What changed for foreign buyers in Bulgaria in 2026

Bulgaria in 2026 is a different place to quote prices from. The euro replaced the lev on 1 January, dual price display has ended, and advisers are talking about a market that has already moved a long way since 2020. This briefing sets out what changed for buyers from abroad, what did not, and what an agency should update in its own materials. It is a summary from named sources, not an exhaustive review of the law.

The euro

Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026. The conversion rate was fixed at 1.95583 leva to the euro, and references to leva in contracts are converted by law at that rate, with no need to amend them. For a buyer from another euro-area country, the quoted price is now in their own currency. For everyone else it is a euro price, and conversion costs fall on the buyer. BNT reports that the one-year period of mandatory dual display ended on 8 August 2026; one law-firm page gives a different date, so confirm the current rule for your listings.

What to update: listings, brochures, preliminary contracts and fee schedules should show euro amounts and the euro basis for any threshold you quote. Anything that still mentions leva should be reviewed.

The market and its prices

One adviser's 2026 guide puts the average price in Sofia at about EUR 2,250 per square metre in early 2026, roughly double the level of 2020. Treat that as one adviser's figure and not as an index, and use official or published data when you quote prices to a buyer. The point for agencies is simpler: a buyer who looked at Bulgaria a few years ago will find prices and expectations changed, and will need current comparables.

Who can buy what: unchanged

Nothing in the sources we read suggests a change to the basic rule. Citizens of EU and EEA states can buy apartments, houses and land. Citizens of other countries can buy apartments and buildings, but not land directly; the usual route for land is a Bulgarian company, and an international treaty is another, rarer one. A law-firm summary sets out the position. Residence in the EU does not change the land rule for a non-EU citizen.

Taxes and costs

Advisers describe income from rent and gains from selling property as taxed at a flat 10 percent, low by European standards, with conditions and exemptions that depend on the facts; the buyer's own country of tax residence may also tax the income. A holder who lets short term faces income tax, VAT where it applies and a municipal tourist tax, and the rules differ between long-term residential and short-term tourist letting. These are adviser summaries, so send a client to a tax adviser for their own case.

On purchase, the municipal transfer tax is set locally, within a range of about 0.1 to 3 percent, notary fees are on a progressive tariff plus VAT, and the registry fee is about 0.1 percent. Advisers put the total at around five to six percent of the price.

Compliance: a rule coming and a rule in place

Real-estate intermediaries are obliged persons under the Bulgarian Measures Against Money Laundering Act, with thresholds now expressed in euro. Looking ahead, the EU AML Regulation is described as applying from 10 July 2027, with real-estate professionals named as obliged entities in every member state. If your agency's client file is thin today, 2026 is the year to fix it. See the KPMG note on the Bulgarian Act.

What agencies should do now

• Check that every price, deposit and fee in your documents is stated in euro.
• Refresh your buyer checklist: ID, tax number, status, proof of funds and sanctions screening.
• Re-read your standard reservation agreement for references to leva and for the rule on non-EU buyers and land.
• Prepare a one-page note for buyers on closing costs, using ranges and naming the source.
• Decide who in your team owns AML records, so that one person can answer a notary or a regulator.

What buyers from abroad now ask

Cross-border buyers tend to ask three things: whether the euro makes buying easier, whether a company is the right route for land, and how long the remote process takes. Your best answer to all three is a short, honest explainer with the sources behind it.

Working with D.H. Realting

D.H. Realting is a trilingual (Russian, English, Polish) overseas-property platform. We introduce buyers, including expats who live in one country and look at property in another, and we support the process around the deal. Agencies that handle the transaction locally and would like to be introduced to such buyers can contact us through our partners page.

This briefing is informational only and is not legal, tax or investment advice. Figures and rules are indicative, come from the sources named, and change over time; confirm them with a local lawyer or notary before you rely on them.