How does buying property in Bulgaria work?

The purchase follows clear steps. First a written preliminary contract (предварителен договор) setting out the property, price and deadlines, usually with a freely negotiated deposit; it creates a claim but does not yet transfer ownership. Before signing come the title and encumbrance checks: the key document is the encumbrance certificate (удостоверение за тежести) from the property register, dated to the day, together with the cadastral sketch (скица) and the tax-valuation certificate (данъчна оценка). Note: the notary checks encumbrances only on explicit request, so the certificate must be obtained actively. Ownership passes only with the notarial deed (нотариален акт); the notary where the property is located executes the deed, fulfils anti-money-laundering checks and arranges entry in the property register (Имотен регистър). If a party does not speak Bulgarian, an interpreter is mandatory (Art. 582 Code of Civil Procedure), otherwise the deed is void. EU and non-EU citizens may buy apartments and houses directly (Art. 29 Property Act); non-EU buyers usually hold building land through a Bulgarian company (OOD). Incidental costs: municipal transfer tax 0.1–3% by municipality (on the higher of price and tax value), the statutory notary fee and the 0.1% registration fee; around 3–6% in total.