Corporate & Insolvency Law · Bulgaria
Liquidation lawyers in Bulgaria for an orderly company wind-up
Closing a Bulgarian company, defending a creditor claim or recovering money owed to your business takes a lawyer who works with these files continuously. Describe your situation and we match you with a Bulgarian attorney-at-law whose practice covers it.
- Attorneys-at-law entered in a Bulgarian Bar Association register
- Civil, commercial and cassation-stage experience
- Free, no-obligation matching, usually within 24–48 hours
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Why this page exists
Bulgarian company wind-ups need a Bulgarian practitioner
Closing a Bulgarian company — whether through a solvent wind-up, a creditors’ process or a court stage that follows — touches commercial law, tax, property registration and, frequently, litigation. The rules are national and procedural, and the periods within which claims must be brought are short enough that delay can extinguish a right altogether. That is why instructions of this kind are best placed with a Bulgarian attorney-at-law who handles them regularly. Liquidation lawyers in Bulgaria on our network advise directors, shareholders and creditors on the orderly unwinding of assets and liabilities, on recovering debts before they become time-barred, and on the court proceedings that a liquidation can trigger. Tell us what you are facing, in English, and we match you with a lawyer whose practice covers it — free of charge, usually within 24 to 48 hours.
Bulgaria in practice
How liquidation-related work is handled in Bulgaria
Bulgaria follows the continental civil-law tradition, with a Constitution of 1991, comprehensive codes and EU law taking precedence over conflicting national provisions. Company and insolvency matters sit largely within the Commercial Act, while procedure before the courts is governed by the Civil Procedure Code. The points below show how that framework shapes a liquidation file.
Who may act for you
Only a person who has taken the statutory oath and is entered in the register of a Bar Association (advokatska kolegia) may practise as an attorney-at-law in Bulgaria; the profession is reserved to attorneys-at-law and registered EU lawyers under Articles 2–3 of the Bar Act. The Supreme Bar Council, together with the local Bar Associations, keeps the single register of the profession.
Representation before the courts
In civil and commercial litigation, parties may in principle appear in person before the district (rayonen sad) and regional (okrazhen sad) courts. Representation by an attorney-at-law is mandatory in cassation proceedings before the Supreme Court of Cassation and in proceedings before the Supreme Administrative Court, so any liquidation dispute that reaches that level requires a Bulgarian attorney.
Where liquidation disputes are heard
Civil and commercial cases begin at first instance before the district courts (rayonen sad), while the regional (okrazhen sad) courts hear higher-value or graver first-instance matters and appeals from the district courts. Five appellate courts sit in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas and Veliko Tarnovo, and the Supreme Court of Cassation in Sofia, organised into civil, criminal and commercial chambers, is the supreme civil and criminal instance.
Creditor claims and limitation periods
Money claims are generally subject to a five-year limitation period, while wages, contractual damages and periodic payments are limited to three years; employment monetary claims follow the same three-year rule. A challenge to a spouse’s disposal of common immovable property must be brought within six months. Missing a period can extinguish a claim altogether, which is why recovery work should start early.
Costs and fee recovery
State court fees in civil proceedings follow the Schedule of state fees under the Civil Procedure Code: 4% of the value of a standard monetary claim, with a minimum of BGN 50, and 2% in order-for-payment proceedings. Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed between lawyer and client; the Supreme Bar Council publishes non-binding minimum reference amounts, and the losing party is generally ordered to reimburse the winner’s reasonable fees and costs.
Tax and property points that shape a wind-up
Bulgaria applies a flat 10% corporate income tax and a flat 10% personal income tax, with dividends taxed at 5%. Transfers or encumbrances of real property must be effected by a notarial deed before a notary competent for the location of the property and entered in the Property Register in order to be effective against third parties.
The country data on this page is drawn from official sources — Bulgarian public bodies, the European e-Justice Portal and the Ministry of Finance — and was reviewed in 2025.
- European e-Justice Portal — National justice systems: Bulgaria
- Bulgarian Bar Act — Ministry of Justice
- European e-Justice Portal — Time limits for procedures: Bulgaria
- European e-Justice Portal — Costs of proceedings: Bulgaria
- Ministry of Finance — Taxes in Bulgaria
- European e-Justice Portal — Land registers: Bulgaria
- Family Code — Ministry of Labour and Social Policy
Common problems
What clients bring to us on liquidation files
Most enquiries arrive at the point where an internal decision has already been taken and the procedural clock is running.
The clock, not the merits
A claim that would have succeeded can fail purely because the period for bringing it expired. Creditors of a company in wind-up often discover the position too late to act. 25-45 words
Directors caught between duties
Directors and shareholders of a Bulgarian company frequently face conflicting expectations from creditors, employees and counterparties at the same time, without a clear view of which step is procedurally available. 25-45 words
Cross-border distance
Foreign owners rarely sit in Sofia, and court language is Bulgarian. Instructions, documents and hearings have to be handled by someone physically present and qualified to appear. 25-45 words
How we help
From a first description to the right Bulgarian practice
You explain the commercial situation; we identify the practitioners whose daily work matches it.
Matching, not a directory
You describe the liquidation issue once. We compare it against the practices of Bulgarian attorneys-at-law and propose those whose work covers it.
Bulgarian-qualified practitioners
Every lawyer we propose is entered in a Bulgarian Bar Association register or is a registered EU lawyer entitled to practise in Bulgaria, as the Bar Act requires.
Comfortable in English
You can set out the facts in English. Court proceedings in Bulgaria are conducted in Bulgarian, and your lawyer handles that side of the file for you.
Free and without obligation
The matching service costs you nothing, and contacting us does not commit you to instructing anyone. You decide whether to proceed after speaking to the lawyer.
Also available in
Cross-border instructions near Bulgaria
Many liquidation files in Bulgaria involve assets, parent companies or creditors elsewhere. We also match clients in these jurisdictions.
Questions
Frequently asked questions about liquidation in Bulgaria
Do I need a Bulgarian-qualified lawyer for a liquidation matter?
In practice, yes. Only a person who has taken the statutory oath and is entered in the register of a Bulgarian Bar Association may practise as an attorney-at-law, alongside registered EU lawyers, under Articles 2–3 of the Bar Act. Representation by an attorney-at-law is also mandatory in cassation proceedings before the Supreme Court of Cassation and before the Supreme Administrative Court.
What do liquidation lawyers in Bulgaria cost?
Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed between lawyer and client; there is no binding official tariff, although the Supreme Bar Council publishes non-binding minimum reference amounts by type of work. Court fees are separate and set by the Schedule of state fees — for a standard monetary claim, 4% of the value of the claim, with a minimum of BGN 50. The losing party is generally ordered to reimburse the winner’s reasonable fees and costs.
How long do I have to pursue a debt in a Bulgarian liquidation?
The general limitation period for money claims is five years. Wages, contractual damages and periodic payments are limited to three years, and employment monetary claims follow the same three-year rule. Tort claims run for five years from discovery of the offender. Because periods are strict, recovery work should begin as soon as a debt looks doubtful.
Can a company be represented in person before Bulgarian courts?
In civil and commercial litigation, parties may in principle appear in person before the district courts (rayonen sad) and the regional courts (okrazhen sad). That changes at cassation level: representation by an attorney-at-law is mandatory before the Supreme Court of Cassation and before the Supreme Administrative Court, and administrative challenges to an act must be brought within 14 days.
Can I instruct a lawyer from abroad without travelling to Bulgaria?
You can. Most instructions are taken remotely, with documents exchanged electronically and the client setting out the position in English. Court proceedings themselves are conducted in Bulgarian, so your lawyer manages filings, correspondence and hearings locally. We will only ever put you in touch with a practitioner qualified to act in Bulgaria.
Where in Bulgaria can I be matched with a lawyer?
Our network covers practitioners across the country, including Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Ruse, Stara Zagora, Pleven, Dobrich, Sliven and Shumen. Which city matters depends on the court or authority handling the matter. Tell us the location involved and we look for lawyers whose practice is based there or regularly appears before that forum.
Next step
Describe your liquidation matter and get matched
Send us a short account of the situation — the company, the country involved and what you need to achieve — and we will propose Bulgarian attorneys-at-law whose practice covers it. The service is free, confidential and does not commit you to anything.