Permissible area difference: sketch vs notary deed in Bulgaria
No fixed percentage: the permissible difference in area follows a formula in the cadastre ordinance. See how many sq m are allowed for your property.
The notary deed (нотариален акт, the title deed for a property in Bulgaria) says 459 sq m. The cadastral sketch (скица, an official extract of the property from the cadastral map) says 486 sq m. The buyer is hesitating, the bank is asking questions, and you do not know which number is the right one.
The good news: the law gives an exact answer to how much difference is permissible. It is not a percentage and it is not a round number, but a formula that you can work out yourself in a minute.
❓What is the permissible difference between the area in the sketch and in the notary deed?
Source: Ordinance No. РД-02-20-5 of 15.12.2016, Art. 18 to 20
Work out your case here. Enter the two areas and choose what kind of property it is.
Check: is your difference within the permissible limit
Permissible distance error under Art. 18
0.20 m
Permissible area difference under Art. 19
8.57 sq m
Your difference
27.00 sq m (5.88%)
Above the permissible limit. There is a basis to ask for a check and a correction.
The result is indicative. The exact assessment is made after a control measurement of the boundary points by a licensed cadastral surveyor.
The formula is from Art. 19 of Ordinance No. РД-02-20-5 of 15 December 2016: the permissible difference is twice the distance error, multiplied by the square root of the area. The calculator uses the smaller of the two areas entered. It does not replace a control measurement on site and does not prove who the owner is.
Ask Pravko and get an answer with citations from the law.
What exactly the law says
Most articles on the topic answer “it depends on the case”. It does depend, but not entirely. There is a written rule, and it is in the ordinance on the cadastral map.
The ordinance sets permissible values for the errors in surveying the boundaries, and then says expressly what follows from them for the area.
Ordinance No. РД-02-20-5 of 15 December 2016 on the content, creation and maintenance of the cadastral map and the cadastral registers
Art. 20(2)
Official Bulgarian text
„Разликата в площта на имота, записана в кадастралния регистър на недвижимите имоти и в документа за собственост, не се счита за грешка и не е основание за изменение на кадастралната карта, ако грешките в абсолютното положение на подробните точки от границите на имота и грешките в контролните дължини отговарят на изискванията по чл. 18, ал. 4 или 5.“
Translated: if the boundaries were surveyed within the permissible error, the difference in area is not an error. It cannot be corrected, however much it annoys you.
Be careful about the direction of the check. The law does not measure the difference in area, but the errors in the boundary points. The formula under Art. 19 converts the same permissible errors into square metres and is therefore a good guide, but the answer of the Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Service (СГКК) comes after a control measurement of the boundaries. A small difference in area is a strong sign, not proof.
The act itself says the same thing, only about the coordinates of the boundary points.
Cadastre and Property Register Act (ЗКИР)
Art. 54(3)
Official Bulgarian text
„Не се смята за непълнота или грешка в кадастралната карта разликата в координатите на точка от граница, определена от кадастралната карта и чрез геодезически измервания, когато е по-малка от допустимата, определена с наредбата по чл. 31.“
8.94 sq m
This is the permissible difference for an urban property of 500 sq m with a permanent boundary. Anything above it is no longer rounding.
Source: Calculated under Art. 19 of Ordinance No. РД-02-20-5
Table: how many sq m are permissible for your property
The error depends on two questions: is the property in a town or outside it, and is there a permanent boundary on the ground (a fence, a wall) or only stakes and a line on a plan.
| Type of territory and boundary | Permissible distance error | At 300 sq m | At 500 sq m | At 1000 sq m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town, permanent boundary (fence, wall) | 0.20 m | 6.93 sq m | 8.94 sq m | 12.65 sq m |
| Town, non-permanent boundary | 0.40 m | 13.86 sq m | 17.89 sq m | 25.30 sq m |
| Outside town, permanent boundary | 0.40 m | 13.86 sq m | 17.89 sq m | 25.30 sq m |
| Outside town, non-permanent boundary | 0.80 m | 27.71 sq m | 35.78 sq m | 50.60 sq m |
| Outside town, by plan only | 1.20 m | 41.57 sq m | 53.67 sq m | 75.89 sq m |
Calculated under Art. 19 of Ordinance No. РД-02-20-5, with the error values from Art. 18(4) and (5).
Note how small the permissible difference is in a town. If your property is in a residential area, with a fence, and is 500 sq m by the deed and 540 sq m by the sketch, those 40 sq m are more than four times the permissible amount. That is no longer rounding, but something that needs to be clarified.
First check what you are comparing
Which area is the correct one
This question is posed wrongly, and that is exactly why people go in circles. A property is not defined by its area but by its boundaries.
The cadastre records boundaries with geodetic coordinates. The area is calculated from them, so it is a consequence, not an independent fact.
Cadastre and Property Register Act (ЗКИР)
Art. 27(1), item 1
The basic cadastral data for a land plot are the identifier, boundaries and area, determined by the geodetic coordinates of the points that define them, permanent designation, manner of permanent use and address.
Two things follow from this that will save you some nerves.
First, the registration of the property in the cadastre with a different area does not increase or reduce your ownership. The cadastral map records; it does not transfer rights.
Second, the larger number is not automatically the “right” one. If the sketch shows more, it may mean that a previous owner moved the fence and the survey picked up someone else's piece of land.
A larger sketch does not mean more property
The other threshold: 1/10 at the sale itself
So far we have talked about the cadastre. In a sale, however, a different rule applies, and it has a concrete number: one tenth.
Obligations and Contracts Act (ЗЗД)
Art. 210
Official Bulgarian text
„При продажба на недвижим имот с посочване на пространството и на цената за всяка единица мярка, когато действителното пространство се окаже по-голямо или по-малко от посоченото в договора, цената на имота се увеличава или намалява съответно. Купувачът обаче може да се откаже от договора, ако пространството е с 1/10 по-голямо или по-малко от показаното в договора.“
That is, in a sale with a price per square metre, the price is adjusted according to the actual area, and where the difference is one tenth the buyer may withdraw from the contract. Where the price is set as a lump sum for the whole property, the same article provides separate rules for rescission and for a reduction or increase of the price.
These rights do not last for ever. The deadline is short and starts to run from the handover of the property, not from the signing at the notary.
Obligations and Contracts Act (ЗЗД)
Art. 211
Official Bulgarian text
„Исковете за упражняване на правата по предходния член трябва да бъдат предявени в една година от предаването на имота.“
1 year
from the handover of the property, for a claim because of a difference in area under Art. 210 of the Obligations and Contracts Act (ЗЗД)
After this deadline the claim is extinguished. The difference in area remains, but the right to ask for a reduction of the price or rescission of the contract is lost.
Check the sketch BEFORE you go to the notary
If the difference is above the permissible limit: how to correct it
This is where the procedure begins. It has an administrative route and a court route, and the choice is not yours but depends on whether anyone disputes ownership.
Amending the cadastral map for an error in the area
Get a current sketch and see the area in the cadastre
3 to 7 working daysThe sketch is requested online through the КАИС portal (the cadastre's online services portal) or at the counter of the Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Service (СГКК) for the place where the property is located.
Commission a combined sketch for identity
depends on the surveyorA licensed cadastral surveyor (правоспособно лице по кадастър) compares the cadastral map with the earlier plans and with your ownership document and shows where the difference comes from. From 9 February 2026 the same person can also issue an opinion on identity.
A project for amending the cadastral map is prepared
The project is also prepared by a licensed cadastral surveyor. Without a project, the СГКК cannot correct anything.
File an application with the СГКК with the written evidence
Attach the project and the documents that prove the boundaries and the area under your title of ownership.
The СГКК notifies the interested persons
These are the neighbours whose properties are affected. If any of them claims ownership, the administrative route stops here.
The head of the СГКК issues an order
The order approves the amendment and comes with a draft sketch. It is notified to the affected persons under the Administrative Procedure Code (АПК).
Appeal, if the order does not suit you
14 days from notificationBefore the administrative court for the place where the property is located, under the Administrative Procedure Code (АПК).
14 days
from notification of the order, to appeal before the administrative court
The deadline under Art. 149(1) of the Administrative Procedure Code (АПК) runs from notification, not from issue. If you miss it, the order enters into force.
If the neighbour says “this part is mine”, the dispute is no longer technical. The cadastre does not decide who the owner is, and the act says so directly.
Cadastre and Property Register Act (ЗКИР)
Art. 54(2)
Official Bulgarian text
„Когато непълнотата или грешката е свързана със спор за материално право, тя се отстранява след решаване на спора по съдебен ред.“
In that case a case about ownership is brought. The final court judgment, together with a project for amendment, is the basis for changing the cadastral map.
What to prepare
Documents for a difference between the sketch and the notary deed
Notary deed or another ownership document*
Including the earlier deeds, if the property has changed owners
Current cadastral sketch or diagram*
From the СГКК or through the КАИС portal
Cadastral identifier of the property*
Old sketch or previous regulation plan
Shows under which plan the property was described in the old deed
Combined sketch for full or partial identity
Prepared by a licensed cadastral surveyor
Photos on site, if the dispute is about a fence or a building
* Mandatory
How much it costs
Costs of clarifying the difference in area
Sketch of a property in a town, online, ordinary (7 working days)
Through the КАИС portal. The electronic service has a 30% lower fee than the counter.
€7.16
Sketch of a property in a town, at the counter, ordinary
€10.23
Sketch of a property outside urbanised territory (field, forest), online
At the counter the same sketch is €2.56. Agricultural and forest land is many times cheaper than urban property.
€1.79
Sketch in a town, at the counter, express service (3 working days)(optional)
For express service the fee is increased by 100 per cent
€20.46
Combined sketch for identity
A service of a licensed cadastral surveyor, there is no state tariff
by agreement
Project for amending the cadastral map(optional)
Also commissioned from a licensed cadastral surveyor
by agreement
State fees are under Tariff No. 14, in euro following its amendment of 6 February 2026. Check the current ones on cadastre.bg before you pay. The surveyor's work is a market service and the price depends on the property and the area.
Five mistakes that cost a lot
What not to do
Frequently asked questions
Which area should I write in the tax declaration?
This article does not cover taxation. The general practice is to use the property data from the cadastre, but the specific case depends on the municipality and on your document. Check with the “Local Taxes and Fees” department of your municipality.
Can the area in the notary deed be corrected?
The deed itself is not “corrected” as a document. The cadastral map is corrected under the procedure described above, and then, at the next transaction, the property is described with the current data. If the difference is linked to a dispute over ownership, the question is decided by a court.
Does the difference stop the sale?
Not automatically. The notary checks the right of ownership, not whether the areas match to the square metre. But buyers and banks often want the difference to be explained before they sign.
What if my property is not in the cadastral map at all?
That is a different case, called an omission (непълнота): the property is not shown as an independent object but as part of another. The procedure for correction is the same, under Art. 54 of the Cadastre and Property Register Act (ЗКИР).
Who pays the surveyor in a sale?
There is no legal rule. It is agreed between the parties. In practice the cost most often falls on whoever has an interest in the deal happening.
Related topics
If you have not yet obtained a sketch, start with how to get a cadastral sketch of a property. You can also see the area and boundaries for free through a property check in the cadastre. For registrations and encumbrances, see the Property Register search, and for the full regulation of the cadastre, the analysis of the Cadastre and Property Register Act.
Ask Pravko and get an answer with citations from the law.
Pravko provides legal information, but it does not replace consulting a lawyer. For important legal questions, consult a licensed lawyer.
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Pravko provides legal information, but it does not replace advice from a lawyer. For important legal matters, consult a licensed lawyer.
