In short
Most of the documents for a property purchase are provided by the seller – ownership, cadastre, tax assessment, marital status. From the buyer the notary requires an ID and 2 declarations. If you buy with a mortgage, the bank adds 4 more requirements: a valuation by a licensed valuer, a preliminary contract, insurance and a registered mortgage.
The most common mistake is not a missing document but an expired one: the tax assessment certificate is valid only until 30 June or 31 December, and the bank does not pay until it has everything.
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Message us on WhatsAppFour parties take part in a transaction, and each is responsible for its own documents. If you know who provides what, the deal is not postponed because of a "forgotten" certificate.
| Party | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Seller | Title deed and previous deeds, cadastral scheme or sketch, tax assessment, marital status certificates, where needed – certificate of heirs and construction documents. |
| Buyer | ID card or passport, declaration of citizenship and marital status (Art. 25(8) Notaries Act), declaration of origin of funds (Art. 66(2) Anti-Money Laundering Act). |
| Bank (with a mortgage) | Property valuation, loan approval, draft mortgage agreement, insurance requirements. |
| Notary | Checks the identity and rights of the parties, runs an electronic check with the National Revenue Agency (NAP) for the seller's debts, drafts and registers the notary deed. |
These documents are needed in almost every transaction – whether you pay with your own funds or with a mortgage.
| Document | Issued by | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Title document | Notary / Registry Office | Notary deed, municipal sale contract, court decision, partition, etc. Ask for the previous deeds too, so you can trace the chain of ownership. |
| Scheme of the unit / sketch of the plot | Cadastre Agency (AGKK) | Must be up to date. If the description in the deed differs from the scheme, an explicit note of identity is required. |
| Tax assessment certificate | Municipality where the property is located | Issued before 30 June – valid until 30 June; after that – until the end of the year. Also shows any unpaid local taxes. |
| Marital status certificate | Municipality (civil registry) | What matters is the marital status on the date of acquisition: if the seller was married, the property may be marital property and the spouse must also sign. |
| Declaration under Art. 26 of the Family Code | The seller's spouse | Required when the property is personal property but serves as the family home. |
| Certificate of encumbrances | Registry Agency | Shows mortgages, attachments, lawsuits. Usually ordered by the buyer or the agency – covering at least 10 years back. |
Debts to the tax authority are no longer proven with a declaration from the seller. Since 3 May 2024 the notary checks electronically whether the seller has unpaid public debts. If there are any, they can be paid from the purchase price – the buyer transfers the amount directly to the NAP account.
| Situation | What is added |
|---|---|
| New build (completed) | Building permit, approved architectural designs, Act 16 and occupancy permit or certificate of commissioning, table of areas and shares. |
| Building under construction | Notary deed for the right to build or for the land, building permit, approved designs, protocol of the level reached; at shell stage (Act 14) – an official protocol under Art. 181(2) of the Spatial Planning Act, which allows the individual unit to be sold. |
| House with a garden | Sketch of the plot and scheme of the building, documents proving the building is legal (building permit, designs, occupancy permit or tolerance certificate), where needed – a municipal certificate that there are no restitution claims. |
| Inherited property | Certificate of heirs for each deceased owner, a check for wills at the Registry Office, an extract of the death certificate if needed. All heirs or their attorneys must sign. |
| The seller is a company | Current status from the Commercial Register, a decision of the owner or general meeting to sell the specific unit, proof of the signatory's authority. |
| The seller lives abroad | Power of attorney with notarised signature and content – at a Bulgarian consulate or a foreign notary with an apostille and a legalised translation. |
| Step | What happens and which documents |
|---|---|
| 1. Legal check | Review of the seller's core package and the certificate of encumbrances – before you pay anything. |
| 2. Deposit and preliminary contract | The contract sets the price, deadlines, who provides which documents and what happens to the deposit if the deal falls through. |
| 3. Preparing for the notary | The seller renews the tax assessment and certificates; the buyer prepares the two declarations. |
| 4. Notary transaction | Signing of the notary deed and payment. Payments of EUR 5,112.92 (BGN 10,000 at the fixed rate) or more must be made by bank transfer only. We recommend paying the whole price by bank – this gives you proof of payment. |
| 5. After the deal | Declaring the property with the municipality, transferring the electricity, water and other accounts. A foreigner without a Bulgarian personal number registers in the BULSTAT register within 7 days of acquisition. |
The bank adds its own requirements and its own sequence to the core package. Usually the buyer pays the deposit from own funds, and the rest is transferred by the bank after the mortgage is registered.
| Step | What happens and which documents |
|---|---|
| 1. Pre-approval | The bank checks your income and tells you how much it can lend – before you look for a property or at least before the deposit. |
| 2. Preliminary contract with a loan clause | The contract must state what happens if the bank refuses the loan – a deadline for approval and return of the deposit. The bank requires a copy. |
| 3. Valuation | Made by a licensed valuer from the bank's list. The bank lends a percentage of the lower value – the price or the valuation. |
| 4. Property documents to the bank | The seller's core package, certificates of encumbrances (for a building under 10 years old – also for the history of the building and the land), for inherited property – certificates of heirs. |
| 5. Insurance | Property insurance in favour of the bank – against fire, flood, earthquake and other risks. |
| 6. Notary transaction | Purchase and creation of a contractual mortgage in favour of the bank. The bank transfers the balance to the seller after the mortgage is registered – usually within a few working days. |
Notary fees and mortgage registration fees are an extra cost on top of the purchase – see notary fees in Bulgaria.
EU and EEA citizens buy property, including land, on the same terms as Bulgarians. Citizens of non-EU countries can buy an apartment or a building, but not land as private individuals – which is why a house with a garden is often bought through a Bulgarian company. The notary requires a passport and a certified translator if the buyer does not speak Bulgarian. After the deal, a foreigner without a Bulgarian personal number applies for the BULSTAT register within 7 days.
Quick reference: how long a document is valid
Until 30 June if issued in the first half of the year; until 31 December if issued in the second. It takes up to 2 weeks to issue, so order it in time.
Notaries and banks usually accept certificates issued or certified within the last 6 months.
Valid as long as circumstances do not change, but notaries prefer recent ones. If they differ from the deed – ask for a note of identity.
Reflects the situation on the date of issue. Order it close to the deal and for as long a period back as possible.
Banks usually accept it for a limited period – check with your bank if the deal is delayed.
3 things that make a purchase more expensive
1. A deposit without a loan clause. If the bank refuses the loan and the contract has no condition for this, you risk losing the deposit.
2. A valuation below the agreed price. The bank lends a percentage of the lower value – the difference comes from your own funds.
3. Expired certificates on the day of the deal. The tax assessment expires on 30 June and 31 December – a deal scheduled for 1 July is postponed, and the bank's approval may expire in the meantime.
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Request a document checkWe collect the documents from the seller under a power of attorney, check the chain of ownership and encumbrances before you pay a deposit, and prepare a preliminary contract with the necessary clauses – including a loan clause. If you buy with a mortgage, we connect you with our partner credit consultant, who selects the bank and keeps track of deadlines. We also watch the validity of all certificates so the deal is not postponed at the last minute.
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Message us on WhatsApp Call: +359 876 111 535Sources: Obligations and Contracts Act; Notaries and Notarial Activity Act; Tax and Social Insurance Procedure Code – Art. 264 and NAP e-service for notaries since 03.05.2024; Local Taxes and Fees Act, Annex 2 (tax assessment); Spatial Planning Act, Art. 181; BULSTAT Register Act, Art. 3 and Art. 12; Cash Payments Limitation Act; Anti-Money Laundering Measures Act, Art. 66; Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, Art. 22.
This article is for information only and reflects legislation as of 15.10.2026. Requirements of a specific bank or notary may differ. It is not legal advice on a specific case.
