Table of Contents
- Data Sources
- Company Identifiers
- Search Capabilities
- Quirks & Gotchas
- Mappings
- Data Availability
- Example API Responses
Data Sources
Bulgaria uses a single official registry for all company data.- Trade Register (Търговски регистър) — Operated by the Registry Agency (Агенция по вписванията) under the Ministry of Justice, the Trade Register is the official commercial register for all legal entities in Bulgaria. It is our primary source for all Bulgarian entities, providing structured data for company identification, status, legal form, address, share capital, shareholders, legal representatives, supervisory board members, and UBOs.
- Open Data (data.egov.bg) — Bulk datasets published periodically by the Registry Agency on Bulgaria’s government Open Data portal. Contains historical deed filings with company data including status, legal form, address, capital, activity codes (NKID/NACE), legal representatives, and shareholders. Used for search and onboarding profile (fast, pre-indexed lookups).
Open Data for fast lookups: The seach and onboarding profile use
pre-indexed Open Data for sub-second response times. The company profile and
UBO endpoints query the live Trade Register for the most current data.
Data Source Priority & Routing
For a given entity, data can come from both sources in parallel — the live Trade Register API and the pre-indexed Open Data. When both sources return data, results are merged with the live registry taking priority for freshness.Source Priority for Company Profile:
- Trade Register (Live API) — Real-time query to the Registry Agency portal for the most current data
- Open Data (Pre-indexed) — Batch-processed data providing fast lookups with broader field coverage (activity codes, NACE/ISIC)
Attribute-Level Source Mapping
| Attribute | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Company name, legal form, status | Trade Register | From live deed data |
Latin transliteration (legalNameInEnglish) | Trade Register | From official transliteration field |
| Registered address | Trade Register | Structured parsing of Bulgarian address format |
| Share capital | Trade Register | Amount + currency (BGN, EUR, USD) |
| Activity description | Trade Register | Bulgarian text description of business purpose |
| Activity codes (NKID/NACE/ISIC) | Open Data | Deterministic classification chain |
| Legal representatives | Both | Live API for current data, Open Data for batch |
| Shareholders | Both | Partners (OOD) or sole owner (EOOD) with capital amounts |
| UBOs | Trade Register | Live-only (always fetched fresh) |
Company Identifiers
Query Identifiers
| Company Type | Source | Format | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All companies | Trade Register | 9 digits (UIC/EIK) | 831094393 | Unified Identification Code — accepted for all endpoints |
| Sole traders | Trade Register | 13 digits (UIC/EIK) | 1234567890123 | Extended format for sole traders |
The UIC (Unified Identification Code), also known as EIK (Единен
идентификационен код), is the primary identifier used across all endpoints.
You can also search by VAT number using the
BG prefix (e.g., BG831094393).Identifiers in API Response
Once you retrieve company data, theidentifiers object contains:
| Identifier Type | Format | Example | Found In |
|---|---|---|---|
uic | 9 or 13 digits | 831094393 | All companies |
VAT | 9 digits | 831094393 | VAT-registered companies (via VIES check) |
Search Capabilities
| Search Type | Pattern | Example | Match Type | Expected Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| By UIC/EIK (9 digits) | ^\d{9}$ | 831094393 | Exact | Single company (1 result) |
| By UIC/EIK (13 digits) | ^\d{13}$ | 1234567890123 | Exact | Single company (1 result) |
| By VAT Number | ^BG\d{9}$ | BG831094393 | Exact | Single company (1 result) |
| By Name (Cyrillic) | Cyrillic text | ВИВАКОМ | Fuzzy | Multiple results (up to 25) |
Search Source Priority
Search queries use both pre-built indexes and live registry lookups:- Pre-built index by ID — Fast lookup in pre-indexed Open Data for identifier-based searches
- Pre-built index by name — Full-text search in pre-indexed Open Data for name-based searches
- VAT number lookup — Validates VAT via EU VIES service, then searches by VIES-returned company name
- Live Trade Register by name — Fallback to live API for name searches not found in index
- Live Trade Register by ID — Fallback to live API for ID searches not found in index
Supported Entity Families
| Entity Family | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Companies | ✅ | ООД, ЕООД, АД, ЕАД, СД, КД, КДА, ЕДПК — all commercial legal forms |
| Sole traders / entrepreneurs | ✅ | ЕТ (Едноличен търговец) — 13-digit UIC format |
| Associations / organisations | ✅ | Сдружение, Фондация, Народно читалище — registered in the Trade Register |
| Closed / dissolved entities | ✅ | Companies in liquidation, insolvency, or ceased — status detected from deed codes and name text |
Quirks & Gotchas
| Quirk | Details |
|---|---|
| Cyrillic-only name search | Company names are registered in Cyrillic. Name searches must use Cyrillic characters. Latin text will return no results. |
| Rate limiting | The Trade Register applies aggressive rate limiting (~6 requests before temporary block). Responses return HTTP 200 with an empty body rather than HTTP 429. |
| Status from company name | Company status can be inferred from the company name itself (e.g., names containing “в ликвидация” or “в несъстоятелност”), which takes priority over the deed status code. |
| Capital in BGN | Share capital is predominantly in Bulgarian Lev (BGN), though EUR and USD are supported for foreign-invested companies. |
| Latin transliteration | Many companies have an official Latin transliteration of their name registered in the Trade Register, returned as legalNameInEnglish. This is a transliteration, not a translation. |
| Shareholder availability | OOD (LLC) companies have multiple partners with share amounts. EOOD (Single-Member LLC) companies have a sole owner at 100%. KD (Limited Partnership) companies have general and limited partners. AD/EAD (joint-stock) companies do not disclose shareholders in the Trade Register. |
| No NACE from live API | Activity codes (NKID/NACE/ISIC) are only available from Open Data. The live Trade Register API returns only a free-text activity description that we reuse to infer NACE and ISIC codes (AI). |
| Address availability | Some companies, particularly older registrations, may not have a structured address in the registry. Address availability is ~67-100% depending on company type. |
| UBO data varies | UBO declarations are only available for companies that have filed beneficial ownership declarations. Not all companies have UBO filings. |
Mappings
Company Status
Company status is determined deterministically from deed status codes and company name patterns — no AI inference is involved.Deed Status Codes
| Code | Bulgarian Status | English | Standardized Status | Closure Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Вписан | Registered | Active | — |
| N | Новорегистриран | Newly Registered | Active | — |
| E | Вписана промяна | Amended | Active | — |
| L | В ликвидация | In Liquidation | Closed | Liquidation |
| C | Прекратено | Ceased | Closed | Voluntary Dissolution |
Status Detection from Company Name
When the company name contains specific keywords, the status is overridden regardless of the deed status code:| Name Pattern | English | Standardized Status | Closure Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| в ликвидация | In Liquidation | Closed | Liquidation |
| в несъстоятелност | In Insolvency | Under Insolvency Proceeding | Bankruptcy |
| прекратено / заличен | Ceased / Struck Off | Closed | Administrative Dissolution |
Company name patterns take priority over deed status codes. A company with
deed status
E (Amended) but “в ликвидация” in its name is correctly mapped
as Closed with Liquidation as the closure reason.Legal Forms
Bulgaria uses numeric codes from the Trade Register and string codes from Open Data. The deterministic mapping covers all common legal forms (18 types). For any legal form not in the static map, the system uses AI enrichment to provide English translations, standardized types, and ISO 20275 codes. The local Bulgarian legal form name is always preserved verbatim.Common Legal Forms
| Bulgarian Name | Abbreviation | English Translation | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Дружество с ограничена отговорност | ООД | Limited Liability Company | Limited Liability Company | VJ3G |
| Еднолично дружество с ограничена отговорност | ЕООД | Single-Member Limited Liability Company | Limited Liability Company | WVIN |
| Акционерно дружество | АД | Joint Stock Company | Corporation | WTK4 |
| Еднолично акционерно дружество | ЕАД | Single-Member Joint Stock Company | Corporation | EJ06 |
| Инвестиционно акционерно дружество | ИАД | Investment Joint Stock Company | Corporation | WTK4 |
Sole Traders
| Bulgarian Name | Abbreviation | English Translation | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Едноличен търговец | ЕТ | Sole Trader | Sole Proprietorship | 946C |
Partnerships
| Bulgarian Name | Abbreviation | English Translation | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Събирателно дружество | СД | General Partnership | Partnership | FPP2 |
| Командитно дружество | КД | Limited Partnership | Partnership | S94S |
| Командитно дружество с акции | КДА | Limited Partnership with Shares | Partnership | HN63 |
Cooperatives
| Bulgarian Name | Abbreviation | English Translation | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Кооперация | К | Cooperative | Cooperative | CTCH |
Non-Profits & Public Entities
| Bulgarian Name | Abbreviation | English Translation | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Сдружение | Сдр | Association | Nonprofit Organization | — |
| Фондация | Ф | Foundation | Nonprofit Organization | — |
| Народно читалище | НЧ | Community Center | Nonprofit Organization | — |
| Търговско предприятие на публичноправен субект | ТППД | Trading Enterprise of Public Law Entity | Government-Owned Entity | — |
Branch Offices
| Bulgarian Name | Abbreviation | English Translation | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Клон на чуждестранен търговец | Клон / КЧТ | Branch of Foreign Trader | Branch or Representative Office | — |
| Клон на чуждестранно юридическо лице | КЧЮЛ | Branch of Foreign Legal Entity | Branch or Representative Office | — |
Variable Capital Companies
| Bulgarian Name | Abbreviation | English Translation | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Еднолично дружество с променлив капитал | ЕДПК | Single-Member Variable Capital Company | Limited Liability Company | — |
The deterministic mapping covers the 18 most common Bulgarian legal forms. For
all other legal forms encountered in the Trade Register, the system uses AI
enrichment to provide English translations, standardized types, and ISO 20275
codes. The local Bulgarian legal form name is always preserved verbatim.
Legal Representatives
The deterministic mapping covers the most common Bulgarian executive roles (11 types). For unknown roles, keyword matching on Bulgarian text is used to infer the standardized role. Role names are preserved in Bulgarian alongside the English translation.Common Executive & Management Roles — can bind the company
Common Executive & Management Roles — can bind the company
| Bulgarian Role | English Translation | Standardized Role |
|---|---|---|
| Управител | Manager | Managing Director |
| Управител на клон | Branch Manager | Managing Director |
| Изпълнителен директор | Executive Director | Executive Director |
| Главен изпълнителен директор | Chief Executive Director | CEO |
| Председател на управителния съвет | Chairman of the Management Board | Chairman |
| Член на управителния съвет | Member of the Management Board | Board Member |
| Представител | Representative | Authorized Signatory |
| Прокурист | Procurator | Authorized Signatory |
| Ликвидатор | Liquidator | Liquidator |
| Синдик | Receiver / Trustee in Bankruptcy | Receiver |
| Председател | Chairman | Chairman |
The most common role is Управител (Manager) for OOD/EOOD companies and
Изпълнителен директор (Executive Director) for AD/EAD companies. Both
individual and corporate legal representatives are supported. Roles not in the
static mapping are classified via keyword matching on the Bulgarian role text
(e.g., a role containing “директор” is mapped to Director).
Other Key Persons
Board members, auditors, and controllers are extracted separately from legal representatives. Common board and audit roles (6 types) are mapped deterministically. Unknown roles are classified via keyword matching on the Bulgarian text, falling back toOther when no keyword matches.
Common Board & Supervisory Roles — oversight, NOT legal representatives
Common Board & Supervisory Roles — oversight, NOT legal representatives
| Bulgarian Role | English Translation | Standardized Role |
|---|---|---|
| Член на надзорния съвет | Supervisory Board Member | Supervisory Board Member |
| Контрольор | Controller / Auditor | Auditor |
| Член на проверителната комисия | Verification Commission Member | Auditor |
| Член на настоятелството | Board of Trustees Member | Board Member |
| Председател | Chairman | Board Member |
| Член | Board Member | Board Member |
Shareholders
Shareholders are extracted from the Trade Register for OOD, EOOD, and KD companies. AD/EAD (joint-stock) companies do not disclose individual shareholders in the Bulgarian Trade Register.Extraction Logic
| Legal Form | Source | Data Available |
|---|---|---|
| ООД (LLC) | Partners list | Multiple shareholders with nominal capital held and share percentage |
| ЕООД (Single-Member LLC) | Sole owner | Single shareholder at 100% ownership |
| КД (Limited Partnership) | General + limited partners | General partners (unlimited liability) and limited partners |
| АД / ЕАД (Joint Stock) | — | Not available (shareholders not disclosed in Trade Register) |
Ownership Fields
| Field | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
sharePercentage | Ownership percentage | Computed from nominal capital held / total capital |
nominalCapitalHeld | Absolute capital held | Amount in company currency (typically BGN) |
Both individual and corporate shareholders are supported. Corporate
shareholders include the company’s legal name, registration number (when
available), and country code. Foreign corporate shareholders are identified by
markers in the registry text.
Activity Code Mapping
Bulgaria uses the NKID (Национална класификация на икономическите дейности) classification, which is Bulgaria’s national transposition of the European NACE Rev. 2 standard.| Classification | Source | Example | AI Inferred? |
|---|---|---|---|
| NKID | Open Data (official) | 6201 | No |
| NACE | Derived from NKID (identical structure) | 62.01 | No (formal mapping) |
| ISIC | Derived from NACE via UN correspondence table | 6201 | No (formal mapping) |
| NACE | AI-inferred from activity description | 62.01 | Yes (when Open Data unavailable) |
| ISIC | AI-inferred from activity description | 6201 | Yes (when Open Data unavailable) |
When Open Data provides a NKID code, the full NKID → NACE → ISIC chain is
deterministic (no AI). When only the live Trade Register API is available
(company not yet in Open Data), NACE and ISIC codes are AI-inferred from
the free-text activity description. Check the
isAIInferred flag on each
activity code to distinguish.Data Availability
Data Availability Matrix
| Data Type | Open Data (Pre-indexed) | Trade Register (Live) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onboarding Profile | ✅ Fast | ✅ Fallback | Pre-indexed for sub-second response |
| Company Profile | ✅ | ✅ | Both sources contribute in parallel |
| Legal Representatives | ✅ | ✅ | Live for current data, Open Data for batch |
| Other Key Persons | ✅ | ✅ | Supervisory board, auditors, controllers |
| Shareholders | ✅ | ✅ | OOD/EOOD only (not AD/EAD) |
| Ultimate Beneficial Owners | ❌ | ✅ | Live-only (always fetched fresh) |
| Activity Codes | ✅ | ❌ | NKID/NACE/ISIC from Open Data only |
| Activity Description | ❌ | ✅ | Free-text from live API only |
| VAT Validation (taxId) | — | ✅ (via VIES) | EU VAT verification with consultation number |
| Documents | — | ✅ | Trade Register Extract + conditional documents |
Documents by Company Type
| Document Type | API Category | Format | SKU | Price | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade Register Extract | tradeRegisterExtract | bgr-register-extract | €2.00 | ✅ All companies | |
| Articles of Association | articlesOfAssociation | bgr-articles-of-association | €2.00 | Conditional | |
| Financial Statements | financialStatement | bgr-financial-statements | €2.00 | Conditional |
The Trade Register Extract is always available for any registered company.
Articles of Association and Financial Statements are available only
when the company has filed them with the registry. Additional document types
(shareholder meeting notices, transformation plans, insolvency documents) may
be available depending on the company’s filing history.
Conditional Document Types
Conditional Document Types
The following additional documents may be available depending on the company’s filing history:
| Category | Documents |
|---|---|
| Financial | Annual Financial Statement, Annual Activity Report, Management Board Report |
| Corporate Actions | New Share Subscription Invitation, Capital Increase Resolution, Shareholder Privileges Resolution, Share Buyback Proposal |
| Official Publications | Shareholders Meeting Notice, Bondholders Meeting Notice, Bond Loan Notice, Minority Shareholders Proposal |
| Transformation | Transformation Plan, Transformation Board Report |
| Insolvency | Accepted Claims List, Distribution Account Notice, Foreign Creditor Summons, Court Order on Accepted Claims |
| Non-Profit | NFPO Members Meeting Notice, NFPO Registration Changes |
Example API Responses
All examples use placeholder data. Query:POST /company with { "id": "123456789", "countryCode": "BG", "dataPoints": ["companyProfile"] }
Active OOD (Limited Liability Company) with Shareholders
Active OOD (Limited Liability Company) with Shareholders
Active EOOD (Single-Member LLC) with Sole Owner
Active EOOD (Single-Member LLC) with Sole Owner
Active EAD (Single-Member Joint Stock Company)
Active EAD (Single-Member Joint Stock Company)
Closed Company (In Liquidation)
Closed Company (In Liquidation)
UBO Response
UBO Response
Query: Note: UBO data is fetched live from the Trade Register beneficial ownership declarations. Not all companies have UBO filings — the field may be absent if no declaration has been filed.
POST /company with { "id": "123456789", "countryCode": "BG", "dataPoints": ["ultimateBeneficialOwners"] }Available Documents
Available Documents
Query: Note: The Trade Register Extract is always available. Articles of Association and Financial Statements are conditional — only listed when the company has filed them with the registry.
POST /company with { "id": "123456789", "countryCode": "BG", "dataPoints": ["availableDocuments"] }