Sale of Property in Bulgaria through a Proxy
August 20, 2025
The sale of property in Bulgaria is a legal transaction that requires prior preparation by the seller. The possibility for the seller to authorize another person (most often a lawyer) to represent them before a notary is a significant relief for people living abroad — foreign citizens or Bulgarians residing abroad. Selling property in Bulgaria through a power of attorney is legal and often saves the seller considerable expenses.
In our practice over the past 20 years as lawyers, hundreds of property owners have approached us with this request: I want to sell my property in Bulgaria without traveling to the country. For some, the obstacles are due to lack of time; others live too far away, and the travel expenses are significant (residents of the USA, Canada, China, Japan, Korea); others have difficulties traveling to Bulgaria (residents of Russia, Ukraine, Israel).
The usual time for preparing documents for the sale of real estate in Bulgaria is between 2 and 3 months. The sale can be carried out entirely remotely — with a power of attorney — without the owner having to travel to the country at all.
TAXES
The property owner must check whether the property taxes have been paid. Too often, we find that a person has purchased the property and acquired ownership, but no declaration under Article 14 of the Local Taxes and Fees Act has been submitted for the property. It is not uncommon for foreign owners not to have BULSTAT registration as the owner of real estate in Bulgaria. However, when selling real estate in Bulgaria, it is mandatory that the seller has no obligations to the budget, including that the property taxes are fully paid. The certificate of tax valuation must confirm that there are no outstanding obligations for the property.
OWNERSHIP
Before the final notarization of the sale before a notary through a notarial deed, it is customary for the buyer and seller to sign a preliminary contract. This contract stipulates the essential terms of the transaction, the deadlines for its conclusion, and the methods of payment for the sale price.
At this stage — before signing the preliminary contract — the seller must ensure that they are the sole owner of the property being sold. The property must be free of encumbrances — registered claims, seizures, mortgages, or lease agreements. Sometimes, only shortly before notarization, the seller discovers that there are unpaid obligations to the state treasury of which they were unaware. These obligations can derail a long-prepared transaction, as they must be settled. Their payment must also be reflected in the relevant systems, which takes time.
THE POWER OF ATTORNEY
The notarization of the real estate sale transaction in Bulgaria is carried out in the presence of the parties. The parties attend in person or, exceptionally, are represented by expressly authorized persons. Powers of attorney for the sale of property are certified under a special procedure — in two copies, with certification of both signature and content. They must be accompanied by declarations of no outstanding obligations under Article 264 of the Tax and Social Security Procedure Code, a declaration of marital status under Article 25(8) of the Notaries and Notarial Practice Act, as well as under the Measures Against Money Laundering Act.
OTHER DOCUMENTS FOR THE TRANSACTION
Each transaction before a notary has its specifics, depending on the type of property being sold. In addition to the mandatory sketches and diagrams from the Geodesy, Cartography, and Cadastre Agency (GCCA), depending on the legal status of the seller, the notary may require documents such as:
- Certificate of heirs;
- Certificate of matrimonial property regime;
- Certificate of family status;
- For newly constructed properties — occupancy permit, certificate of commissioning, floor area calculation table, approved architectural designs;
- Certified court decisions for partition or other judicial proceedings.
The above-mentioned documents must be prepared in advance and presented to the notary in original on the day of the transaction. Copies must be submitted at least a week beforehand so that the notary can conduct a preliminary review and, if necessary, request additional documents. For this reason, the power of attorney by which the seller authorizes a trusted person to represent them in the transaction must also include authorization to obtain documents — both copies and originals.
A document without which the transaction cannot be notarized is the seller’s title deed. This document must be presented in original and, in practice, is handed over to the new owner. This title deed is part of the property’s history and is passed to each subsequent acquirer in future transactions.
MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS IN CONDOMINIUMS
More and more properties today are subject to management and maintenance agreements — they are located in gated complexes. These complexes have adopted internal regulations and management agreements that must also be binding on the new owner. The clauses of the notarial deed of the first owner often provide that, in each subsequent notarial deed, the new owner must also be bound. These details are important, and failure to comply with them entails significant penalties. A competent proxy for the transaction must ensure that these clauses are included in the notarial deed of sale.
If you require legal assistance for selling property in Bulgaria, you can send us an inquiry at: office@lexsofia.com or our contact form.
We have over 20 years of experience in sales of property in Bulgaria both in Sofia and throughout the country, including: Borovets, Bansko, Banya, Razlog, s. Banya, Plovdiv, Burgas, Varna, Chepelare, Pamporovo, Sozopol, Chernomorets, Sunny Beach, Nessebar, Ravda, Pomorie, Aheloy, Obzor.
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