Iva Mihaylova was declared a central and international wanted person by the Ministry of Interior of North Macedonia after she arrived in Bulgaria for medical examinations and treatment. The Basic Court in Kocani ordered a 30-day detention in custody after she was not found at her address and, according to the North Macedonian authorities, failed to fulfill her obligation to appear before the competent authorities.
A case is being brought against the 23-year-old woman for a serious accident resulting in death. The incident occurred on October 7, 2025 on the road between Kocani and Shtip. One person died and several people, including Mihaylova, were injured. According to the indictment, she was driving at excessive speed and entered oncoming traffic. Her guilt has not been established by a final court decision.
After the accident, Mihaylova's two passports were confiscated, and the court imposed a ban on her leaving North Macedonia and Kocani. She insisted on continuing her treatment in Bulgaria. On August 20, the Court of Appeal in Shtip upheld the refusal of the Basic Court in Kocani to allow her treatment outside the country. The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the medical intervention was necessary and that it could not be provided in North Macedonia.
How the search came about
Mihaylova appeared in Sofia on October 12 and was admitted to “Pirogov“. She and her lawyer Nikolay Dimitrov stated that they passed through an official border checkpoint and presented personal documents. The North Macedonian Interior Ministry announced that the border police system has no record of Mihaylova leaving the country, and Bulgarian institutions have begun to clarify the circumstances surrounding the crossing.
“In this one year, since I have been detained in Macedonia, I have undergone over 50 examinations. I have had enough examinations, I need treatment, not examinations“, Mihaylova told bTV. She did not specify whether she will return for the next hearing in the case, scheduled for November 9.
What does her Bulgarian citizenship mean
North Macedonia can send an official extradition request, but this does not mean that Bulgaria will honor it. Article 25, paragraph 4 of the Constitution provides that a Bulgarian citizen may not be extradited to another state for criminal prosecution, except on grounds in a ratified and effective international treaty.
The Law on Extradition and the European Arrest Warrant also excludes the extradition of Bulgarian citizens, unless an international treaty provides otherwise. Under the European Convention on Extradition, Bulgaria has explicitly stated that it refuses to extradite its own citizens. Since Mihaylova has Bulgarian citizenship at the time the possible request would have been received, this is a serious legal obstacle to her extradition.
The international search in itself is not a conviction and does not mean automatic detention or extradition. If North Macedonia sends documents, the competent Bulgarian authorities will have to assess the grounds for the request, her citizenship and the applicable international rules. At the moment, the search has been publicly confirmed, but not that Bulgaria has received a full set of extradition documents.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg, mediapool.bg