Bulgaria has authorized, for the first time since 2020, the legal change of sex in four cases, following a decision by the CJEU.

The Supreme Court of Cassation in Bulgaria, the highest court in civil and criminal matters, has authorized the legal change of sex in four cases, a premiere since 2020.

Three rulings and an ordinance have been issued recently, in accordance with a decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Bulgarian judges have established that the refusal to recognize the change of sex based on biological, moral, or religious concepts constitutes unequal treatment.

In a report from September 2025, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights highlighted that Bulgaria and Hungary did not provide legal recognition of gender. In 2020, the Court of Cassation suspended all cases related to this subject, and in 2023 concluded that Bulgarian legislation does not allow the modification of personal data for transgender individuals. However, the interpretation of the law was challenged at the CJEU, which ruled that European legislation opposes restrictions on the modification of these data. This decision has paved the way for changes in Bulgarian jurisprudence.