Information last updated on 19.10.2023
If you have a relative who is missing, there are a few things you can do to try and find them:
1. File a police report
A report can be submitted at the nearest District Police Station. The addresses of the police stations in Sofia can be found at this link. For addresses of police stations in other cities in Bulgaria, see here.
You can also send your report through one of the Bulgarian Post offices with an acknowledgement of receipt. The acknowledgement of receipt is a document that you receive after your letter is delivered. It serves as proof that you have submitted your report. You can find the addresses of the Bulgarian Post offices at this link.
Upon submitting your report, it is very important to ask for a reference number. You have to do it when submitting the report in person or on the acknowledgement of receipt if you are submitting it by post.
Here you will find a sample report to submit to the police. By law, you need to submit the report in Bulgarian. The translations provided in English, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, Farsi, Urdu and Pashto are provided for your convenience.
If possible, you should provide police officers with a recent photograph of the missing person and give them relevant information such as:
- Accurately spelt name, date of birth and foreign identity number (ЛНЧ), if any, nationality, etc.
- Your relative's phone number.
- When and where they were last seen;
- How they were dressed;
- Distinguishing marks your relative has - height, hair colour, scars from operations, tattoos etc.;
- If you have any doubts about who he/she could go to;
- What their health condition is;
- Have they shared any threats made against him/her;
- Anything else you consider important.
If you have copies of the identity documents of the missing person (passport, tesserae, identity card, etc.), an extract from the civil registers with photo and personal details, attach them to your report.
What happens after I submit my report?
Once you fill in the report and the necessary documents at the district police station, the police will start the investigation.
The police may also contact you to provide additional information.
When will the police stop the investigation?
It will stop when the person is found.
2. Request information from the Border Police
If they suspect that the person you are looking for was detained in an attempt to enter or leave Bulgaria through the border, you can submit a request for information to the General Directorate of Border Police.
The contacts of the General Directorate of Border Police are:
Post code 1202, Sofia
46 Maria Louisa Blvrd.
Tel: +359 9831865
e-mail: [email protected]
You will find a template of the request here. The request must be submitted in Bulgarian. Translations into English, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, Farsi, Urdu and Pashto are provided for your convenience.
If you have copies of identity documents (passport, tesserae, ID card, etc.), an extract from the civil registers with a photo and personal data, please attach them to your request.
You can submit the request directly at the General Directorate of Border Police or send it through one of the Bulgarian Post offices with an acknowledgement of receipt. The acknowledgement of receipt is a document that you receive after your letter is delivered. It serves as proof that you have submitted your request. You can find the addresses of the Bulgarian Post offices at this link.
Upon submitting your report, it is very important to ask for a reference number. You have to do it when submitting the report in person or on the acknowledgement of receipt if you are submitting it by post.
3. You can seek help from the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC)
The Bulgarian Red Cross has a program to restore family links. They can help you find your relative (spouse, child, sibling, etc.) and provide information about missing persons.
You can contact them at:
Address: 76, James Bowser Street, 1407.
Phone: +359 88 866 80 58
+359 88 400 73 63 - At this number you can also contact them via WhatsApp and Viber.
E-mail: [email protected]
Kalinka Yankova - [email protected]
Polina Hristova - [email protected]
You will need to complete and attach this form when making a request. This will give the BRC essential information about the missing relative to conduct an adequate search inside or outside Bulgaria. You can fill in the form and email it yourself or with the help of one of the BRC staff.
BRC can also help you identify a deceased person in the morgue.
All information you share with the BRC is strictly confidential.
All services offered by the BRC are free of charge.
Requirements you must meet to get help from the BRC
You need:
- To be currently residing in Bulgaria.
- To be separated from a family member due to war, conflict or another disaster (natural or man-made).
- Not to have information about your relative's whereabouts.
Is there anything I can do right now?
At https://familylinks.icrc.org/ttf-europe you will find pictures of people who are also looking for their loved ones. If you recognize any of them or yourself as a searched person and want to reach out, contact the BRC at the above address.
What happens if my relative is found dead?
When an unidentified body with no identity documents is found dead (for instance, after crossing the Bulgarian border), the police will:
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Take the body to the morgue (the Department of Pathology) in the district where it was found. A forensic physician at the morgue establishes the cause of death
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Open criminal proceedings. A criminal investigation is opened every time an unidentified dead body is found. If there is evidence of a crime, the proceedings will continue until the perpetrator is found. If the person has died of natural causes, the criminal proceedings will be concluded when the relatives identify the body.
In case, you believe that your relative did not die of natural causes, seek the help of a lawyer who is a specialist in criminal law to continue the criminal proceedings
Procedure for identification and release of the body from the morgue
If you have information that your relative has died but you do not know where the body is exactly, there are several steps you need to take:
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Gather all relevant information regarding the identity of your relative (name, age, sex, visible external features – scars, tattoos, etc.), recent photos, and probable location of the body (information where he/she died or approximate place and time of your last contact with him/her), and provide it to the police, the prosecutor, and the forensic physician.
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Provide proof of your family ties to the mentioned authorities – documents proving that you are a close relative of the dead person (a parent, a spouse, a child, a sibling). Bear in mind that the documents should be translated into Bulgarian.
If you cannot present evidence of your family ties with the deceased person, you can ask for a DNA test. However, you should know that such tests are expensive and may take a while until the result is ready.
When there is a match between the information you provided and a found unidentified body, you will be forwarded to the relevant forensic physician and will be asked to identify the corpse.
If you recognize your relative you will be able to receive the body and prepare it for a funeral.
Important! Identification and release of a body from the morgue can be done ONLY in person by a close relative!
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