Selling an inherited apartment, signing a partition agreement, filing a court claim, collecting documents from a municipality — almost every legal step in Bulgaria can be taken by a representative. For people who live abroad, a properly prepared power of attorney is what makes it possible to handle a Bulgarian matter without a single trip. Prepared badly, it is also the most common reason transactions are postponed at the notary’s desk. This guide explains how to get it right the first time.

What a power of attorney is under Bulgarian law

A power of attorney (palnomoshtno) is a unilateral declaration by which one person — the principal — authorises another — the attorney or agent — to perform legal acts in the principal’s name. Acts carried out within the limits of the authority bind the principal directly, as if performed in person. The rules are found in the Obligations and Contracts Act; for representation before the courts, the Civil Procedure Code adds its own.

The form depends on the purpose

Bulgarian law follows a simple principle: the power of attorney must be in the form required for the act it authorises.

• Representation before a court. A written power of attorney in favour of an attorney-at-law is sufficient; notarisation is not required by law. Certain steps, however, need express authorisation in the text: concluding a settlement, withdrawing or reducing a claim, admitting the other party’s claims, receiving money, and — importantly — any action in matrimonial proceedings.
• Dealings with administrative bodies, banks and utilities. A notarised signature is normally required. Banks in particular have strict internal rules and often insist on specific wording, so their requirements should be checked in advance.
• Transactions with real estate. For a sale, purchase, donation, mortgage or partition — acts that themselves require notarial form — the power of attorney must bear a notarial certification of both the signature and the content, performed at the same time. A power of attorney on which only the signature is certified is not sufficient for a property transaction.

Signing abroad: two routes

Route 1: At a Bulgarian embassy or consulate

Bulgarian consular officers are empowered to perform notarial certifications, including the simultaneous certification of signature and content. A power of attorney drafted in Bulgarian and certified at a consulate is treated in Bulgaria exactly like one certified by a Bulgarian notary: it needs no apostille and no translation. For real estate transactions this is the cleanest solution. The practical drawbacks are that an appointment is usually required and the nearest consulate may be far away.

Route 2: Before a local notary, with an apostille

The alternative is to sign before a notary in the country where you live. The document then needs:

• an apostille from the competent authority of that country, if it is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention (all EU states, the United Kingdom, the United States and most others are);
• for countries outside the Convention, consular legalisation;
• a certified translation into Bulgarian, made in Bulgaria by a sworn translator, of both the document and the apostille.

Two points need care. First, in many jurisdictions a notary certifies only the signature, not the content, which may be insufficient for a Bulgarian property deal; the notarial wording should be agreed in advance with the Bulgarian notary who will handle the transaction. Second, preparing the text in a bilingual version — Bulgarian alongside the local language — avoids arguments about translation.

What a good power of attorney contains

Vague, “general” powers of attorney are the main source of trouble. Notaries, banks and courts interpret authority strictly, and anything not clearly covered will be refused. The document should state:

• The parties — full names exactly as in the identity documents, dates of birth, passport or identity card numbers, addresses; for Bulgarian citizens, the personal identification number.
• The specific acts authorised — to sell, buy, donate, partition, mortgage, let; to sign preliminary and final contracts; to sign the declarations required by tax and notarial law.
• The property — a full description with cadastral identifier and address, when the power relates to particular real estate.
• The commercial limits — a minimum sale price or maximum purchase price, and how the price is to be paid, including whether the agent may receive it and into which account.
• Dealing with oneself — whether the agent may contract with himself or herself, or with another person he or she also represents. Without the principal’s express consent this is not permitted.
• Sub-delegation — whether the agent may authorise someone else.
• Institutions — the right to represent you before the municipality, the tax administration, the Registry Agency, the cadastre, banks, utility companies and the courts, as needed.
• Duration — a term of validity, or a statement that it remains in force until revoked.

Limits: what cannot be done by proxy

Some acts are strictly personal. A will cannot be made through a representative, and marriage before a Bulgarian civil-status officer requires the personal presence of both parties. In divorce proceedings, as explained in our article on divorce, the law expects personal appearance at certain hearings, and representation is accepted only within the limits set by the Civil Procedure Code and court practice.

How long is a power of attorney valid?

Bulgarian law sets no general expiry date; a power of attorney is valid for the term stated in it or, if none is stated, until it is revoked or otherwise terminates. In practice, notaries and banks treat old documents with caution and may ask for confirmation that the authority is still in force. For an important transaction, a recent and specific power of attorney is always better than an old and general one.

A power of attorney ends automatically on the death of the principal or the agent, or if either is placed under guardianship. A transaction concluded after the principal’s death is exposed to challenge — heirs sometimes discover this the hard way.

Revoking a power of attorney

The principal may revoke a power of attorney at any time, and cannot validly give up that right in advance. To be effective in practice, the revocation must reach the people concerned:

• notify the agent in writing and ask for the original to be returned;
• notify the notary, bank or other third parties with whom the agent was dealing;
• have the revocation notarially certified, so that it is recorded in the notaries’ electronic register of powers of attorney, which Bulgarian notaries consult before real estate transactions.

A third party who, in good faith, did not know of the revocation is protected, which is why notification matters as much as the revocation itself.

Protecting yourself from misuse

• Authorise a person you have real reason to trust — ideally a professional bound by duties of confidentiality and accountability, such as your attorney.
• Limit the authority to the specific transaction and property.
• State a minimum price and require payment to an account in your own name.
• Exclude self-dealing and sub-delegation unless there is a concrete need.
• Set an expiry date.

A practical sequence

For a client abroad, the smooth way to proceed is: first, your lawyer in Bulgaria drafts the text for the concrete purpose and, for property transactions, clears it with the notary; second, you sign it at the consulate or before a local notary and obtain the apostille; third, you send the original by courier; fourth, it is translated and used in Bulgaria. Done in this order, the document works the first time — and you stay at home.

Last reviewed: November 2026. This article provides general information about Bulgarian law and is not legal advice. Every case depends on its own facts and documents.

Need advice on a specific situation? Contact Rositsa Astakova, Attorney-at-Law in Sofia — consultations are available in English, Spanish and Bulgarian, in person or remotely.