Patent
Bulgaria is a member of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The deadline for entering the national phase via the PCT is 31 months. A simply signed power of attorney is sufficient. A patent is protected for 20 years. An English, French or German translation of the specification documents is required. A priority document, if any, must also be submitted.
Utility model
A utility model system is available. A simply signed power of attorney is sufficient for a utility model application. The term of protection is 4 years from the first filing date. It can be extended twice, for 3 years each time, providing a maximum of 10 years of protection in total. A patent can be converted into a utility model until it is granted.