A court deadline to accept a Bulgarian inheritance: why silence matters

If you are an adult heir with legal capacity and a Bulgarian court summons you to state whether you accept an inheritance, do not treat the document as an ordinary request from a relative. Under Article 51 of the Succession Act, failure to answer within the period set can result in loss of the right to accept.

There is no universal number of days

The court sets the period after summoning the heir. An interested person can request the procedure; where proceedings already exist against the heir, the court hearing them sets the deadline. Read the order, service details and actual end date. A private email saying “decide by Friday” does not itself produce this consequence.

Check whether acceptance has already occurred

Acceptance may follow an express declaration or conduct unequivocally showing that intention. Disposing of inherited property is not undone as acceptance merely by submitting a later renunciation. Acts limited to preserving assets require a separate assessment.

Before replying, establish known assets and debts and whether acceptance under inventory remains available. Renouncing only the debts or accepting conditionally does not solve the issue. If loss of the right has already been recorded and service is disputed, the remedy must be assessed from the actual proceedings. Do not apply this adult-heir explanation mechanically to children or persons under guardianship.