare before you apply, not after a refusal.

If you would like to go through your report with us and decide when and with which bank to apply, call us or come into the office.

This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Verified as of October 2026 against BNB Ordinance No. 22 on the Central Credit Register.