Bulgaria: Substantial changes for non-profit legal entities from 1 January 2018

New registration procedure

A new Register of Non-profit Legal Entities (the "Register") has been established. Non-profit legal entities will therefore no longer be registered with the district court of their seat, but in the Register maintained by the Registry Agency with the Minister of Justice. The Register is an electronic database, containing the relevant information about non-profit legal entities and the branches of foreign non-profit legal entities. Information such as name, seat and business address, the subject of the additional economic activity, the bodies, members of the management body, representatives and their positions, termination and deletion from the Register are subject to registration. Anyone will be able to verify the existence or absence of registered information or a declared act in the Register, and will be entitled to unrestricted and free access. A person requesting access electronically will need to identify himself with an electronic signature or a digital certificate issued by the Registry Agency.

Re-registration obligation

Non-profit legal entities already registered with the district courts will be required to submit a re-registration application to the Registry Agency by 31 December 2020. No state fee is due for the process. During the re-registration, non-profit legal entities and branches of foreign non-profit legal entities will be excluded from the BULSTAT register and the BULSTAT code will become the identification code for the Register. Together with the re-registration application, new information regarding the non-profit legal entity may be entered, deleted or disclosed in the Register.

Purpose of the changes
The registration of non-profit legal entities will be transferred to the Register to ensure the transparency and accountability of their activities and reduce the administrative burden.

Entry into force

The amendments regarding non-profit legal entities in the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act (State Gazette No. 74, 2016), the Trade Register and the Register of Non-Profit Legal Entities Act (State Gazette No. 74, 2016), Ordinance No. 1 of 2007 on Administration, Maintenance and Access to the Trade Register and to the Register of Non-Profit Legal Entities (State Gazette No. 77 and 78, 2017) enter into force on 1 January 2018.

Bulgarian version of the text