Should notarizations be abolished when transferring a motor vehicle? This is stated in a bill submitted by “Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria“. It is planned that the Ministry of Interior and the Traffic Police will take full control over the certification of the data, reports Nova TV.
Now, to transfer a car, a purchase and sale contract must be concluded with a notarization of the signatures of the seller and the buyer. The procedure requires both parties to appear in person before a notary, as well as the presentation of necessary documents - ID cards, car registration documents, paid taxes, an assessment by an insurer and valid "Third Party Liability" insurance.
The proposal is to eliminate this procedure and to have the sale and purchase carried out by concluding a simple written contract.
For Iliya Iliev, notary fees are an unnecessary expense. He lived in Germany for two years, where cars are transferred with contracts between individuals. "I bought a collector's car and paid 200 leva for the transfer, and the value of the car itself was about 300 leva," he says. However, he does not believe that notaries should be completely eliminated. "There should perhaps be one for luxury cars - over 50-100 thousand leva. There should be a monetary limit“, Iliev adds.
The topic “Are notaries needed?“ also resonated in parliament. The bill provides for the abolition of the notary fee for the transfer of motor vehicles. The idea is to do this by concluding a simple written contract. They propose that the Ministry of Interior and the Traffic Police take over the entire management of the checks and certification of data.
“This is a serious administrative financial burden for over 200 thousand transfers per year. Everything that the notary does, the Traffic Police will do. The entire procedure for deregistration of the old owner, the seller, will take place at one counter. Our proposal is for an alternative method of transfer, we do not deprive anyone who wants to go to a notary“, say the submitters.
They argue for the mandatory payment of a notary as an “excessive and fictitious fee“. “In everyday life, we are full of things that cost much more than a car, and yet, we do not go to a notary when we need to sell our refrigerator, sofa or TV“, they point out.
The Notary Chamber categorically rejected the proposal. They believe that this opens the door to abuse. “During the inquiry that the notary carries out before the transfer, he receives data on Bulgarian personal documents, a guarantee fund, from which it is evident whether the vehicle has paid tax, vehicle tax, technical inspection, insurance. They bear criminal and disciplinary liability. I do not know who will take this responsibility from now on. The civil servant who is at the traffic police counter“, the chamber commented.
According to automotive experts, the proposal would make it easier for both sellers and buyers. “When transferring the cars, a notary fee will be saved, time spent going to the notary“ will be saved,“ they say. But this also opens the door to a lack of security. “For large cities, where a lot of transactions are made, it is not certain whether the traffic police will be able to handle all this influx, for example in the capital, and whether there will be enough trained officers“, experts warn.
Whether the proposal will be adopted in the plenary hall remains to be seen.