PCT NATIONAL PHASE ENTRY
Bulgaria

Bulgaria has been a member of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) since December 25, 1991. Additionally, the country is a signatory to the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for Patent Procedures and the Patent Law Treaty (PLT).

The deadline for entering the national phase of a PCT application in Bulgaria is 31 months from the priority date.

The official language for patent applications in Bulgaria is Bulgarian.  If the application is filed in a language other than Bulgarian, the filing date may be maintained if Bulgarian translation is filed within three months of that date. This deadline cannot be extended.

The 30-month deadline for filing the national phase application in Bulgaria cannot be extended.

The necessary documents for filing a national phase application in Bulgaria include:

Power of Attorney: A signed and stamped copy of the POA must be submitted within 3 months of receiving a deficiency notification from the Bulgarian Patent Office (BPO). Legalization or notarization of the Power of Attorney is not necessary.

The filing fee is generously reduced by 50% for applicants who are the inventor themselves, a state educational institution, an academic research organization, a budgetary organization, or a small or medium-sized enterprise, offering a remarkable opportunity for these entities to benefit from significant cost savings in the application process.

Bulgarian patent law no longer requires a separate request for substantive examination, unlike in the past.  The fee for the substantive examination, along with other fees, needs to be paid at the time of filing the application.

No renewals are due throughout the application process. The first renewal is paid 3 months after the grant date to the Bulgarian Patent Office. This payment must cover all renewals that would have been due throughout the application process. After the first renewal has been paid, all subsequent renewals must be paid annually on the anniversary of the filing date. The due date should be the month and date corresponding to the filing date. If the payment is not made by this date, it can still be made within six months, with a 100% late payment surcharge.

In Bulgaria, the standard validity period for patents is 20 years from the international filing date. However, this term can be extended up to an additional 5 years, reaching a maximum of 25 years, through the application and subsequent approval of a Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC). This extension is specifically available for patents related to pharmaceutical and plant protection products, providing an exceptional opportunity for patentees to secure prolonged market exclusivity, safeguarding their innovations and investments.

Bulgaria is ranked 38th out of the 133 economies listed in the GII 2024, showing an improvement over last year. The country holds the 32nd position in innovation outputs, reflecting its progress in this area. Bulgaria excels particularly in Infrastructure, where it ranks 22nd, followed by Creative Outputs at 27th and Knowledge and Technology Outputs at 30th, highlighting its strengths in these key innovation-driven sectors.

Bulgaria has made significant strides in terms of development over the years, especially since its transition to a democratic and market-oriented economy following the end of communist rule in 1989. Bulgaria became a member of the European Union (EU) in 2007, which significantly boosted its economic development by opening up access to EU funding, improving trade relations, and aligning its regulations with European standards. Over the past decade, the country has experienced steady economic growth. It has seen a rise in its GDP and improvement in infrastructure, with significant investments in transportation (roads, highways, and railways) and energy sectors. The country has been investing in renewable energy sources, particularly solar and wind energy. The government is working towards reducing its dependence on fossil fuels and increasing energy efficiency, aligning with EU environmental goals.