Legal and Financial Guide for Foreign Buyers

Apartments, houses inside a city's regulated zoning plan, garages and holiday homes can be purchased directly in your own name, regardless of citizenship. There is no difference between an EU citizen and a non-EU citizen for this type of property.

Agricultural and forest land, as well as yards around houses, follow a separate regime. EU citizens can usually acquire them directly, while non-EU citizens generally cannot own them personally. The most common practical route is setting up a Bulgarian company to hold the property. The right structure depends on your citizenship and purpose, which is exactly why this deserves a real consultation rather than a guess.

A common misconception among buyers: the EGN is only for Bulgarian citizens. A foreign national who holds neither an EGN nor a personal number for foreigners, but owns property in Bulgaria, is entered in the BULSTAT register and receives an identification number from it. The basis is explicit: Art. 3(1)(10)(b) of the BULSTAT Register Act. In other words, buying does not by itself grant a personal number for foreigners; it triggers a separate registration. It is normally arranged as part of the process by the lawyer or notary, with no separate trip required.

Deposit, preliminary contract, notary deed, registration with the Registry Agency. On paper it sounds simple. In practice each step is a point where an undisclosed lien on the property, a poorly drafted contract or a skipped title check can become expensive, especially when the buyer is not on site or is not fluent in Bulgarian paperwork.

The local property transfer tax varies by municipality between 1% and 3% in Bulgaria. Both Varna and Burgas sit at the maximum 3% rate, calculated on the higher of the sale price or the official tax valuation.

With a mortgage, costs rise further: property valuation, bank arrangement fee, mortgage registration, insurance. The exact figure depends on the specific property and bank, not on a general rule.

The tax due on a future sale is a separate topic, already covered in depth on our blog (in Bulgarian): Кога плащаш данък при продажба на имот, и кога не. In short, a 10% tax on the profit, or zero under certain holding-period conditions.