Judgements of lower courts can be appealed. Generally there are two stages of appeal in civil proceedings.
In general, human rights do not provide for a right to appeal in all cases and all disputes. However, the Bulgarian law allows you to appeal a lower court’s decision. Higher courts at all stages of appeal must follow the requirements and guarantees to a fair trial.
Stages of appeal:
After you have received a decision or judgement of the court of first instance, you may appeal it to a higher court. In Bulgaria, you have the right to appeal all first instance court decisions before a higher court - the court of appeal. In the review process, the court of appeal has the same power to examine your case as the lower court (including disagreements on facts in your case and the application of law). In a court of appeal, you have the same rights and duties as before a lower court.
A court of appeal’s judgement can be further appealed before the Supreme Court of Cassation. The court of cassation will not review the facts of your case again. This court will only examine your complaints about a lower court’s mistakes, which are related to the incorrect application of law, violations of procedural rules or where the lower court decision is null and void, inadmissible or unjustified. These mistakes must be serious enough to have led to a potentially incorrect decision.
Since a court of cassation only deals with complaints about the application or violations of the law, the requirements for your access to the court (such as the quality of legal arguments in your submission) can be stricter than in a court of appeals. There are several categories of cases involving small claims or other minor issues, which are not reviewed by the court of cassation.