What to Do When Someone Dies in Bulgaria: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain the Medical Notice of Death (*Съобщение за смърт*)

   Under the Bulgarian Civil Registration Act and regulations overseen by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Bulgaria (Министерство на здравеопазването), a physician must verify the death and issue the official Medical Notice of Death (Съобщение за смърт) before civil registration or burial can take place [1][4]:

   • Death in a hospital or inpatient medical facility: When a death occurs in a hospital, the attending physician or head of the ward verifies the death, completes the Съобщение за смърт, and transfers the body to the hospital pathology department [1][4]. If the clinical diagnosis is established and the family requests release without a clinical autopsy, the hospital director may approve an autopsy waiver request (молба за освобождаване от аутопсия) unless forensic or epidemiological grounds require an examination [4].
   • Expected natural death at home: Do not move the body. Contact the deceased person's general practitioner (общопрактикуващ лекар / личен лекар), an out-of-hours medical centre (неотложен кабинет), or emergency medical services (Спешна медицинска помощ) on 112 [1][4]. Have your family member's Bulgarian identity card (лична карта) with their Uniform Civil Number (Единен граждански номер - EGN) or foreign passport and medical records ready [1]. After examining the body, the physician issues the Съобщение за смърт [1].
   • Sudden, accidental, or unexplained death: Call 112 immediately so the police (Министерство на вътрешните работи - MVR) and forensic medical authorities can attend [1][4]. Where a violent, accidental, or unexplained cause of death is suspected, an investigating authority orders a mandatory forensic autopsy (съдебномедицинска експертиза) at a hospital Department of Forensic Medicine (Съдебна медицина), and the forensic pathologist issues the Съобщение за смърт and prosecutor clearance required for burial or cremation [1][4].
2. 2

   Register the Death Within 48 Hours and Obtain the Official Death Certificate (*Препис-извлечение от акт за смърт*)

   In Bulgaria, civil registration of deaths is carried out by the municipal civil status registrar (длъжностно лице по гражданското състояние) at the municipality (община), district (район in Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna), or mayoralty (кметство) where the death occurred, linked to the National Database "Population" (Национална база данни „Население“ - GRAO) and the Unified Portal for Electronic Administrative Services (Единен портал за достъп до електронни административни услуги - eGov.bg) [1]:

   • Strict 48-hour statutory deadline: Under Articles 54 to 61 of the Civil Registration Act (Закон за гражданската регистрация), the Act of Death (Акт за смърт) must be drawn up within 48 hours of the time of death (or within 48 hours of the forensic release if a medico-legal autopsy is performed) [1]. Present the Съобщение за смърт and the deceased's identity document to the municipal civil registry desk; the registrar cancels the identity card and issues the official Death Certificate extract (Препис-извлечение от акт за смърт) free of charge on first issuance [1].
   • Certificate of Heirs (Удостоверение за наследници): Once the death is processed in the municipal GRAO system (typically within a few working days of the Акт за смърт), legal heirs can request the official Certificate of Heirs (Удостоверение за наследници) from the municipality of the deceased's last permanent address (постоянен адрес) in Bulgaria, either in person at the municipal ESGRAON/GRAO office or online via the Unified Portal for Electronic Administrative Services using a Qualified Electronic Signature (Квалифициран електронен подпис - KEP) [1].
   • Multilingual extracts and Apostille for cross-border use: If documents must be presented outside Bulgaria, request a multilingual extract from the civil status act (многоезично извлечение от акт за гражданско състояние) under the Vienna CIEC Convention or an EU Multilingual Standard Form under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 from the municipality [1]. Where a non-EU state requires an Apostille under the 1961 Hague Convention, municipal civil status documents bearing the rectangular municipal authentication stamp receive an Apostille from the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Министерство на външните работи - MVRnR) or via regional governors (областни администрации) according to document category [1].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation Within Sanitary Timeframes

   Under the Ordinance of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Bulgaria on Sanitary and Hygienic Requirements for Cemetery Parks and Burial and Cremation of Deceased Persons, specific sanitary rules and waiting windows apply [1][4]:

   • Domestic burial or cremation in Bulgaria: Burial (погребение) may take place no earlier than 24 hours after death and no later than 48 hours after death, unless the body is preserved in a refrigerated mortuary chamber (хладилна камера) [1][4]. Appoint a municipal funeral enterprise (such as Погребални услуги - София / OP Гробищни паркове in Sofia or the municipal cemetery operator) or a licensed private funeral agency (траурна агенция), presenting the Препис-извлечение от акт за смърт [1]. For cremation (кремация), the medical doctor who issued the Съобщение за смърт must issue an explicit medical declaration confirming there is no evidence of violent death and no forensic impediment to cremation, alongside written authorization from the closest legal heir [1][4].
   • International repatriation of human remains or ashes: To transport a body out of Bulgaria, the funeral agency coordinates embalming, hermetically seals the deceased inside a zinc-lined coffin certified by the Regional Health Inspectorate (Регионална здравна инспекция - RZI) under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Bulgaria, obtains a mortuary transit pass (пропуск за пренасяне на тленни останки), and secures consular clearance from the destination country's embassy in Sofia [1][4]. Transporting cremated ashes in a sealed urn requires the Death Certificate, the crematorium certificate, and sealing documentation [1].
4. 4

   Notify NSSI (NOI), NHIF (NZOK), NRA (NAP), and Banks, and Claim Survivor Benefits

   Once the Акт за смърт is entered in the GRAO national database, the National Social Security Institute (Национален осигурителен институт - NSSI / NOI) and the National Health Insurance Fund (Национална здравноосигурителна каса - NHIF / NZOK) receive automated updates, but heirs must submit formal applications to claim financial entitlements [2][3][5]:

   • One-off death grant and unpaid pension from the National Social Security Institute: If the deceased was an actively insured worker or self-insured contributor under the Social Insurance Code (Кодекс за социално осигуряване), the surviving spouse, children, and parents are entitled to a statutory one-off lump-sum bereavement benefit (еднократна помощ при смърт на осигурено лице) divided equally among them [2][3]. If the deceased was receiving a pension, heirs can submit an application (in person at a regional NSSI office or online via the NSSI portal / Unified Portal for Electronic Administrative Services) accompanied by the Удостоверение за наследници to claim any unreceived pension or allowance accrued for the month of death [3].
   • Survivor's pension (наследствена пенсия) and widow/widower's supplement (добавка от пенсията на починал съпруг): Under the Social Insurance Code administered by the National Social Security Institute, surviving children (up to age 18, or up to age 26 if in full-time study or permanently incapacitated), surviving spouses (within 5 years of standard retirement age, or earlier if incapacitated), and dependent parents can claim a Survivor's Pension (наследствена пенсия) [2]. Alternatively, a surviving spouse who receives their own pension may apply to the National Social Security Institute for the statutory widow/widower's supplement (добавка по чл. 84 от КСО - 30% of the deceased spouse's pension), which cannot be combined with a survivor's pension [2]. Notably, renouncing a debt-burdened civil estate does not deprive an eligible spouse or child of their right to a survivor's pension from NSSI [2].
   • Banks, utilities, and the National Revenue Agency (Национална агенция за приходите - NAP): Present the Препис-извлечение от акт за смърт and Удостоверение за наследници to all Bulgarian banks to freeze individual accounts and ascertain balances or liabilities [1][6]. Check with the National Revenue Agency (NAP) regarding any outstanding tax or social contribution liabilities of the deceased [1].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate, Notarial Wills, Property Registers, and Inheritance Tax

   Under the Bulgarian Inheritance Act (Закон за наследството), succession opens at the moment of death at the deceased's last domicile, and heirs acquire both assets and liabilities unless they formally accept under inventory or renounce [6]:

   • Checking for a will and accepting or renouncing the estate: Any interested person with a Death Certificate can request a search in the Register of Wills (Регистър на завещанията) maintained by the Notary Chamber of the Republic of Bulgaria (Нотариална камара на Република България) and the Property Register (Имотен регистър) of the Registry Agency (Агенция по вписванията) to check whether the deceased left a notarial will (нотариално завещание) or deposited a holographic will (саморъчно завещание) for safekeeping [6]. If the estate carries known or potential debts, an heir may apply within 3 months of learning of the opening of succession to the District Judge (районен съдия) of the District Court (Районен съд) to accept the inheritance under benefit of inventory (приемане на наследство по опис, limiting liability to the value of inherited assets) or to record a formal renunciation of inheritance (отказ от наследство) in the court's special register [6].
   • Real estate partition, tax declaration (данък върху наследствата), and cross-border succession: Under the Local Taxes and Fees Act (Закон за местните данъци и такси), surviving spouses and lineal heirs (children, grandchildren, and parents) are completely exempt from Bulgarian inheritance tax [1][6]. Collateral heirs and non-relatives (or heirs required by local municipal rules to update property tax accounts - партиди - for inherited real estate) must submit a declaration to the Municipal Tax Office (Местни данъци и такси) within 6 months of the death [1]. Heirs can execute a voluntary contract for the partition of inherited property (договор за доброволна делба) before a notary of the Notary Chamber of the Republic of Bulgaria, and where assets or heirs span other EU Member States, a Bulgarian District Court can issue a European Certificate of Succession (Европейско удостоверение за наследство) under Regulation (EU) No 650/2012 [6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Unified Portal for Electronic Administrative Services (eGov.bg) - Municipal Civil Registration (GRAO) Services — Ministry of Electronic Governance of the Republic of Bulgaria
2. [2]
   Survivor's Pension and Widow/Widower's Supplement Rules (Наследствени пенсии) — National Social Security Institute (Национален осигурителен институт - NSSI / NOI)
3. [3]
   Payment of Unreceived Pension Sums of a Deceased Pensioner to Heirs — National Social Security Institute (NSSI Administrative Services Portal)
4. [4]
   Ministry of Health of the Republic of Bulgaria - Citizen Information and Regional Health Inspectorates — Ministry of Health of the Republic of Bulgaria (Министерство на здравеопазването)
5. [5]
   National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF / NZOK) - Patient Rights and Health Insurance Administration — National Health Insurance Fund (Национална здравноосигурителна каса - НЗОК)
6. [6]
   Notary Chamber of the Republic of Bulgaria - Notarial Registers of Wills and Succession Deeds — Notary Chamber of the Republic of Bulgaria (Нотариална камара на Република България)