site.bta80 Years Since Introduction of Mandatory Civil Marriage in Bulgaria

Eighty years ago, on May 12, 1945, The State Gazette published the Marriage Ordinance Act, which came into force on May 27, 1945, when the first civil marriage in Sofia was registered. With this ordinance, civil marriage became the only valid form of marriage in Bulgaria. It remained in effect until September 9, 1949, when it was replaced by the Individuals and Family Act.

Until 1945, the only legal form of marriage in Bulgaria was the religious marriage.

On May 15, 1945, the following statement was published in BTA's News daily bulletin:

“The Ministries of Interior and Justice announce that, beginning on the 28th of this month, civil marriages will be conducted in presence of mayors under the new Marriage Ordinance Act. The Ministry of Interior has sent a circular to all city and rural municipalities on this matter.

The Ministry of Justice also announced that all ecclesiastical courts in the country can no longer process pending marriage cases as of May 12, the date the ordinance was published. From that day, ecclesiastical courts of all religions that previously handled marriage cases must stop issuing rulings on them.

Any rulings issued by religious courts after May 12 are legally void.”

The ordinance did not forbid religious marriage but said that it could only happen as a blessing, and only after a civil marriage had taken place, with the priest being presented with a copy of the marriage certificate.

First Civil Marriages in Sofia

The front page of Rabotnichesko Delo, the Bulgarian Workers' Party mouthpiece, reported the first marriage registered in Sofia municipality.

The first couple married under the new rules were Komsomol functionary Angel Solakov and Tsvetana Popova. Twenty years later, Solakov—then 22—became the head of the Committee for State Security, and from 1969 to 1971 served as Minister of the Interior.

Though it was a working Monday, the atmosphere at the first civil marriage ceremony was festive. The Mayor of Sofia, Nikola Bronzov, and his two deputies were guests at the event.

Following this ceremony, 51 more couples were married under the new rules on the same day.

Marriage Regulations 

According to the new Marriage Ordinance Act, the minimum age for marriage was 18 for men and 17 for women. In special cases, where "important reasons required it," the minimum age could be lowered to 17 for men and 16 for women, but only with the approval of the district court chair.

Marriage was prohibited if either individual had a mental illness requiring full guardianship, true epilepsy, endemic cretinism, untreated venereal diseases, active tuberculosis, leprosy, hereditary chorea, or chronic alcoholism. Additionally, marriage was not allowed if one of the individuals was already married.

The requirements for marriage included mutual consent expressed before a civil registrar and the presence of two witnesses to ensure public visibility.

Divorce Regulations

Divorce was permitted by mutual and firm agreement between the spouses, in cases of adultery, attempted murder, a prison sentence of at least five years, the disappearance of one spouse for at least two years, sexual incapacity, or infertility lasting 15 years. A spouse could file for divorce due to adultery within one year of discovering it, but no later than three years after the act occurred. However, divorce on these grounds was not permitted if the spouse had expressly or implicitly agreed to the adultery or had enabled it through their actions.

Family Code

In 1968, Bulgaria adopted its Family Code, which has since been amended three times, with the latest version adopted in 2024. Currently, the Constitution of Bulgaria states: “Marriage is a voluntary union between a man and a woman. Only civil marriage is legally recognized.”