A road accident on the way to the coast. Water damage from the flat above yours, discovered months later. A fall on an unmaintained pavement. A developer who took the money and disappeared.
Bulgarian law starts from a simple principle: whoever causes damage through fault must put it right. The difficulty is never the principle. It is the evidence.
What this covers
Road accidents. Compensation from the insurer or from the Guarantee Fund, including where the injured party or the person at fault is a foreign national.
Personal injury. On the road, at work, in a hotel, on a ski slope, or on premises that were not made safe.
Damage to property. Flooding, fire, damage originating from a neighbouring property, destroyed belongings.
Non-pecuniary damage. Pain, suffering, distress and harm to reputation.
Fraud. By a developer, an agent or an investment scheme.
When to instruct a lawyer
In the first few days, while the evidence still exists.
This is the area where speed matters most. Not because of time limits, but because a week later the pavement has been cleared, the car has been repaired, the witnesses cannot be found and there are no photographs.
The right to claim damages is subject to a five-year limitation period running from the incident. That is long enough to relax and short enough to lose.
What to do straight away
Call the competent authority and insist on a written report. Photograph everything, including what seems irrelevant. Keep every receipt, invoice and medical document. Take the phone number of anyone who saw it.
Do this even if you never call me.
If a foreign vehicle is involved
It matters a great deal whether the person at fault holds a valid Green Card insurance certificate. Without one, the route to compensation is considerably harder, and it is worth establishing this early rather than after the claim has been filed.