Practice area

Administrative Law Lawyer in Sofia, Bulgaria

Administrative proceedings run on short, strict deadlines. An administrative act that is not challenged within the statutory period becomes final regardless of its merits, and the courts have little discretion to relieve against that.

I advise on residence and citizenship applications, challenge adverse administrative decisions, and represent clients before the administrative courts and the Supreme Administrative Court.

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Scope

What I handle

01 Challenges to administrative acts Appeal of individual administrative acts, both in the administrative appeal stage and before the courts.
02 Residence permits Continuous and long-term EU residence, including residence obtained through company registration.
03 Bulgarian citizenship Naturalisation, citizenship by origin, and the documentary requirements each route imposes.
04 Public procurement Participation in procurement procedures and challenges to award decisions.
05 Regulatory compliance Advice on licensing, permits and dealings with regulators.
06 Administrative penalties Challenges to penal decrees and administrative sanctions.
07 Municipal matters Advisory to municipal companies and enterprises within Sofia Municipality.
08 Court representation Representation before the administrative courts and the Supreme Administrative Court.
In practice

Typical matters

Questions

Frequently asked

My residence permit application was refused — can that decision be appealed?

Yes. A refusal is an individual administrative act, and it can be challenged first through administrative appeal and, where that does not resolve it, before the administrative courts. The window to appeal is short and counted from notification of the decision, so it's worth acting quickly rather than waiting.

What does applying for Bulgarian citizenship by naturalisation actually involve?

Under Article 12, ordinary naturalisation requires that permanent or long-term residence was granted at least five years before applying. Five years on annually renewed residence permits do not by themselves satisfy this condition. The other statutory requirements and any route-specific exceptions must also be checked.

We lost a public procurement bid and think the award was wrong — is there anything we can do?

An award decision can be challenged, but only within a limited procedural window after it's issued, so this is not something to sit on. The challenge goes to the body responsible for reviewing procurement decisions before any further escalation.

Further reading

Guides on this area

Bulgarian Residence and Citizenship: A Guide for Foreign NationalsRead the full guide Challenging an Administrative Act in BulgariaRead the guide Bulgarian Citizenship by Naturalisation: Requirements and TimelineRead the guide Long-Term EU Residence Permit in Bulgaria: Requirements and ProcedureRead the guide Bulgarian Residence Permit Through Company RegistrationRead the guide
Related services

About the author

Lachezar Vesov — Attorney at Law, Sofia

Admitted to the Sofia Bar Association in 2016 (reg. no. 1400697210). Practises in civil, corporate, administrative, banking and criminal matters, advising Bulgarian companies and municipal enterprises alongside foreign founders, investors and property buyers. Member of the Board of Directors of the National Palace of Culture, Sofia, and Chairman of the Appellate Commission of the Bulgarian Football Union’s Sofia Zonal Council.

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