Bulgaria introduces an electronic Register of arbitrations
On 3 December 2025, Bulgaria enacted Regulation No. H‑2 of 18 November 2025, which establishes a unified, fully electronic Register of Arbitrations at the Ministry of Justice, standardising rules for registration, access and retention for Bulgarian‑seated institutions and proceedings. The Regulation mandates structured electronic files, qualified e‑signatures, tiered access (i.e. public, administrative and judicial) and time‑bound services, markedly improving transparency and interoperability compared with prior practice.
The new Regulation also governs the conditions and procedures for maintaining, accessing and storing the Register of Arbitrations under the Bulgarian Arbitration Act, with the Ministry of Justice designated as the operator. The Register will contain and electronically maintain information for:
· permanent arbitration institutions seated in Bulgaria;
· ad hoc arbitration proceedings with a Bulgarian place of arbitration; and
· arbitration proceedings administered by foreign arbitration institutions with a Bulgarian place of arbitration.
Applications for entries, amendments or deletions must be filed with a qualified e‑signature, and standard declaration templates are available in a dedicated section.
For permanent institutions, applications by the legal representative or an expressly authorised proxy must include detailed particulars on the host legal entity, offices and governance, at least three arbitrators and any specialisation, with supporting evidence on statutory qualifications, rules, fees and premises. Institutions must provide administrative access credentials to their electronic case‑management system via a designated Ministry address, which are deactivated if registration is refused.
For ad hoc and foreign‑institution proceedings, the presiding arbitrator will file within seven days of their constitution, providing arbitrator and party particulars with the arbitration claim and a reply (if any), including hearing notices and the award. Changes in registered circumstances must be reported within seven days. Deregistration of the arbitration institution should also be reported if the relevant legal conditions are in place.
Electronic access to the Register of arbitrations is free and public for information on registered circumstances for permanent institutions and the names and professions of arbitrators. All other data and documents are restricted to the Minister of Justice and authorised officers, the Inspectorate to the Minister of Justice, and the courts.
The Ministry will provide continued access to the Register for administrators of the Supreme Court of Cassation and all regional courts, who then will provide judges with access under internal procedures. Judges of the Supreme Court of Cassation and of regional courts (including Sofia City Court) are entitled to access arbitration institutions’ electronic case‑management systems for setting‑aside actions and writs of execution, upon a qualified e‑signature request sent to the institution’s registered email. The institution must grant access the same day via the secure electronic service of process system, unless another secure method is agreed upon. Supreme Court annulment and nullity decisions and regional‑court refusals to issue writs of execution based on arbitration awards are transmitted to the Ministry of Justice and attached ex officio to the relevant file in the Register of arbitrations.
Public searches are supported by six criteria: host legal‑entity name, unique identification number (UIC/BULSTAT), institution name, arbitrator name, party name, and period, with party‑name searches returning only the existence and number of relevant cases. Paid information services include certificates, written extracts and certified paper copies, with electronic or paper application.
In conclusion, the Regulation introduces a fully electronic interoperable register that enjoys public visibility, which will materially enhance transparency and oversight. Although arbitration institutions will face organisational and reporting duties, there will be a benefit from clearer procedures, faster services, the ability of users to gain reliable public searches and the creation of stronger judicial safeguards.
For more information on this Regulation, contact your CMS client partner or the CMS expert who wrote this article.
Antonia Kehayova, author
Counsel, CMS Sofia
