Cadastral sketch in Bulgaria 2026: how to get one, fees, steps
How to get a cadastral sketch of a property in Bulgaria online or at the counter: where it is issued, documents, fees and deadlines for 2026.
Contents8 sections
You are selling a home, taking out a mortgage or starting construction, and suddenly you are asked for a “sketch of the property” (скица на имота). You do not know where to start, or whether you need a sketch at all or something else.
Here it is, clearly and without legal jargon: what a cadastral sketch (кадастрална скица) is, where it is issued (online and at the counter), which documents you need, how much it costs and how long it takes to get it in 2026.
❓Where do you get a cadastral sketch of a property?
Source: ЗКИР, Art. 55
Sketch or scheme? What is the difference
This is the first trap most people fall into. They request the wrong document, pay a fee and wait in vain. The two names sound close, but they are for different types of property.
A sketch is for a land plot: a parcel, a house, a yard, agricultural land. A scheme of a separate unit in a building (схема на самостоятелен обект в сграда) is for an apartment, office, shop or garage, that is, for a separate unit inside a building.
Do not confuse a sketch with a scheme
| Type of property | Document you need | Where from |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel, house, yard, agricultural land | Sketch of a land plot | АГКК / СГКК or the municipality |
| Apartment, office, shop, garage | Scheme of a separate unit | АГКК / СГКК |
| Whole building | Sketch of a building | АГКК / СГКК |
Which document you need depends on the type of property
Where it is issued: the cadastral map (АГКК) or the municipality
Properties in Bulgaria are described by two different plans. Which one applies to your property determines where you get the sketch.
The cadastral map (кадастрална карта) is maintained by the АГКК and its Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre offices (СГКК). The regulation plan (регулационен план) is maintained by the municipality. Not every property has both. The first step is to check which one applies to your property.
The easiest way is to do a check of the property in the cadastre by address or identifier in the КАИС portal. If the property is found there, a cadastral map has come into force for the area and the sketch is issued by the АГКК.
| Feature | Cadastral map (АГКК) | Regulation plan (municipality) |
|---|---|---|
| Maintained by | АГКК and СГКК | The municipal administration |
| When it applies | A cadastral map has come into force for the area | There is no approved cadastral map for the area |
| What it issues | Sketch of a land plot / scheme of a unit | Sketch under the regulation plan |
| Agricultural land | АГКК (if there is a cadastral map) | Municipal agricultural office (ОСЗ) |
How to find out where your sketch is issued
What a combined sketch is
How to get a sketch online through the КАИС portal, step by step
This is the fastest and cheapest way. You do not queue and you pay about 30 per cent less than at the counter. All you need is a qualified electronic signature (КЕП).
Requesting a sketch online through КАИС
Open kais.cadastre.bg, the Cadastral Administrative Information System of the АГКК.
Register or sign in with a КЕП
To receive an electronic document with the electronic signature of the АГКК, you need a qualified electronic signature (КЕП).
Choose the service
“Sketch of a land plot” for a parcel or a house, or “Scheme of a separate unit in a building” for an apartment.
Enter the property identifier
The cadastral identifier or the address of the property. If you do not know it, first do a search by address.
Pay the fee online
The deadline starts to run from the payment. Ordinary service: 7 working days, fast service: 3 working days.
Receive the electronic document
You download a sketch or scheme signed with the electronic signature of the АГКК. It is valid before institutions, banks and notaries.
Ask Pravko and get an answer with citations from the law.
Documents you need
When you apply online, the system prepares the application itself and in most cases you do not upload documents if the property is in the cadastral map. At the counter you bring the following:
Documents for issuing a sketch
What to prepare before you apply
Application on the standard form of the АГКК
Filled in at the counter or automatically when you apply online
Document of ownership (notary deed, нотариален акт)
A copy certified “true to the original” (вярно с оригинала)
Proof of payment of the fee
ID card
When applying at the counter
Special cases
Prices and deadlines for 2026
The fees are set by the АГКК tariff and from 2026 they are in euro and in leva (€1 = BGN 1.95583). Officially there are only two speeds of the service: ordinary and fast. An “express” state fee does not exist, even if you see it advertised by private intermediaries.
Fees for a sketch of a land plot or a scheme of a unit (2026)
At the counter, ordinary (7 working days)
€10.23 / BGN 20
At the counter, fast (3 working days)
€20.45 / BGN 40
Online, ordinary (7 working days)
About 30% cheaper than the counter
€7.16 / BGN 14
Online, fast (3 working days)
€14.33 / BGN 28
Sketch for a non-urbanised territory (agricultural, forest)(optional)
Ordinary service, at the counter
€2.56 / BGN 5
Total
€52.17
The prices are under the АГКК tariff (Tariff No. 14), in two currencies for 2026. Check the current ones at cadastre.bg before you pay.
30% discount only when fully online
A sketch is often needed for the notary deal. If you are buying or selling, also see what the notary fees for buying a property are, so you can plan the whole budget.
How long a sketch is valid
A sketch has no fixed expiry period. It is valid until a change occurs in the data for the property. After a partition, merger, new construction or change of boundaries, the old sketch no longer matches the cadastre and you must get a new one.
Notaries often ask for a recent sketch
Legal basis
The issuing of sketches and schemes is regulated in the Cadastre and Property Register Act (ЗКИР) and in Ordinance No. РД-02-20-4 of 11 October 2016 on the provision of services from the cadastral map and the cadastral registers.
Cadastre and Property Register Act (ЗКИР)
Art. 23
Defines the objects of the cadastre: this is where the difference between a sketch (land plot) and a scheme (separate unit) comes from.
Official Bulgarian text
„Недвижим имот - обект на кадастъра, е: 1. поземлен имот; 2. сграда; 3. самостоятелен обект в сграда или в съоръжение на техническата инфраструктура.“
Cadastre and Property Register Act (ЗКИР)
Art. 55
Regulates the provision of the service and the official character of the sketch and the scheme.
Official Bulgarian text
„Оправомощено лице издава официален документ - скица на поземлен имот или схема на самостоятелен обект, удостоверяващи пред административните и съдебните органи, че данните са регистрирани в одобрената и актуална кадастрална карта и кадастрални регистри.“
From 9 February 2026, amendments to Art. 56 ЗКИР came into force (amended by State Gazette (ДВ) No. 95/2025) concerning the licensed persons who accept applications and provide sketches and schemes. The issuing of the documents itself does not change in substance.
Frequently asked questions
❓Can I get a sketch online?
Source: АГКК / КАИС
Who can get a sketch of someone else’s property?
A sketch can be requested by the owner or by a person authorised by the owner with a notary-certified power of attorney. The sketch contains public cadastral data, but identification is required for issuing it at the counter.
How do I get a sketch of an inherited property?
As an heir, you present a certificate of heirs together with the other documents. This is how the АГКК or the municipality establishes that you have the right to request the sketch for the property of the deceased.
Is a sketch the same as an ownership search?
No. The sketch shows the boundaries and location of the property according to the cadastre. Who the owner is and what encumbrances there are is checked separately in the property register (a search by file number or by personal ID number, ЕГН). For a deal you usually need both.
Have a question about whether you need a sketch, a scheme or a combined sketch?
Ask Pravko and get an answer with citations from the law.
⚠️ Important
Pravko provides legal information, but it does not replace advice from a lawyer. For important legal matters, consult a licensed lawyer.
