When you buy property in Bulgaria, the transaction is recorded in a notarial deed (нотариален акт). It is the document you will keep in your most important folder for decades — yet most owners hear it only once, read aloud by the notary on the day of the deal. If you are buying, read the seller's deed carefully before you pay a deposit. If you already own, look at yours. Here is how it is structured and what to watch for.
The law requires the draft deed to be prepared in two or more identical copies (Art. 578(1) of the Civil Procedure Code, ГПК). After it is issued and registered, one copy is filed in a special book kept by the notary, and the others — charged as copies — are handed to the parties (Art. 581 ГПК). The Registry Agency requires at least three copies: one for the Registry Office's book, one for the notarial file and one for the party.
In other words, the document you hold is an official copy, but the "archive" copies sit with the notary and at the Registry Office. A lost deed does not mean lost ownership — a certified copy can be obtained (see below).
Under Art. 580 ГПК, a notarial deed contains:
What to check: names and ЕГН numbers match the ID cards; if anyone acted through an attorney, the power of attorney is identified (number, date, notary). For a company: its name, company number (ЕИК) and who represented it.
This is the most important part — and the one most often skimmed. Where the area has an approved cadastral map, the property is described with the data listed in Art. 60, items 1–7 of the Cadastre and Property Register Act (ЗКИР):
| Data | What to look at |
|---|---|
| Identifier | A unique cadastral number starting with the code of the settlement in the national classifier (ЕКАТТЕ) (Art. 26 ЗКИР). It links the cadastre to the property register (Art. 6 ЗКИР). |
| Type | Land plot, building, or self-contained unit in a building. |
| Address | Must match reality — including entrance, floor and flat number. |
| Boundaries / neighbours | The identifiers of the neighbouring plots or units — above, below and beside yours. |
| Area | In square metres. Compare it with the listing and the cadastral sketch. |
| Use | Dwelling, atelier, office, garage and so on. |
| Number of floors | Of the building. |
Older deeds describe the property differently — by block and plot (УПИ) under the regulation plan, with boundaries "to the north… to the south…". That is not a problem in itself, but it makes the cadastre check even more important.
For a flat, the description usually contains a phrase like "together with …% undivided shares of the common parts of the building and of the right to build on the plot" (or "…of the plot").
Figures in the deed that relate to the substance of the transaction are written in words as well (Art. 578(3) ГПК). Check the price in both forms.
The deed usually also records how the price is paid — in full before signing, by bank transfer, with a mortgage loan, or partly later. If the deed says the price has been paid in full while part of it is still outstanding (or the reverse, if you are selling), stop and talk to the notary.
In the deed or its annexes you will see declarations by the parties. The most common:
The parties sign these declarations and false statements have consequences. Read them before you sign, not after.
The notary must verify that the seller is the owner (Art. 586(1) ГПК) and list in the deed the documents used for that check (Art. 586(3) ГПК). Those lines tell you where the ownership comes from — an earlier contract, an inheritance, a partition, a declaratory deed. If the seller's own title document is not registered, the notary will not issue the new deed until it is (Art. 586(4) ГПК).
The deed may also mention encumbrances — a mortgage, a reserved right of use, an easement. But it shows the picture on the day of the deal. The current position is checked in the property register — we explain how in Legal checks before buying a property in Bulgaria.
Property transactions are registered (Art. 112 ЗС). Until it is registered, a deed cannot be relied on against third parties who earlier acquired rights from the same owner and registered them (Art. 113 ЗС). That is why the Registry Office stamp matters so much.
On a registered deed you will see:
| Data | What it means |
|---|---|
| Incoming register no. (вх. рег. №) and date | The number under which the application was entered in the Registry Office's incoming register. Registration takes place immediately after that entry. |
| Act no. (акт №) | The deed's sequence number in the book. |
| Volume (том) | The volume of the book in which your copy is filed. |
| Year | The year of registration. |
Together — act number, volume, incoming register number and year — these form the "signature" of the registration. They are used to find the deed in the archive, to request a copy and to cancel a mortgage. Write them down separately.
Do not confuse them with the notary's own numbering in the deed's heading, which refers to the notary's book, not the register.
Most deeds record a transaction — a sale, gift or exchange. A declaratory notarial deed (констативен нотариален акт) is different: it recognises ownership that already exists.
For a buyer, a declaratory deed based on a circumstantial check calls for extra care: the seller's title rests on witness statements, and a third party claiming ownership can challenge the deed in court (Art. 537(2) ГПК). Ask what the deed was based on and how long ago it was issued. The changes being discussed for this procedure as part of the anti-fraud measures are covered in our article on the draft property-fraud package.
The last step is to put the deed next to an up-to-date cadastral sketch (for a plot) or scheme (for a unit in a building) and compare:
A mismatch does not necessarily mean the deed is wrong — the cadastral map may be. How it is corrected and when a court is needed: An error in the cadastral map. What matters is to find it before the deal, not after.
Certified copies from the Registry Office are issued only to the parties to the deed, their successors (for example heirs) or their legal or authorised representatives. The application is in writing, identity is verified in person, and the certified copy is ready the next working day. The certification fee is €1.53 for the first page and €1.02 for each further page (indicative, verified October 2026).
A Council of Ministers decree of November 2025 narrowed third-party access to the content of registered deeds: an outsider without a legal interest can no longer obtain a copy of your deed. Owners can subscribe to the Registry Agency's electronic notification service, which alerts them when someone searches or requests a copy relating to their property.
This is general information, not legal advice on a specific case. If in doubt, ask a notary or a lawyer before you sign.
If you would like someone to go through the deed of the property you are considering, call us or visit our office. We will show you which lines to stop at and what to ask.
