Yes. Citizens of any country can buy an apartment — no residence permit, no Bulgarian company and no special permission needed.

01. All you need is your passport. The notary arranges your Bulgarian ID number for foreigners at the signing itself.

02. The only restriction is on land. Non-EU citizens cannot own land in their own name, so a house with a plot is usually bought through a Bulgarian company.

03. EU citizens can buy a house with land directly, in their own name.

Yes. Come for a viewing or handle everything remotely — it’s your call.

01. We view the apartment for you. A live video call, footage of the complex and grounds, and answers to your questions during the viewing.

02. We reserve the apartment. The reservation agreement is signed remotely, and the deposit is sent by bank transfer. The apartment is taken off the market.

03. Power of attorney. To avoid travelling for completion, you can sign a power of attorney — for a Bulgarian lawyer or someone you trust, including your agent. You choose who.

04. Payment. You can’t open a Bulgarian bank account remotely, but you don’t always need one for the purchase. We go through the payment steps for your specific property before you pay a deposit.

05. Documents and keys. We courier the title deed and keys to you anywhere in the world.

You pay the developer directly in instalments. No bank loan is needed.

01. Deposit from 30%. Some developers start at 10% but bring it up to 35–40% within the first few months. We tell you this before you sign anything.

02. Up to 7 years, on a schedule set for you. Usually interest-free if the plan is paid off before construction is finished. If payments continue after the building is completed, interest usually applies. There is no single rule — every developer sets their own terms, and we give you the exact terms for each project.

03. You need a passport and the deposit. No credit checks or bank approval: it’s an agreement with the developer, not a loan. We go through the full list of documents before you pay a deposit.

04. Ownership passes to you after the final payment. How the transfer works and the terms during the plan are set out in your contract with the developer.

It’s the permit that certifies a building as fit for use. Without it, the apartment is legally still a construction site.

01. Issued by the DNSK — Bulgaria’s national building control authority.

02. Without Act 16 you can’t open your own electricity and water accounts, register your address there or legally let the apartment to holidaymakers.

03. Act 15 is not the same thing. It means the building is finished; Act 16 means people can live in it.

04. We check Act 16 before you pay a deposit.

Not on its own. But owning an apartment helps on the way to a residence permit.

01. A standard purchase doesn’t grant residency. A studio or apartment by the sea is not grounds for a residence permit.

02. Residency through property starts at €307,000 (BGN 600,000). It’s granted for one year and renewed annually; a loan can cover no more than 25% of the amount.

03. Permanent residency can’t be bought, whatever the amount. The usual route is 5 years of legal residence in Bulgaria.

04. How the apartment helps. A registered address and a title deed are solid proof of accommodation when you apply for a long-stay visa and a residence permit.

Three bills a year — and none of them comes as a surprise after you buy.

01. Property tax and rubbish collection. One annual bill from the local municipality, paid in two equal instalments: by 30 June and by 31 October. Pay the full amount by 30 April and you get 5% off. It’s based not on the purchase price but on the official tax valuation, which is noticeably lower. We show you the exact amount from the bill before you buy.

02. The complex maintenance fee. The one cost that varies from place to place. Some complexes have no management company, and neighbours chip in €100–150 a year to look after the grounds. Complexes with a pool, security and reception charge €11–22 per square metre a year. For a studio, that can be anything from €120 to €1,000. We tell you the exact figure for each complex before you buy.

03. Electricity and water — metered. In south-eastern Bulgaria, electricity is supplied by EVN. From July 2026 it costs about €0.15 per kWh during the day and €0.09 at night — around 40% cheaper. Water in the Burgas region is €2.71 per cubic metre. If the apartment stands empty over the winter, the bills are close to zero.