More and more buyers of rural and holiday property around Sofia also ask about forest plots — as a long-term holding, for firewood, or simply for a piece of nature of their own. Forest land, however, is governed by its own statute, the Forest Act, and much of what you take for granted with a field or a garden plot does not apply.
Below is what you need to know before you sign. The guide reflects the Act as in force in November 2026.
Forest land may be owned by individuals, companies, the state and municipalities (Art. 22). Political parties and foreign states may not own it (Art. 23).
Private forest is bought in the usual way, by notary deed. State forest is not freely for sale: the state may sell its private forest property only to end a co-ownership or where an approved general development plan extends a settlement (Art. 33). State and municipal forest cannot be acquired by prescription either (Art. 26).
The Forest Act gives no pre-emption right to the state, the municipality or neighbours when one private owner sells to another. The state buys forest only through a voluntary procedure in which owners submit offers (Arts. 31–32).
If the forest is co-owned, though, the general rule in Art. 33 of the Property Act applies: a co-owner must first offer their share to the others on the same terms. If that step is skipped, any co-owner may buy the share out within 2 months of the sale. We cover co-ownership in detail in our guide to co-owned and inherited property.
This surprises almost everyone. Access to forest land is free (Art. 144), and fencing is prohibited unless a statutory or administrative act provides for it (Art. 145). The fine is BGN 100–1,000 (≈ €51–511) for individuals, and the fence is removed at the expense of whoever put it up (Art. 264).
In other words, you buy ownership, not privacy. People, wildlife and water must be able to pass.
Without a change of designation, only a narrow list of structures may be built in a forest under Art. 54 — forest roads, shelters, forest and hunting lodges, visitor centres and the like. The Act expressly requires them to have no rooms for permanent or temporary residence (Art. 54(1)(3)), and most are allowed only if the forest management plan provides for them.
A holiday home or any dwelling requires a change of designation (Arts. 73–79). This is possible only for listed purposes — for example new or extended settlement boundaries, or separate regulated plots, where there is an approved general development plan (ОУП). A committee at the regional forest directorate decides for plots up to 50 decares; larger plots go to a committee at the Executive Forest Agency (Art. 74). A price set by ordinance and compensatory afforestation are payable. After a fire, a change of designation is banned for 20 years, with narrow exceptions.
The practical takeaway: if you are buying forest thinking "we'll put a cabin on it later", check the municipality's general plan first. If it allows nothing, pay a forest price, not a building-plot price.
If the forest was acquired from the state through an exchange made before 8 March 2011, it cannot change designation and cannot be built on — and the restriction passes to every later owner (§ 3 of the Act's transitional provisions). Trace the title back: earlier notary deeds and the previous owners' documents will show whether such an exchange sits in the property's history.
Owning a forest does not mean you can cut trees whenever you like.
If a seller presents the forest as "ready for felling", ask for the plan or programme and check what it actually permits over the coming years.
Where the land area contains protected territories, the seller gives a written declaration of whether the plot lies in one, and the buyer declares awareness of its regime. After the purchase you must notify the regional environment inspectorate (РИОСВ) within 14 days (Art. 12, Protected Areas Act). Felling in protected territories and zones follows their designation orders and management plans (Art. 101(2), Forest Act). Such a regime can restrict use considerably — check it before the deal, not after.
If you cannot locate the plot on the ground, hire a surveyor to set out the boundaries — in forest this is needed far more often than with fields.
If you are weighing forest against farmland as a holding, see also our farmland guide — farmland earns lease income, while forest returns are slow and depend on the felling plan.
Forest is an investment for the patient. It carries no annual property tax and, after five years, sells free of income tax — but it cannot be fenced, cannot be built on without a demanding procedure, and must be managed under a plan with a licensed forester. Before you pay, trace the title, read the management plan, check protected-area status and see what the general development plan allows.
If you are considering a forest plot or a holiday property around Sofia, give us a call or drop by our office — we will go through the documents with you and tell you exactly what you are buying.
