Arrested in Sofia: 72 hours to get you before a court
Bulgarian procedure allows the prosecutor to extend police detention for no more than 72 hours, and the code is explicit about why: the only purpose of that detention is to secure your appearance before the court within those 72 hours. No measure restricting liberty can be imposed in your absence.
The Bulgarian clock
| Element | Rule | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Prosecutor's extension | No more than 72 hours | Its only purpose is your appearance in court |
| The court decides | Remand in custody or house arrest | On the prosecutor's proposal |
| In your absence | No such measure can be imposed | You must be brought to court |
| Lawyer and interpreter | Rights implemented under EU directives | Including at a surrender hearing |
| Consular notification | On request for foreign nationals | Ask expressly |
The rule that no measure can be imposed in your absence is worth knowing, because it means the hearing will happen and it is the moment where everything is decided. What the defence brings to it — an address, documents, evidence of ties — is what the court weighs.
What actually happens in Sofia
- Nightlife in the centre and the student quarter: fights, public order, theft accusations.
- Stag weekends, which produce group cases where attribution has to be established for each person.
- The airport: customs, luggage and arrests on international alerts.
- The ski resorts within reach of the capital, with the seasonal caseload that follows.
- Financial and cyber proceedings, including card fraud and unauthorised access matters.
- Road traffic, where enforcement is heavy and the thresholds differ from those visitors know.
For cyber and card matters the framework is the same in structure as elsewhere in the Union, and the Italian side of such cases is in the guide on cybercrime charges.
Where an Italian lawyer comes in
Only a lawyer admitted in Bulgaria can appear before its courts. What an Italian lawyer does is the other half: selecting and briefing that lawyer, explaining the position to the family in their own language, and handling anything with an Italian end — a parallel proceeding, a European Arrest Warrant issued by Italy, an alert in circulation. The arrangement is described in how a correspondent case is run, and the surrender framework in the guide on the European Arrest Warrant.
Frequently asked questions
How long can I be held in Bulgaria?
The prosecutor may extend detention for no more than seventy-two hours, and its only lawful purpose is to secure your appearance before the court.
Can they impose a measure without me?
No. Remand in custody and house arrest cannot be imposed in your absence: you must be brought before the court.
What decides the hearing?
What the defence brings: an address, documents and evidence of ties. That is what the court weighs against flight risk.
Do I get an interpreter?
Yes. The right to interpretation and translation is implemented under the EU directives, and it should be asked for expressly.
If this is happening now
First contact is free and covered by professional privilege, at any hour including nights and holidays.