Terms of Cooperation

How these Terms work

These Terms of Cooperation are intended to sit alongside Bulgaria For Business’ separate Terms of Use, Payment Terms, Disclaimer, Privacy Notice, Cookie Policy and any service-specific engagement confirmation. If there is a conflict, the written engagement confirmation for the relevant matter should normally prevail over these general Terms.

1. Purpose and scope

These Terms of Cooperation explain how Bulgaria For Business works with clients and prospective clients. They apply to all professional services that we agree to provide, unless a written engagement confirmation, service-specific agreement or mandatory law states otherwise.

Bulgaria For Business is an integrated professional services provider supporting international businesses and individuals with business expansion, establishment, operations and investment in Bulgaria. Our services may include company establishment, corporate and contract support, tax and accounting coordination, VAT and compliance support, licensing assistance, real estate support, recruitment and HR administration, payroll coordination, salary benchmarking and business acquisition advisory.

These Terms do not, by themselves, create a client engagement. A client engagement starts only when we confirm in writing that we have accepted the engagement and have agreed the scope, fees, parties and any required onboarding conditions.

References to “Bulgaria For Business”, “we”, “us” or “our” mean trading as Bulgaria For Business, and, where the context requires, our directors, employees, consultants and approved professional team members. References to “Client”, “you” or “your” mean the person or entity requesting, receiving or paying for our services.

2. Relationship with engagement documents

For each matter, we may issue a proposal, quote, email confirmation, engagement letter, project plan, invoice or other written confirmation. These documents may define the specific scope, deliverables, fees, assumptions, exclusions, deadlines and client responsibilities for that matter.

The cooperation documents should be read in the following order of priority unless expressly stated otherwise:

1. Any mandatory law that cannot be excluded or varied by agreement.
2. A signed engagement letter or other written engagement confirmation for the relevant matter.
3. Service-specific terms or written scope notes for the relevant service line.
4. Payment Terms, invoice terms and agreed payment schedule.
5. These Terms of Cooperation.
6. General website content, brochures, presentations or marketing materials.

Website descriptions are provided to explain our services, but they are not a binding offer to provide any service until we have accepted the engagement in writing.

3. Initial consultation and no automatic engagement

We may provide a free or introductory consultation to understand your objectives, identify whether we can assist and indicate likely next steps, timing and cost. This introductory discussion is confidential, but it does not create an obligation for either party to proceed.

Unless we expressly agree otherwise in writing, information provided during an initial consultation is general in nature and is not a final legal, tax, accounting, investment, immigration, employment, property or regulatory opinion. It should not be relied upon as a substitute for a formal engagement based on complete facts and documents.

We may decline a potential engagement for any reason, including capacity, conflict of interest, regulatory restrictions, incomplete onboarding, sanctions or anti-money-laundering concerns, non-payment history, unrealistic timelines, unclear instructions, or a request that we consider unlawful, unethical or outside our professional competence.

4. Services covered

The services we can provide or coordinate include the following categories. The precise services included in a particular engagement will be those confirmed in writing.

5. Integrated delivery model

Bulgaria For Business is designed as an integrated team rather than a fragmented referral model. Depending on the matter, your work may involve legal, accounting, tax, HR, payroll, real estate, licensing, recruitment and business-acquisition professionals working together under a coordinated project structure.

Unless a separate engagement states otherwise, we may internally share information relevant to your matter among our team members and approved professional personnel so that the work can be delivered efficiently and consistently. We will still treat your information as confidential and use it only for legitimate purposes connected with your matter, our compliance obligations and our business administration.

Some services may require involvement of external professionals, notaries, translators, banks, public authorities, licensed valuers, auditors, property agents, recruitment platforms, software providers or other third parties. Where their involvement is material, we will explain their role and whether their charges are included in our fees or payable separately.

6. Independence and conflicts

We act for our client and not for the counterparty. In a property purchase, business acquisition, lease, hiring matter, licensing process or corporate transaction, our role is to support the interests of the client that engaged us, subject to law, professional obligations and the agreed scope.

We do not accept referral fees, undisclosed commissions or other payments from sellers, landlords, developers, brokers, candidates, recruiters or other counterparties where doing so would compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, our independence. If a referral fee, commission, platform fee or similar amount is relevant and lawful, we will disclose it where appropriate.

Before accepting or continuing an engagement, we may perform conflict checks. If an actual or potential conflict arises, we may decline, limit, pause or terminate the engagement, or request informed written consent where permitted by law and appropriate in the circumstances.

Unless expressly agreed in writing, we do not act for multiple sides of the same transaction. Where the client asks us to coordinate with counterparties, banks, agents or other advisers, that coordination does not make those persons our clients and does not create duties owed to them.

7. Client instructions and authority

You must identify who is authorised to instruct us, approve documents, make decisions, receive confidential information and approve payments. We may rely on instructions received from authorised representatives unless we have reason to believe that the instruction is unauthorised, unlawful or materially unclear.

Where you instruct us on behalf of a company, group, trust, fund, partnership, family office or other structure, you confirm that you have authority to do so and that the relevant client entity accepts these Terms and any engagement documents.

We may request board resolutions, powers of attorney, shareholder approvals, identity documents, corporate documents, beneficial-ownership information, tax-residence information, source-of-funds information or other evidence of authority before acting on instructions.

8. Client responsibilities

Successful cooperation depends on timely, accurate and complete information. You are responsible for providing all information, documents, explanations, authorisations, translations, signatures and payments that are reasonably required for the engagement.

You agree to:

• provide truthful, complete and up-to-date information and promptly correct any information that becomes inaccurate;
• respond to reasonable requests for information within the timeline required for the project or authority deadline;
• review documents, drafts and filings carefully before approving them;
• make commercial decisions yourself and not treat our administrative or technical support as a decision to proceed;
• obtain home-country, group-level or specialist advice where your matter has tax, regulatory, employment, immigration, sanctions, financing or accounting consequences outside Bulgaria;
• not ask us to assist with any unlawful, fraudulent, misleading, abusive, sanctioned, tax-evasive or money-laundering purpose;
• keep your login credentials, electronic signatures, company seals, tokens and access rights secure; and
• pay our fees, third-party costs and public charges in accordance with the applicable payment terms and invoices.

If delays, additional work or adverse consequences are caused by incomplete, late or inaccurate information, the resulting additional time, cost or risk is the Client’s responsibility unless we have expressly accepted responsibility in writing.

9. Onboarding, KYC, AML and sanctions checks

Certain services require client due diligence, anti-money-laundering checks, sanctions screening and verification of identity, beneficial ownership, source of funds and source of wealth. These checks may apply to individuals, companies, shareholders, directors, ultimate beneficial owners, authorised representatives, transaction counterparties and payment sources.

We may refuse to start, pause or terminate work if onboarding information is incomplete, inconsistent, unverifiable, suspicious, or not provided within a reasonable time. We may also be legally restricted from explaining the full reason for a refusal, pause or termination where AML, counter-terrorist financing, sanctions or similar rules apply.

You must not send funds to us, to any third-party account, to a notary, public authority, seller, landlord, agent or other recipient until payment instructions have been confirmed through a secure and appropriate channel. We are not responsible for losses caused by payment fraud, email compromise or unauthorised payment instructions unless caused by our proven fraud or wilful misconduct.

10. Scope control and changes

Each engagement is limited to the scope confirmed in writing. Work that is related to the matter but not expressly included may be out of scope, even if it becomes necessary or useful during the project.

Examples of work that may require a separate scope or additional fee include additional companies, additional shareholders, unusual corporate structures, regulated activities, complex tax analysis, urgent work, negotiations with counterparties, revisions caused by client or third-party changes, authority objections, bank or notary requirements, litigation, appeals, translations, notarisation, apostilles, courier charges, and work outside normal business hours.

If the scope changes, we may ask you to approve a revised quote, additional fee, hourly rate, retainer, deadline or engagement confirmation before continuing.

11. Fees and payment

Our fees may be fixed, hourly, success-based where lawful, staged, retainer-based, subscription-based, monthly, or a combination of these. Standard services are quoted on a fixed-fee basis where possible. Complex, open-ended, urgent, disputed or highly customised matters may be charged by hourly rate or by separate written arrangement.

Payment terms, deposits, retainers, instalments, invoice due dates, currencies, bank charges, late-payment consequences, refunds and third-party disbursements are governed by the applicable quote, invoice, engagement confirmation and Bulgaria For Business’ separate Payment Terms once adopted or incorporated.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, quoted fees do not include VAT, public fees, notary fees, translation fees, apostille/legalisation charges, courier charges, bank charges, registry fees, government charges, property-agent fees, valuation fees, external counsel fees, audit fees, travel costs or other third-party expenses.

We may suspend or stop work if invoices, retainers or required third-party costs are not paid on time. Suspension caused by non-payment may affect deadlines, authority filings, transaction timetables, licences, employment starts, payroll, tax filings or other project outcomes.

12. Timelines, public authorities and third parties

We will use reasonable professional care to plan and progress work efficiently. Any timeline we provide is an estimate unless expressly confirmed as a binding deadline in writing.

Many matters depend on public authorities, registries, notaries, banks, consulates, counterparties, sellers, landlords, candidates, employees, auditors, appraisers, translators, technology platforms, courier services and other third parties. We cannot guarantee their processing times, decisions, availability, requirements or conduct.

We do not guarantee that a company will be registered by a specific date, a bank account will be opened, a licence will be granted, a VAT registration will be approved, a property or business acquisition will complete, an employee or candidate will accept an offer, a counterparty will agree to terms, or an authority will accept a filing without questions or additional requirements.

13. Professional advice and limits of reliance

Our advice is based on the facts, documents and instructions available to us at the time it is given. If those facts change, or if additional information emerges, our advice may need to be updated.

Unless expressly agreed, our advice is limited to Bulgaria and does not cover the laws, taxes, regulatory requirements, accounting rules or reporting obligations of any other jurisdiction. Cross-border clients should obtain advice in their home jurisdiction and any other relevant jurisdiction.

Our deliverables are prepared for the Client for the agreed purpose only. No third party may rely on our advice, reports, documents, due diligence findings, salary benchmarks, transaction documents or other deliverables without our prior written consent.

14. Legal, tax, accounting and regulated services

Some services may involve legal, tax, accounting, payroll, audit, recruitment, investment, real estate, licensing or other regulated areas. Where mandatory law requires a particular licence, qualification, registration, professional status or separate client relationship, the service will be provided or supervised by an appropriately qualified person or will be subject to a separate written arrangement.

Bulgaria For Business may coordinate services across disciplines, but coordination does not remove the need for service-specific regulatory requirements. If a service cannot be provided lawfully through Bulgaria For Business directly, we may decline the work, limit the scope or propose a separate engagement with an appropriate professional.

Nothing in these Terms should be read as excluding or limiting professional duties that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

15. Confidentiality

We treat client matters as confidential. We will not disclose confidential information except where disclosure is required or permitted by law, professional obligation, court order, regulatory request, AML/sanctions requirement, tax or accounting obligation, public filing requirement, client instruction, or where disclosure is reasonably necessary to perform the engagement.

Permitted disclosure may include disclosure to team members, professional advisers, translators, notaries, banks, registries, public authorities, external counsel, accountants, auditors, software providers, insurers, consultants and other persons involved in delivering or administering the services, subject to appropriate confidentiality expectations where applicable.

You agree to keep our proposals, pricing, advice, draft documents, templates, work product, negotiation strategy, project plans and communications confidential unless disclosure is required by law, needed for your internal business purposes, or approved by us in writing.

16. Data protection

We process personal data in connection with enquiries, onboarding, service delivery, compliance, billing, administration, recruitment, HR, payroll, accounting, legal, tax, licensing, real estate and transaction matters. Processing may include personal data of clients, representatives, shareholders, directors, beneficial owners, employees, candidates, counterparties, family members, professional advisers and other relevant persons.

Our separate Privacy Notice explains the categories of personal data we process, purposes of processing, legal bases, retention periods, data subject rights, international transfers and contact details for privacy requests. Where required, we may also enter into a separate data processing agreement.

You must ensure that any personal data you provide to us has been collected and shared lawfully, and that relevant individuals have received any privacy information required by applicable law.

17. Documents, language and translations

We generally work with international clients in English and, where required for Bulgarian procedures, in Bulgarian. Client-facing explanations and reports may be provided in English; authority filings, notarial documents, registry forms, employment documents and other official documents may need to be in Bulgarian or bilingual form.

Where a document is prepared in more than one language, the governing language should be stated in the document or engagement confirmation. If no governing language is stated, the Bulgarian version may be controlling for filings, authority procedures and documents governed by Bulgarian mandatory form requirements.

Translations, certified translations, legalisations, apostilles, notarisation and consular certifications are separate services or third-party expenses unless expressly included in the agreed fee.

18. Electronic communication and signatures

We may communicate by email, video call, telephone, messaging platform, secure file-sharing platform, electronic signature platform or other agreed channel. You accept the normal security and delivery risks of electronic communication unless you ask for a specific secure channel and we agree to use it.

Electronic approvals, scanned signatures and electronic signatures may be acceptable for some documents and procedures but not all. Certain Bulgarian procedures may require wet-ink signatures, notarial certification, apostille/legalisation, consular certification or qualified electronic signatures.

You are responsible for maintaining secure email accounts, passwords, devices and electronic-signature credentials. You must immediately notify us if you suspect unauthorised access, account compromise or payment-instruction fraud.

19. Deliverables and intellectual property

After you pay the relevant fees and expenses, you may use final deliverables prepared for you for the agreed purpose. Drafts, internal notes, templates, precedents, know-how, methodologies, software tools, checklists, databases and generic materials remain our intellectual property unless expressly agreed otherwise.

You may not resell, publish, distribute, adapt or provide our templates, reports, fee quotes, advice, benchmarking materials, project plans or other work product to third parties as standalone materials without our written consent.

We may retain copies of documents and work product for compliance, professional, insurance, quality-control, billing, record-keeping and legitimate business purposes, subject to confidentiality and data-protection obligations.

20. Marketing references and client identity

We will not identify you publicly as a client, publish your name or logo, disclose details of your matter, or use you as a reference without your prior consent, except where the information is already public or disclosure is required by law or public filing.

We may describe our experience in general, anonymised or aggregated terms, provided that the description does not identify you or reveal confidential information.

21. Limitation of liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability for fraud, wilful misconduct or any other liability that mandatory law does not permit to be excluded.

Subject to the preceding sentence and unless a separate engagement document states otherwise, our total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with a matter should be limited. This placeholder must be completed before publication or client use.

We are not liable for indirect, consequential, special or punitive losses, loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of business opportunity, loss of goodwill, loss of anticipated savings, financing losses, tax consequences outside the agreed scope, or losses caused by third parties, public authorities, counterparties, banks, notaries, registries, candidates, employees or service providers, except to the extent such limitation is not permitted by mandatory law.

We are not responsible for decisions you make based on incomplete facts, advice used outside its agreed purpose, advice shared with or relied upon by third parties without our consent, or action taken after you choose not to follow our advice.

22. Suspension and termination

Either party may terminate an engagement by written notice unless the engagement confirmation states otherwise. Termination does not affect accrued rights, payment obligations, confidentiality, liability limitations, intellectual-property provisions, data-protection provisions or other terms intended to survive termination.

We may suspend or terminate work immediately if you fail to pay amounts due, fail to provide onboarding or project information, provide inaccurate or misleading information, request unlawful or unethical assistance, create a conflict of interest, breach these Terms, abuse our team, or if continuing would breach law, professional obligations, AML/sanctions requirements or our risk policies.

On termination, you must pay all fees, costs, disbursements and third-party expenses incurred up to the termination date, plus any non-cancellable commitments we entered into with your approval. We may retain documents or work product to the extent permitted by law until outstanding amounts are paid.

23. Force majeure and events outside our control

We are not responsible for delay or failure caused by events outside our reasonable control, including public authority delays, registry downtime, bank processing delays, cyber incidents not caused by our proven fault, power or internet outages, strikes, war, sanctions, epidemics, transport disruption, natural disasters, government action, notary or court closures, technology platform failures or sudden legal or regulatory changes.

If such an event affects a matter, we will use reasonable efforts to explain the impact and discuss alternative steps where available.

24. Complaints and service concerns

If you are dissatisfied with our service, you should raise the issue promptly with your main contact or by email to info@bulgaria-for-business.com. We will review the concern and aim to respond within a reasonable time.

A service concern does not suspend payment obligations for undisputed amounts unless we agree otherwise in writing. Nothing in this section limits any mandatory rights available to a consumer client or rights that cannot lawfully be waived.

25. Consumer clients

Some clients may be consumers under applicable law. If you are a consumer, nothing in these Terms limits mandatory consumer rights that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted.

Where any cooling-off, withdrawal, pre-contract information, unfair-terms, distance-contract or similar mandatory consumer rule applies, we will comply with the rule to the extent applicable to the relevant service. If you ask us to begin work before the end of any applicable withdrawal period, you may be required to acknowledge that you may have to pay for work performed and that certain rights may be affected once the service has been fully performed, where permitted by law.

Because many Bulgaria For Business services are bespoke, urgent, professional, corporate, regulatory, transaction-specific or involve public authority filings, consumer rules may apply differently depending on the client, service and timing. This should be confirmed before work starts where relevant.

26. Governing law and disputes

These Terms and any non-contractual obligations arising out of or in connection with them are governed by the laws of Bulgaria, unless a mandatory rule requires another law to apply.

The parties will first try to resolve disputes through good-faith discussion. If the dispute is not resolved, it will be submitted to the competent Bulgarian courts, unless the engagement confirmation provides for arbitration or another forum, or unless mandatory law gives the Client the right to bring proceedings elsewhere.

This clause does not prevent either party from seeking urgent injunctive or protective relief where appropriate.

27. Updates to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The version that applies to a specific engagement is the version incorporated into the engagement confirmation, published on our website at the time the engagement is accepted, or otherwise provided to you in writing, unless the parties agree otherwise.

Material changes will not normally apply retrospectively to an existing engagement unless required by law, reasonably necessary for compliance, or agreed with you.

28. Contact

Questions about these Terms or cooperation with Bulgaria For Business should be sent to:

Bulgaria For Business
Email: info@bulgaria-for-business.com
Website: https://bulgaria-for-business.com/