How it happens
Usually without anyone deciding anything. A grandfather leaves a house and a field to three sons. The sons never deal with it. In time their children inherit. Thirty years later the property belongs to eight people, three live in another country, and one answers nobody.
Nobody did anything wrong. Nobody finished anything either.
The first step is not division, it is a picture
Before anything is done, it has to be established who owns what on paper. That does not always match what the family believes.
What gets checked is how the estate passed at each level, whether an heir was left out, whether a share has already been sold to an outsider, and whether there is a will not everyone knows about.
It often turns out the argument is about something that does not stand the way everyone assumed.
Two routes
Agreed division. Everyone reaches an understanding and it is formalised before a notary. Faster, cheaper and calmer. It requires the agreement of everyone, including the one who does not answer.
Division through the court. When there is no agreement, or a co-owner cannot be found. It takes longer, but it does not require everyone to consent. It is also the route when the property cannot physically be divided and the question is how people exit it instead.
Which route is yours depends on the people, not on the law.
If you are abroad
You do not need to travel for each step, and you do not need to be in Bulgaria for the division itself. It is handled through a power of attorney.
A power of attorney for dealing with property has requirements as to its form. Drafted carelessly, the defect is discovered at the notary’s desk, by which point the person has already bought a plane ticket. So it is prepared in advance and adapted to the country it comes from. See power of attorney from abroad.
If one of them refuses to sell
That does not block the others forever. Nobody is obliged to remain a co-owner. There is a way out both when the other person stays silent and when they refuse outright.
That does not mean it is quick or painless. It means it is possible.
What I will need
The document by which the property came into the family, a certificate of heirs if it is inherited, and a list of the people you know hold a share, even if you are not sure of the proportions.
If you have a cadastral plan or a tax valuation, bring those too. If you have nothing, come anyway.
This page provides general information and does not constitute legal advice on any specific case. Rights and deadlines depend on the facts and the applicable law.