What does it take to build a house? Building a house in Bulgaria step by step

The advantages of such a decision are obvious:

• The house will fully match your wishes.
• You will be able to control the quality of the work.
• Building will cost less than buying a finished house and remodelling it to suit your own tastes.

It sounds tempting, but do not forget that this path has plenty of pitfalls and complications. And above all, you need to study the legal side of the matter carefully. You cannot simply go and build yourself a home in an open field: you must act strictly in accordance with the law at every stage, from acquiring the land to moving into the new house.

Choosing the location
Land plots in Bulgaria can be “in regulation” or “not in regulation”. The first option is marked with the abbreviation UPI on the technical plan and is suitable for construction; it is included in the development plan and is not used for agricultural activity in any way. The second option means that the land is not intended for building residential houses; only temporary structures without foundations may be erected on it.

To change the status of the land, you need to apply to the local administration (the mayor’s office or the municipality). The regulation process can take up to two years. The timeframe depends on the category of the land – the better suited it is for agricultural work, the longer, more expensive and more difficult it is to change its status and obtain a building permit. In some cases it is impossible altogether.

Sometimes land plots “in regulation” are sold with a project and a building permit already in place. Such an option costs more than land for which all the necessary documentation still has to be obtained, but construction can begin immediately, without waiting for the project to be drawn up and for numerous approvals. The drawback of this solution is obvious – the project is created according to the needs of the previous owner, and a house built to this project may turn out to be inconvenient for you.

Registering the land plot
Foreigners may buy flats and houses in Bulgaria but (with the exception of EU citizens) do not have the right to acquire land plots. In order not to live in their own house on someone else’s land, many register the purchase in the name of a company. There is nothing complicated here, the procedure has long been worked out: a Bulgarian company is set up (OOD (LLC) or EOOD (single-member LLC)) and the land plot is registered in its name. After that all that remains is to file the company’s reports on time (this is done regardless of whether the company is trading or not) and pay taxes.

Building permit
Even if the plot is “in regulation” and suitable for construction, before work starts you must obtain a permit from the administration. Difficulties usually do not arise at this stage, but you should be prepared for the fact that different localities may have different restrictions concerning building density, the number of storeys and other parameters. At the same time, the connection to electricity and water supply must be agreed.

Design and approvals
Building a house requires an individual project drawn up by an architect. A more economical option is a standard project, which a specialist will also select, but in this case you will probably have to give up some of your wishes for the home.
The designer must be thoroughly familiar with all the regulatory documents and hold a licence. Creating an individual project is a lengthy process consisting of several stages. Each of them requires approval by the client. When the project is fully ready, the working documentation must be approved by the administration (the municipality), the energy company and “ViK”. This is usually handled by the builder, and it should be stated in the contract with them. The approvals
take about a month.

Commissioning
At this stage there are once again approvals to be obtained from the local administration. Traditionally the negotiations are conducted by the builder. When concluding the contract with them, make sure it includes the obligation to obtain the document commissioning the house. After that the house is registered as property, and unlike the land plot it can be registered not only in the name of a company but also in the name of an individual – a foreigner. The latter option is considered more advantageous and convenient, since it is preferable that property registered in the name of a legal entity is not used for personal purposes.

Company registration in Bulgaria

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