100+ Free Bulgarian Notary Competition Exam Practice Questions

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Key Facts: Bulgarian Notary Competition Exam Exam

3 Years

Minimum legal experience required of a candidate notary

ЗННД, Art. 8

2 Stages

Written exam then oral exam

Ordinance No. 36, Art. 3(1)

Good (4)

Minimum mark on each stage to enter the ranking

Ordinance No. 36, Art. 9(1) and 10(5)

1 per 10,000

Notary posts opened per inhabitants, minimum two per district

ЗННД, Art. 10

The Bulgarian Notary Competition Exam (конкурс за нотариуси) is the state competitive examination conducted by the Ministry of Justice and the Notary Chamber under Ordinance No. 36 for appointing qualified lawyers with >=3 years of experience to vacant notary seats. It features a written practical exam and an oral exam. This 100-question English MCQ bank provides complete study coverage of the official syllabus.

Sample Bulgarian Notary Competition Exam Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your Bulgarian Notary Competition Exam exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Under Article 3 of the Bulgarian Notaries and Notarial Activity Act (Закон за нотариусите и нотариалната дейност - ЗННД), what defines the territorial jurisdiction (район на действие) of a notary?

A.The territorial jurisdiction of the notary strictly coincides with the territory of the corresponding Regional Court (Районен съд)

B.The notary has nationwide jurisdiction across the entire territory of the Republic of Bulgaria for all acts

C.The jurisdiction coincides with the administrative region (област) under the regional governor

D.The notary may establish jurisdiction in any city upon paying a municipal registration fee

Explanation: Under Article 3 of the ZNND (ЗННД), the territorial district of each notary strictly coincides with the geographic district of the respective Regional Court (Районен съд). Under Article 570(1) of the Civil Procedure Code (ГПК), notarial acts transferring or creating rights in rem over immovable property must be performed exclusively by a notary within whose district the property is situated.

2Under Article 10 of the Notaries and Notarial Activity Act (ЗННД), what is the statutory demographic ratio for opening notary positions in a given court district?

A.One notary position per 10,000 inhabitants in the court district, with at least two notaries in every court district

B.One notary per 50,000 inhabitants, with a maximum of five notaries per district

C.One notary per 1,000 inhabitants regardless of court size

D.Notary positions are determined exclusively by the number of registered real estate agencies

Explanation: Under Article 10 of the ZNND, in each judicial district of a Regional Court, there is opened one notary post per 10,000 residents, with the mandatory requirement that at least two notary posts must exist in every court district regardless of population.

3Under Article 574 of the Bulgarian Civil Procedure Code (ГПК), under what circumstances is a notary legally obligated to refuse the execution of a requested notarial act (отказ на нотариуса)?

A.When the requested notarial act contradicts the law or good morals (противоречи на закона или на добрите нрави)

B.Whenever the parties negotiate a price that is lower than the initial asking price

C.If the parties do not reside in the municipal capital

D.Whenever the transaction involves a foreign citizen without Bulgarian ancestry

Explanation: Under Article 574 ГПК, the notary is prohibited from performing a notarial act that contradicts the law or good morals. In such cases, the notary must issue a reasoned refusal under Article 577 ГПК.

4Under Article 577 of the Civil Procedure Code (ГПК), how may an interested party challenge a notary's refusal to perform a requested notarial act?

A.By filing a private appeal (частна жалба) before the District Court (Окръжен съд) within 7 days of the notification of refusal

B.By filing an administrative complaint before the Ministry of Justice within 30 days

C.By demanding an immediate disciplinary hearing before the Notary Chamber

D.A notary's refusal is final and cannot be appealed before any court

Explanation: Under Article 577(1) ГПК, a refusal of a notary to perform a notarial act is subject to appeal via a private complaint (частна жалба) before the District Court (Окръжен съд) within 7 days from the service of the decree of refusal.

5Under Article 578 of the Civil Procedure Code (ГПК), what must a notary verify before executing a notarial deed for the transfer of real property?

A.The identity and legal capacity of the parties, their representative powers, that the transferor is the genuine owner of the property, and that all statutory property transfer prerequisites are fulfilled

B.Only that the buyer has paid the notary's fee in cash

C.That the property has been blessed by a registered religious institution

D.That the property was purchased within the last 12 months

Explanation: Under Article 578, 579, and 586 ГПК, the notary must strictly verify: (1) identity (through valid official ID documents); (2) civil legal capacity; (3) powers of representation; and (4) that the transferor is the owner of the property based on title deeds, cadastral sketches, and registry inquiries.

6Under Article 579(1) of the Civil Procedure Code (ГПК), what is the mandatory formal procedure for the execution and signing of a notarial deed (изповядване на нотариален акт)?

A.The notary reads the contents of the deed to the parties personally, the parties approve the draft, and the parties and the notary sign the deed in the presence of each other

B.The parties sign blank pages and the notary types the deed text several days later

C.The notary sends the deed by email and parties sign with an unverified digital graphic image

D.The deed is signed only by the notary without requiring the physical presence or signatures of the parties

Explanation: Under Article 579(1) ГПК, the notary reads the deed to the appearing parties. Upon their oral confirmation that the text expresses their true will, the parties sign the deed before the notary, and the notary immediately affixes their signature and official seal (non-compliance results in absolute nullity under Art. 576 ГПК).

7Under Article 576 of the Civil Procedure Code (ГПК), which procedural violations result in the absolute nullity (нищожност) of a notarial act?

A.Performance by an unauthorized person, violation of territorial jurisdiction, violation of disqualification rules (Art. 575), absence of the parties, failure to read the deed, or lack of signatures of the parties or the notary

B.A minor typographical error in the description of a kitchen cabinet

C.Using blue ink instead of black ink for signing

D.Executing the deed on a Friday afternoon

Explanation: Under Article 576 ГПК, a notarial act is null and void if: (1) performed by a person lacking notarial competence; (2) performed outside the notary's territorial district (for real estate); (3) performed in breach of recusal rules (e.g. self-dealing or acts involving relatives under Art. 575); (4) parties did not appear; (5) the deed was not read; or (6) signatures are absent.

8Under Article 589 and 590 of the Civil Procedure Code (ГПК), what is required for the certification of a power of attorney (пълномощно) authorizing the disposition of real estate rights?

A.Simultaneous notarial certification of both the signature and the content of the power of attorney (едновременно удостоверяване на подпис и съдържание), entered in the electronic system 'Unity' (Единство)

B.Certification of only the signature without checking or recording the content

C.Simple written form without any notarial certification

D.An oral voice recording made on a mobile phone

Explanation: Under Article 37 of the Law on Obligations and Contracts (ЗЗД) in conjunction with Article 589 and 590 ГПК, powers of attorney for disposing of real estate require simultaneous notarial certification of signature and content, and mandatory recording in the national electronic register 'Unity' (Единство) maintained by the Notary Chamber.

9Under Article 28 of the Notaries and Notarial Activity Act (ЗННД), what mandatory professional registers must every Bulgarian notary maintain in their office?

A.General Register (Общ регистър), Register for Notarial Deeds and Titles, Register for Wills (Регистър за завещанията), Alphabetical Index, and Incoming/Outgoing Ledger

B.Only a guestbook for visiting clients

C.A register of criminal arrests in the municipality

D.A private notebook without any statutory format

Explanation: Under Article 28 ЗННД and Ordinance No. 32 on Notarial Archives, a notary must keep: (1) General Register; (2) Special Register for notarial deeds; (3) Register for wills and declarations; (4) Alphabetical Index; and (5) Incoming/Outgoing Ledger, maintaining strict chronological entry numbers.

10Under Article 29 of the Notaries and Notarial Activity Act (ЗННД), what is the statutory duty of professional secrecy (нотариална тайна) incumbent upon notaries and their employees?

A.Notaries and their staff must maintain secrecy regarding all circumstances and facts that became known to them in connection with the performance of notarial acts, persisting indefinitely even after leaving office

B.Notaries may discuss client transactions freely on public podcasts for educational purposes

C.Secrecy terminates immediately upon the payment of the notarial fee

D.Notaries are only bound to secrecy if the client pays a special confidentiality supplement

Explanation: Under Article 29(1) ЗННД, the notary and employees in the notary office are bound to keep professional secrecy concerning facts and circumstances of which they became aware in the course of their activity, continuing indefinitely after departure from office.

About the Bulgarian Notary Competition Exam Exam

The Bulgarian Notary Competition Exam (Конкурс за заемане на свободни места за нотариуси) is the official state competitive licensing examination organized by the Ministry of Justice (МП) in cooperation with the Notary Chamber of the Republic of Bulgaria under the Notaries and Notarial Activity Act (Закон за нотариусите и нотариалната дейност — ЗННД) and Ordinance No. 36 of January 7, 1998. The competition is initiated by order of the Minister of Justice to fill declared vacancies for notaries in designated regional court districts across the country. Candidates must hold a Master of Laws degree and have at least 3 years of verified legal practice. The examination evaluates mastery of notarial non-contentious proceedings (охранителни производства по ГПК), property transactions, cadastre and property register law (ЗКИР), mortgage creation and release, prenuptial agreements and family property protection (СК), inheritance and wills (ЗН), and corporate transaction formalities (ТЗ). This 100-question English-language MCQ practice bank covers the complete official curriculum for the Bulgarian Notary Competition. Note: official competition papers are in Bulgarian. This bank is an English-language study adaptation designed for conceptual review and test practice — not an official translation or substitute for drafting conveyancing instruments in Bulgarian.

Assessment

State competitive examination administered by the Ministry of Justice (МП) in coordination with the Notary Chamber of the Republic of Bulgaria (Нотариална камара) under Ordinance No. 36 of January 7, 1998. Competitions are declared by order of the Minister of Justice whenever vacancies open in specific judicial court districts (райони на действие). Stage 1 is a written examination covering notarial procedure, real property law, contracts, succession, and commercial transfers. Candidates who achieve a passing score advance to Stage 2 (oral examination). Successful candidates are ranked by combined score and appointed to available district notary seats.

Time Limit

Written exam: 3 hours (Ordinance No. 36, Art. 8(5)). The duration of the oral exam is not published.

Passing Score

Both parts are marked on the 2-6 scale, the mark being the arithmetic mean of the commission members' marks. A written mark of at least good (4) admits the candidate to the oral (Art. 9(1)); only candidates with at least good (4) on both enter the ranking, which is by the arithmetic mean of the two marks (Art. 10(5)).

Exam Fee

Set in the Minister of Justice's order announcing each competition (Ordinance No. 36, Art. 2, item 4). The fee for the 2023 competition was BGN 50. (Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Bulgaria (Министерство на правосъдието — МП) and Notary Chamber of the Republic of Bulgaria (Нотариална камара) under the Notaries and Notarial Activity Act (ЗННД))

Bulgarian Notary Competition Exam Exam Content Outline

Official 50-theme list area

Notarial Law & GPK Non-Contentious Proceedings (Нотариално право и охранителни производства по ГПК)

Notaries and Notarial Activity Act (ЗННД: status, territorial jurisdiction, notary registers, archives, disciplinary liability) and Civil Procedure Code Part Six (ГПК: execution of notarial deeds, authentications of signatures, dates, and contents, notarial invitations, protests, and refusals).

Official 50-theme list area

Property Law, Conveyancing & Land Registration (Вещно право, прехвърляне на имоти и вписвания)

Property Act (ЗС: ownership, co-ownership, partition, building right/superficies, servitudes), Cadastre and Property Register Act (ЗКИР), and Regulations on Inscriptions (Правилник за вписванията: entry of deeds, mortgages, claims, and priority of records).

Official 50-theme list area

Contracts, Obligations & Security Rights (Облигационно право, сделки и обезпечения)

Law on Obligations and Contracts (ЗЗД: preliminary contracts under Art. 19 ZZD, sales, donations, maintenance and care contracts, contractual and statutory mortgages, cancellation of mortgages, and Special Pledges Act - ЗОЗ).

Official 50-theme list area

Family & Succession Law in Notarial Practice (Семейно и наследствено право в нотариалната практика)

Family Code (СК: matrimonial property regimes, prenuptial and marital agreements, spouse consent for disposition of family housing under Art. 26 SK) and Law on Inheritance (ЗН: statutory succession, notarial and holographic wills, acceptance, renunciation, reserved portion).

Official 50-theme list area

Commercial Law & Corporate Notarizations (Търговско право и удостоверявания по ТЗ)

Commercial Act (ТЗ: transfer of company shares under Art. 129 TZ with simultaneous certification of signatures and content, general assembly resolutions of OOD, and transfer of commercial enterprise under Art. 15 TZ).

How to Pass the Bulgarian Notary Competition Exam Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Both parts are marked on the 2-6 scale, the mark being the arithmetic mean of the commission members' marks. A written mark of at least good (4) admits the candidate to the oral (Art. 9(1)); only candidates with at least good (4) on both enter the ranking, which is by the arithmetic mean of the two marks (Art. 10(5)).
Assessment: State competitive examination administered by the Ministry of Justice (МП) in coordination with the Notary Chamber of the Republic of Bulgaria (Нотариална камара) under Ordinance No. 36 of January 7, 1998. Competitions are declared by order of the Minister of Justice whenever vacancies open in specific judicial court districts (райони на действие). Stage 1 is a written examination covering notarial procedure, real property law, contracts, succession, and commercial transfers. Candidates who achieve a passing score advance to Stage 2 (oral examination). Successful candidates are ranked by combined score and appointed to available district notary seats.
Time limit: Written exam: 3 hours (Ordinance No. 36, Art. 8(5)). The duration of the oral exam is not published.
Exam fee: Set in the Minister of Justice's order announcing each competition (Ordinance No. 36, Art. 2, item 4). The fee for the 2023 competition was BGN 50.

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Bulgarian Notary Competition Exam Study Tips from Top Performers

1Master the rules of deed execution under GPK Articles 578–586: verifying party identities, civil capacity, representative powers, title ownership, and compliance with the Cadastre Act (ЗКИР).

2Memorize tax and compliance certificates: know when a tax valuation (данъчна оценка) and certificates under Article 264 of the DOPK (absence of public debts) are mandatory for real estate transactions.

3Understand the mechanics of mortgages: distinguish between contractual mortgages (requiring a notarial deed) and statutory mortgages under Article 60 of the Credit Institutions Act or Article 168 ZZD.

4Review the matrimonial property regimes under the Family Code: know the rules regarding the legal regime of community, separation, and marital contracts, especially the spouse consent requirement for selling a family home (Article 26 SK).

Frequently Asked Questions

How often is the Bulgarian Notary Competition held?

Competitions for notaries are not held on a fixed annual schedule; they are scheduled by the Minister of Justice when vacant notary positions open in specific court districts or when the demographic ratio of notaries to population justifies opening new positions under Art. 10 of the ZNND.

What is the territorial jurisdiction (район на действие) of a Bulgarian Notary?

Under Article 3 of the ZNND, the territorial jurisdiction of a notary strictly coincides with the territory of the corresponding Regional Court (Районен съд). A notary may not perform notarial acts relating to real property located outside their designated district.

What are the formal requirements for transferring company shares in Bulgaria?

Under Article 129(2) of the Commercial Act (ТЗ), the transfer of shares in a limited liability company (ООД) requires a written contract with simultaneous notarial certification of signatures and content performed at the same time.

Can a notary refuse to perform a requested notarial act?

Yes. Under Article 574 of the GPK, a notary is legally required to refuse performance if the requested act violates the law or good morals. The refusal must be reasoned and can be appealed by the interested party to the District Court (Окръжен съд) under Article 577 GPK within 7 days.

Is this practice bank an official publication of the Notary Chamber?

No. This 100-question practice test is an independent English-language educational MCQ study adaptation created to assist candidates in mastering Bulgarian property law, notarial procedure, and corporate formalities tested on the state competition.