The National Legal Aid Bureau (NLAB) is a Bulgarian state body, which, together with the bar councils, provides legal assistance to persons with a low income, persons placed in specialized institutions, children at risk, persons detained by police, asylum seekers, foreigners who are to be expelled from the country and other vulnerable persons.
How can it help you
Legal Aid
The legal aid consists of consultations with a view to reaching an agreement before the commencement of the legal proceedings or the filing of a case; preparation of documents for bringing a case before a court and representation in court by legal counsel. The NLAB grants legal aid when the authority directing the procedural steps (e.g. the court) determines that the person concerned (e.g. the defendant in criminal cases or a party in civil proceedings) should be represented by a lawyer. The President of the NLAB grants legal aid for consultations and for preparations of documents for bringing a case before a court.
Eligibility requirements
You can receive legal aid if you are:
- A person under the conditions for receiving monthly social support under the Regulations of Application of the Law of Social Support or a person who receives targeted one-off social assistance
- A person who is placed in a specialized institution or in a residential care facility
- A child placed in foster care or placed in care in a family of a relative
- A child in risk
- A child or and adult receiving regular maintenance from their parents
- A victim of domestic or sexual violence or of human trafficking
- An asylum seeker
- A foreigner subject to expulsion order or detained in a specialized institution who cannot afford to pay a lawyer
- A person with a refused or withdrawn status of a stateless person in the Republic of Bulgaria or whose procedure for granting such a status has been terminated and who cannot afford to pay to a lawyer
Helpline
You can call a helpline on 070018250 if you have any questions regarding state-paid legal aid or to get a legal advise.
Activities
The National Legal Aid Bureau:
- Performs general and methodical management of the activities on providing legal aid
- Prepares draft budget for legal aid
- Manages the funds of the budget for legal aid
- Organizes keeping of the National Register of Legal Aid
- Pays the legal aid provided
- Performs the control over providing the legal services
- Prepares drafts of laws and other normative acts in the field of the legal aid, which shall be tabled in the Council of Ministers by the President of NLAB
- Analyzes the information needed for the adequate planning and management of the system of legal aid
- Promotes the system of legal aid
- Performs the international legal cooperation in the field of the legal aid
More information & Contacts
National Legal Aid Bureau
https://www.nbpp.government.bg/en
Tel.: +359 2 819320071
nbpp@nbpp.government.bg
1 Razvigor St.
1421 Sofia
Bulgaria