This course explains the law of Bulgaria, not US law. Rules that look the same elsewhere may be different.
Course · Law by country · Bulgaria
Bulgarian Law
The law of Bulgaria for the people who deal with it: a civil-law system with no single civil code, the Constitution of 1991, a parliamentary republic and a unitary state, a judiciary that includes the prosecution service, the notarial deed and the registers, and a legal order shaped by membership of the European Union, with the Schengen area and the euro.
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Bulgaria is a civil-law country in south-eastern Europe with a long legal history, from medieval Bulgarian traditions and the Tarnovo Constitution of 1879 to the Constitution of 1991 that rebuilt the state after the socialist period. Unlike many continental systems, it has no single civil code: private law is spread across several statutes, such as the Law on Obligations and Contracts, the Property Act, the Family Code, the Inheritance Act and the Commercial Act. Its judiciary has three levels of ordinary courts, a Supreme Court of Cassation, a separate system of administrative courts, and a prosecution service that is part of the judiciary. Since 2007 it has been a member of the European Union, and it has since joined the Schengen area and the euro area, so EU law runs through almost every field. This course gives a complete first map for the people who deal with Bulgarian law, from the point of view of the foreigner and the Bulgarian reader. It starts with the history, the sources and the legal order; then the Constitution and state power; then the territorial organisation, local government and foreigners; then the courts, the prosecution service and the legal professions; then rights, the Constitutional Court and administrative law; then contract, property, family and succession; then business, employment and tax; and finally criminal justice and European and international law. It uses invented people and businesses, and three working tools.
The Curriculum
Foundations of Bulgarian law: medieval and Ottoman legal traditions, the Liberation and the Tarnovo Constitution, the socialist period, the Constitution of 1991, the sources and hierarchy of law, the absence of a single civil code, and the place of EU and international law→
History from the medieval state to the Constitution of 1991, the sources and hierarchy of law, the civil-law tradition without a single civil code, and EU and international law. Practice: Which Source?, What Ranks First? and Spot the Mistake.
The Constitution and state power: the parliamentary republic, the National Assembly, the President, the Council of Ministers, how a law is made, and elections→
The Constitution of 1991, the National Assembly, the President, the Council of Ministers, the legislative process and elections. Practice: Who Does What?, Apply the Rule and Spot the Mistake.
Territorial organisation, local government and foreigners: the unitary state, municipalities, regional governors, Bulgarian citizenship, and the entry, residence and work of foreign nationals→
The unitary state, municipalities, regional governors, citizenship and foreigners. Practice: Which Level?, What Applies Here? and Spot the Mistake.
Courts, prosecution and the legal professions: the court hierarchy, the Supreme Court of Cassation, administrative justice, the prosecution service, judicial governance and the legal professions→
The court system, the two supreme courts, the prosecution service, judicial governance and the legal professions. Practice: Which Court?, Who May Act? and Spot the Mistake.
Rights, the Constitutional Court and administrative law: fundamental rights, who may go to the Constitutional Court, administrative acts and their challenge, transparency, data protection and state liability→
Constitutional rights, the Constitutional Court, administrative law, transparency and state liability. Practice: Which Remedy?, What Would You Do? and Spot the Mistake.
Contract, property, family and succession: the Law on Obligations and Contracts, remedies and liability, the notarial deed and the registers, foreigners and land, marriage and divorce, wills and inheritance, and civil procedure→
Contracts and remedies, property and the registers, foreigners and land, family law, succession and civil procedure. Practice: Which Rule?, What Is the Risk? and Spot the Mistake.
Business, employment and tax: the Commercial Act, companies and the Commercial Register, insolvency, the Labour Code, social security, taxes, consumer protection and competition→
Companies and registration, insolvency, employment and social security, tax, consumer and competition law. Practice: Which Body?, What Should They Do? and Spot the Mistake.
Criminal justice and European and international law: the Criminal Code and procedure, intellectual property, the environment, EU law in Bulgaria, and human rights and cross-border cooperation→
The Criminal Code and procedure, intellectual property and digital law, the environment, EU law and human rights. Practice: Which Stage?, What Applies Here? and Spot the Mistake.
Capstone: Capstone: Tom Verhoeven and the Plovdiv software studio→
A software studio in Plovdiv, an EU citizen’s residence, a company form, a flat bought on a private paper, a dismissal, and a marriage and a will. Choose the route, the form, the forum and the remedy.
What It Covers
“You will be able to say, for any problem you may have in Bulgaria, which rule applies (including whether the Constitution, an EU rule, a statute or a municipal act governs it), which court or authority decides it, which time limit runs and which professional you need.”
- Written for the foreigner and for the Bulgarian reader, and honest about Bulgaria’s distinctive order: it explains why private law has no single civil code, why the prosecution service sits inside the judiciary, and how the European Union and the European Convention shape domestic law.
- Teaches the structure behind the rules, so that a student who knows how the Constitution, EU law, the statutes, the two supreme courts and the registers fit together can read any new rule and compare Bulgarian law with other civil-law and EU systems.
- Three tools with invented facts: a Residence Status Finder that treats EU citizens and non-EU nationals differently, an Entity Chooser and a Court and Forum Finder, each showing how the answer changes when a fact does, including the notarial deed and the short time limits.
- Honest about limits: the judicial reform has been contested, with constitutional amendments of 2023 largely struck down in 2024 and further legislative changes in 2026, the euro was adopted in 2026, and the rules on foreign ownership of land and on residence change, so the course teaches the structure and flags where to check the consolidated text. It states no changing figures and is general education, not advice.
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Common questions
- Does Bulgaria have a civil code?
- Not a single one. Private law is found in several statutes, such as the Law on Obligations and Contracts, the Property Act, the Family Code, the Inheritance Act and the Commercial Act, which must be read together. The course explains how they fit.
- Can a foreigner buy property in Bulgaria?
- Yes for buildings and apartments, but a sale of real estate needs a notarial deed and an entry in the Property Register, and non-EU nationals generally cannot own land directly. EU citizens have wider rights, and the rules change, so the course explains the checks to make.
- Does an EU citizen need a work permit in Bulgaria?
- No. Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland may live and work in Bulgaria under free movement, but they should register their residence. Non-EU nationals need the right visa and work authorisation.
- Is it for people who want to practise Bulgarian law?
- No. It is a first course for the people who deal with Bulgarian law. Only a registered Bulgarian advocate can advise on Bulgarian law in the usual way and act in the courts, and the course says when you need one.
- Are the tools real data?
- No. The tools apply well-known rules in simplified form to invented facts. They show the structure of the answer and cannot decide a case.
- Does it give the current rule on every point?
- It teaches the provisions that have lasted. The judicial reform, the rules on foreign ownership of land, immigration categories and tax rules are changing, so check the consolidated text for any real matter.
- How do I get the Certificate of Completion?
- Sign in, pass each module quiz and keep a course average of at least 75. The certificate is then issued and emailed to you automatically.
This course was written on 6 November 2026. To the best of our knowledge, it describes the law of Bulgaria as it stood on that date. Laws change, and we may have missed or misunderstood something. If you notice a change, or have other information, please do not hesitate to contact us: we will review it and update the course. We do not claim to be the final source of the law.
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