Written and reviewed by Adriana Melnikliyska, Attorney-at-law, Blagoevgrad Bar No. 1900000227. Last reviewed 27 September 2026.Who this page is for
This page is written for an individual — not a company — involved in a Bulgarian civil dispute: someone owed money by another person, someone accused of owing money they dispute, someone injured by another person's negligence outside a road-traffic context, someone caught in a disagreement with a landlord, tenant, seller, buyer, contractor, or neighbour, or anyone trying to work out whether a disagreement they are in is actually a legal claim at all. It sits alongside, but is distinct from, three other pages on this site that cover situations which look similar on the surface but are handled differently in practice: a dispute between businesses or between shareholders is covered by the litigation lawyer page, a road-traffic injury claim is covered by the car accident compensation page, and an unpaid commercial invoice is covered by the debt collection page. If your matter is genuinely one of those three, the dedicated page will generally serve you better than this general one; if it is not, read on.
Two categories of individual civil dispute come up often enough, with their own recurring fact patterns and procedural quirks, to have their own dedicated pages beneath this one: a dispute with a business as a consumer, and a dispute between a landlord and a tenant. Both are introduced later on this page and covered in full depth on their own pages.
What actually counts as a civil claim under the Obligations and Contracts Act
“Civil dispute” is a broad, informal label. The Obligations and Contracts Act (Закон за задълженията и договорите, generally abbreviated ПЗД) is the general law of civil obligations in Bulgaria, and almost every dispute between individuals traces back to one of a small number of legal bases it sets out:
- Contractual claims. One person did not do what they agreed to do — did not pay an agreed price, did not deliver what was promised, did not perform a service to the standard or timing agreed, or breached some other term of an actual or implied agreement between the parties.
- Claims for money lent or owed. A private loan that was never repaid, a shared expense one party covered and the other never reimbursed, or a running account between two people that one side disputes.
- Delict claims (непозволено увреждане). One person caused another person loss or damage through fault, outside any contract between them — property damage, a personal injury outside the road-traffic context (which has its own dedicated insurance-driven route), or another form of wrongful harm.
- Unjust enrichment (неоснователно обогатяване). One person received money, property or a benefit without a proper legal basis for keeping it — a payment made by mistake, a benefit retained after a contract fell through, or an advantage gained at another person's expense with no contract or delict to explain it.
- Claims for the performance, or the undoing, of an agreement. A claim to compel someone to actually do what they promised (specific performance, where that is realistically available), or to unwind a transaction that was never validly formed, or that one side is entitled to walk away from.
The two dedicated pages beneath this one — consumer disputes and landlord-tenant disputes — are really specific applications of these same general bases, with their own additional rules layered on top: consumer protection law adds extra rights on top of an ordinary sale contract, and lease law under the Obligations and Contracts Act adds specific rules on top of an ordinary bilateral agreement. Understanding the general framework first is what makes the specific rules make sense, which is why both child pages assume you have read, or can refer back to, this one.
Negotiation and mediation: when they are realistic, and when they are not
Litigation is not the default answer to a civil disagreement, and for disputes between individuals in particular — where the parties often know each other, live near each other, or share a family or social connection — it is frequently not the first-best answer either. A demand letter, a direct conversation once the legal position is properly understood, or a structured mediation can resolve a dispute faster, more cheaply, and with less lasting damage to a relationship than a court judgment ever will.
Negotiation or mediation tends to be realistic where at least one of the following is true: the other side has not fully understood the strength of your position and a clear, documented statement of it changes their calculation; both sides have an ongoing relationship worth preserving (family members, neighbours, a landlord and a tenant who may continue dealing with each other); the amount in dispute is modest relative to the cost and delay of litigation; or the facts are largely undisputed and the real disagreement is about what a fair resolution looks like, not about who is right. Mediation in Bulgaria is governed by the Mediation Act and can produce a written agreement that, once properly documented, is enforceable in the same way as a settlement reached through any other route.
Litigation becomes the realistic route where the other side denies the claim outright and will not engage constructively, where a binding, publicly enforceable judgment is genuinely needed (because voluntary compliance cannot be relied on), where a limitation period is close to expiring and a claim needs to be filed to preserve it, or where the amount or principle at stake justifies the cost. Part of an honest initial assessment is forming a view on which of these categories a specific dispute actually falls into, rather than assuming either that a court is always necessary or that a difficult conversation should always be avoided by going straight to a claim.
How Bulgarian civil procedure works for an individual claimant or defendant
Civil litigation between individuals in Bulgaria follows the same Civil Procedure Code (Гражданския процесуален кодекс) that governs business litigation, but the practical experience of being a private individual on either side of a claim differs in a few real ways worth naming directly:
- The claim. A written claim (искова молба) is filed with the competent court — generally the district or regional court for the defendant's address, or, for some claim types, the place where the obligation was to be performed — setting out who the parties are, the facts, the legal basis, and what is being sought.
- The order-for-payment alternative. Where the claim is for a defined sum of money and is supported by the kind of documentary evidence the law recognises as sufficient (a written acknowledgement of debt, certain types of contract, an unpaid invoice with delivery proof), an individual creditor can use the faster order-for-payment procedure instead of a full claim, obtaining an enforceable order without a full trial unless the debtor formally objects.
- Service and response. The other party is served with the claim and has an opportunity to respond in writing, admitting or disputing the facts and raising defences or a counterclaim.
- Evidence. Both individuals present documentary evidence, and, where relevant, witness testimony — which matters more in disputes between individuals than in commercial disputes, since private arrangements are less consistently documented in writing than business ones.
- Judgment and appeal. The court issues a written judgment, appealable within the applicable deadline to the competent appellate court, and, in cases meeting the cassation criteria, to the Supreme Court of Cassation on a further, more limited basis.
- Enforcement. Once a judgment is final, it is enforced, if not complied with voluntarily, through a private or state bailiff against the debtor's identifiable assets — which, for an individual debtor, can mean a bank account, wages (subject to protected minimums), or property, rather than the business assets a commercial judgment might reach.
One practical difference deserves particular emphasis: an individual defendant is frequently unrepresented, unfamiliar with court procedure, and, in some cases, unaware a claim has even been filed against them until they are served. Whether you are the person bringing a claim or the person defending one, understanding what is actually happening procedurally — and what deadlines genuinely matter — is often as important as the substance of the dispute itself.
Two situations with their own dedicated page
Most individual civil disputes fit the general framework above without needing anything more specific. Two situations recur often enough, and carry enough additional rules layered on top of the general law, to deserve their own dedicated treatment:
Consumer disputes
A defective product, a service that was not delivered as promised, a warranty or return dispute, and the Commission for Consumer Protection's complaint process as an alternative to litigation.
Landlord & tenant disputes
Unpaid rent, deposit disputes, early termination and property-condition disagreements, and the eviction procedure, for both a foreign landlord letting a Bulgarian property and a foreign tenant renting one.
Where a dispute does not fit either of these two, it is still assessed under the general framework this page describes — a private loan between individuals, a neighbour dispute that is not specifically a property-boundary matter (see the property disputes page for those), or a dispute over a shared purchase or informal partnership between friends or family are common examples that are assessed the same way, on their own facts, without needing a separate named category.
Evidence that matters, by claim type
| Claim type | Evidence that typically decides it |
|---|---|
| Money lent or owed between individuals | Any written acknowledgement, bank transfer records, messages discussing the loan or its repayment, and any partial repayment history |
| Breach of an informal or written contract | The contract itself, or, where nothing was signed, correspondence showing what was actually agreed; proof of what was paid or delivered against what was promised |
| Delict (harm caused outside a contract) | Contemporaneous evidence of what happened (photographs, witness accounts, incident reports), evidence of the loss or damage, and, where relevant, an expert assessment of cause and extent |
| Unjust enrichment | Proof of the payment or transfer, and evidence that no valid contract or other legal basis explains why the other party kept it |
| Consumer disputes | The purchase receipt or contract, the trader's terms, correspondence about the fault or complaint, and, where relevant, an independent assessment of the defect |
| Landlord-tenant disputes | The lease agreement, proof of rent payments, the deposit receipt, move-in and move-out condition records, and any formal notices given by either side |
How an individual civil dispute is assessed
Before any dispute between individuals is litigated, it is worth assessing, in roughly this order: which of the legal bases above the dispute actually falls into, since a claim argued on the wrong basis can fail even where the underlying grievance is genuine; what documentary or other evidence actually exists, given that private disputes between individuals are frequently less well documented than commercial ones; whether the claim is within the applicable limitation period, which varies by claim type under the Obligations and Contracts Act and needs to be checked against the current text of the law rather than assumed; whether the other party has identifiable assets a judgment could realistically be enforced against; and whether the cost and time of litigation is genuinely proportionate to what is actually at stake, both financially and in terms of an ongoing relationship between the parties.
This assessment is what determines whether a dispute is worth pursuing or defending formally, whether a negotiated resolution is realistic and on what terms, or whether the underlying position is simply too weak, or the amount at stake too small, to justify the cost of a full claim.
When a civil dispute connects to another matter
Several of this site’s other practice pages cover situations that look like a general civil dispute at first glance but are handled through a more specific route. Where the dispute is between two businesses, involves a shareholder or partnership disagreement, or concerns a commercial contract, see the litigation lawyer page, which covers Bulgarian civil litigation from the business side, including the order-for-payment procedure for commercial debts, enforcement of Bulgarian and foreign judgments, and arbitration as an alternative forum. Where the dispute arises from a road-traffic accident, see the dedicated car accident compensation page, since these claims run through mandatory motor insurance and the Guarantee Fund rather than a claim against the other driver personally. Where money is owed and the real question is how to recover it rather than whether it is owed, see the debt collection page for the practical recovery routes. And where the dispute concerns real property specifically — a boundary, a co-ownership question, or a title dispute — see the property disputes page rather than this general one.
A single situation can genuinely combine more than one of these — a landlord-tenant dispute that escalates into a personal-injury question because a tenant was hurt by a defect in the property, for example — and the initial assessment exists precisely to separate the strands and route each one correctly, rather than treating an overlapping situation as a single undifferentiated matter.
Documents that help at the assessment stage
What is needed depends on the dispute, but the following recur across most civil matters between individuals and are worth gathering before the first conversation: any written agreement, however informal; correspondence with the other party about the disagreement, including messages, emails, or letters; evidence of any payment, transfer, or delivery relevant to the claim; identification of the other party sufficient to serve a claim on them if it comes to that; and, where relevant, photographs, receipts, or an independent assessment of any damage or defect involved. Sending what you already have, even an incomplete set, is normally the fastest way to get a useful first answer on whether a claim is worth pursuing or how to respond to one.
Fees and scope
An initial assessment of an individual civil dispute is a smaller, defined piece of work than ongoing representation through negotiation, mediation, or full litigation, and the fee structure differs accordingly. The professional fee and any expected third-party cost (court fees, generally calculated as a percentage of the claim’s value, and any expert fees where needed) are set out in writing before work begins — see how fees are set. No page on this site states a specific price, and no outcome for any dispute is promised in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Someone owes me money and will not pay. Is this a civil case?
Generally, yes. A private debt between individuals is typically pursued either through the faster order-for-payment procedure, where the debt is well documented, or through a full civil claim under the Obligations and Contracts Act if it is disputed. Which route fits depends on what evidence you actually have.
What is the difference between a civil dispute and a criminal matter?
A civil dispute is between private parties over a right or an obligation, decided by a civil court, and results in a judgment for money, performance, or another civil remedy. A criminal matter involves an alleged offence prosecuted by the state and results in a criminal sanction. Some situations, such as fraud, can raise both, but they are pursued through entirely different procedures.
Can I sue someone in Bulgaria without a written contract?
Yes, in principle. Bulgarian law recognises agreements that were never put in writing, but proving what was actually agreed becomes harder without documentation, which is why correspondence, messages, and any evidence of partial performance matter more in undocumented disputes.
How long do I have to bring a civil claim in Bulgaria?
It depends on the type of claim. The Obligations and Contracts Act sets different limitation periods for different claim types, and they can be interrupted or suspended in defined circumstances. The period that applies to your specific claim needs to be checked against the current text of the law rather than assumed from a general rule.
Is mediation actually binding, or can the other side just ignore it later?
A mediation agreement is not automatically as enforceable as a court judgment on its own, but once it is properly documented (for example incorporated into a settlement agreement or, where the law allows, approved by a court), it becomes enforceable in the same way as any other binding civil agreement. How it is documented is what makes the difference.
I was served with a court claim I think is unfair. What should I do?
Read the deadline stated in the document carefully and do not ignore it. You generally have the right to respond in writing, dispute the facts, and raise your own defences or a counterclaim, but missing the deadline can mean the court decides based only on the other side's version of events.
Can a civil claim be enforced against someone with no money or assets?
A judgment is a legal entitlement, not a guarantee of payment. Enforcement depends on the debtor actually having identifiable assets or income a bailiff can reach, subject to certain protected minimums for an individual. This is worth assessing honestly before committing significant cost to litigation.
What is the order-for-payment procedure and when can I use it?
It is a faster, largely document-based route for recovering a defined sum of money where the claim is supported by the type of evidence the law recognises as sufficient, such as a written acknowledgement of debt. It produces an enforceable order without a full trial unless the other side formally objects, which then usually converts the matter into an ordinary claim.
Does this page cover disputes with a business, like a shop or a landlord?
A dispute with a business selling you goods or services as a consumer is covered on the dedicated consumer disputes page, and a landlord-tenant dispute has its own dedicated page as well, since both carry additional rules beyond the general framework described here.
Can you help if the other party lives outside Bulgaria?
It depends on where the parties, the dispute, and any relevant assets actually are, and on whether Bulgarian law and a Bulgarian court genuinely have a basis to deal with the matter. This is assessed as part of the initial review rather than assumed either way.
How much does it cost to bring a civil claim in Bulgaria?
Court fees are generally calculated as a percentage of the claim's value, and the professional fee depends on the scope of work involved. Both are set out in writing before any work begins; no figure is stated on this page because it depends entirely on the specific claim.
Primary sources
The general framework referenced on this page and its child pages draws on the following sources. Article numbers and current effective dates should always be verified against the consolidated text in force at the time of a specific matter.
- Obligations and Contracts Act (Bulgaria) →
- Civil Procedure Code (Bulgaria) →
- Mediation Act (Bulgaria) →
- Judicial System Act (Bulgaria) — court structure →
This page describes the general civil-law framework for a dispute between individuals in Bulgaria. It does not state a case outcome, a timeline or a cost for any specific matter, which depend on the actual facts and must be confirmed once a matter is reviewed.