Guozun Cathay Associates’ Bulgaria Office is situated in the core business district of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Officially inaugurated in June 2024, it operates as the firm’s branch dedicated to delivering cross-border legal services to the Central and Eastern European and EU markets. The office is staffed with a bilingual professional team with dual-jurisdictional service capabilities across China and Bulgaria. Its practitioners are well-versed in Bulgaria’s domestic legal system and EU commercial regulatory rules, and primarily provide cross-border legal services including cross-border investment, commercial collaboration, compliance management, and rights protection for Chinese-funded enterprises and individuals, covering multi-jurisdictional adaptation and full-process handling.
This document sets forth the baseline fee standards for legal services of Guozun Bulgaria Office for the 2026 fiscal year. All quoted prices exclude standard Bulgarian value-added tax (VAT). Settlement is available in three currencies: Euro (EUR), Renminbi (CNY), and US Dollar (USD). Service fees strictly adhere to Bulgarian legal profession regulations and relevant EU requirements governing cross-border legal services.
Article I Standardised Fee Structures of Guozun Cathay Associates Bulgaria Office
In line with Bulgarian judicial service norms, EU commercial service conventions and cross-border service requirements, five compliant fee models are established with transparent pricing:
1.1Fixed Package Fee
Applicable to standardised matters such as enterprise entity registration, basic compliance filing, and standard legal document processing. The total service price is confirmed upon contract signing, with no additional charges for service items within the agreed scope.
1.2Hourly Service Fee
Applicable to non-standardised services such as EU cross-border projects, complex legal matters, and bespoke compliance consulting. Fees are calculated based on the lawyer’s chargeable working hours, with detailed timesheets provided on a monthly basis.
1.3Tiered Fee by Subject Matter Value
Applicable to legal services for cross-border mergers and acquisitions, asset transactions, and commercial property matters. Fees are charged on a tiered basis according to the value of the subject matter of the service, in line with EU industry norms for commercial legal services.
1.4 Outcome-Linked Fee
Applicable solely to cases involving claim sorting, commercial rights protection, and infringement handling. Within the scope of Bulgarian lawyer practice regulations, fees are linked to the case outcome, with the fee ratio not exceeding 25 per cent of the case disposition amount.
1.5 Annual Legal Counsel Fee
Provides year-round regular legal support for enterprises, with a fixed service fee charged annually. The bilingual team responds on demand, covering services such as daily operational compliance management and risk alerts for enterprises.
Article II Hourly Fee Rates for Lawyers of Guozun Cathay Associates Bulgaria Office
All practicing lawyers at the office hold valid Bulgarian practicing qualifications. Core personnel are proficient in the interface between Chinese and Bulgarian laws and EU regulatory requirements, specialising in areas such as cross-border investment, data compliance, and international dispute resolution. A tiered pricing mechanism is implemented based on personnel seniority.
2026 baseline hourly fee range: EUR 170 – EUR 630 per hour, covering junior lawyers, specialist lawyers, senior partners, and foreign-related professionals from the Chinese headquarters. The final fee will be comprehensively determined based on case complexity, alignment of professional expertise, service timeliness, and team configuration.
Supplementary Billing Provisions
Field travel-related surcharges of 25%–50% may be applied for case handling outside the EU territory. Additional fees may be levied for expedited services and services provided on statutory holidays. For EU multi-jurisdictional coordinated cases, bilingual court hearing services, and specialist services for data compliance and financial regulation, the fee rate may be increased in accordance with industry norms.
Article III Fee Breakdown for Core Business Segments
This fee schedule focuses on the core legal needs of Chinese-funded enterprises and individuals conducting activities in Bulgaria, adapted to local regulatory requirements and EU compliance standards. The fee ranges for each business line are as follows:
3.1 China-Bulgaria Cross-Border Investment and M&A Legal Services: EUR 1,100 – EUR 39,000
(a)Full-process handling of foreign-funded enterprise establishment and branch filing, together with foreign investment access compliance verification
(b)Bulgarian investment policy liaison, compliance structure design and implementation support
(c)Legal due diligence for cross-border M&A, transaction document drafting, and closing process assistance
(d)Legal services relating to enterprise equity changes, entity maintenance management, and liquidation and deregistration
(e)Supporting services for investment landing in sectors such as new energy, manufacturing, and information technology
3.2 Comprehensive Legal Services for Enterprise Commercial Operations: EUR 850 – EUR 33,000
(a)Bulgarian domestic company registration, articles of association drafting, and equity structure planning services
(b)Enterprise internal control management, commercial contract review, and regular compliance consulting services
(c)Legal services relating to shareholder rights and interests, as well as enterprise operational risk alerts and compliance advice
(d)Legal services relating to enterprise restructuring, liquidation and deregistration, and creditor’s rights and debt sorting
3.3 EU Compliance and Regulatory Liaison Legal Services: EUR 1,450 – EUR 59,000
(a)Foreign investment compliance verification, and EU regulatory rule adaptation and implementation guidance
(b)Data compliance system establishment, cross-border data management, and specialist compliance filing services
(c)Enterprise compliance system construction, industry compliance verification and risk identification
(d)Legal services relating to regulatory inquiry liaison and compliance objection handling
(e)Compliance training, and bespoke enterprise compliance solutions and implementation guidance
3.4 Foreign Employment and Human Resources Compliance Legal Services: EUR 300 – EUR 21,000
(a)Bulgarian employment document customisation and enterprise employment system compliance review
(b)Process handling for foreign nationals’ visa and residence permit applications and modifications
(c) Enterprise employment compliance planning, employment risk alerts and compliance advice (d) Labour dispute coordination and labour dispute resolution legal services
3.5 Cross-Border Intellectual Property Protection Legal Services: EUR 270 – EUR 29,000
(a)Registration and renewal of trademarks, patents, and copyrights in Bulgaria and the EU region
(b)IP infringement verification, rights protection, and dispute coordination services
(c) IP licensing and assignment, and commercial information protection compliance implementation (d) Enterprise IP portfolio planning and brand compliance management system establishment
3.6 Real Estate and Infrastructure Construction Legal Services: EUR 780 – EUR 36,000
(a)Cross-border property acquisition, commercial real estate transaction compliance verification, and property right registration assistance
(b)Engineering project compliance management, contract administration, and risk alert services
(c)Legal services relating to land use and environmental compliance approval
(d)Engineering dispute coordination and real estate leasing compliance management services
3.7 Cross-Border Dispute Resolution and Legal Instrument Enforcement Legal Services: EUR 1,550 – EUR 430,000
(a)Commercial dispute coordination and legal services relating to Bulgarian judicial proceedings
(b)International arbitration case handling and cross-border dispute diversified resolution services
(c)Cross-border legal instrument liaison and property preservation legal services
(d)Commercial rights protection and infringement dispute resolution legal services
(e)Administrative dispute liaison and enterprise compliance risk disposal services
3.8 Personal Cross-Border Planning and Family Legal Services: EUR 820 – EUR 4,900
(a)Compliance services for business visa, residence permit, and family reunion visa processing
(b)Personal asset allocation, real estate transaction compliance verification and risk alerts
(c)Cross-border family affairs consulting and property disposition legal services
(d)Supporting legal services for personal tax compliance and residence status management
Supplementary Note
For major and complex cross-border legal cases and specialist services for specific industries, there is no fixed fee range. Service plans and quotations will be customised separately based on case complexity, service scope, and handling costs.
Article IV Core Factors Influencing Service Fees
4.1 Jurisdictional Complexity
Fees for matters involving multi-regional law application and cross-border document retrieval will be adjusted in line with the level of complexity.
4.2 Professional Field Threshold
Fees for specialised fields such as bespoke compliance and cross-border investment and financing differ from those for basic legal services.
4.3 Matter Handling Difficulty
Fees for complex dispute resolution and specialist compliance services may be dynamically adjusted.
4.4 Service Timeliness Requirement
Corresponding fees are charged for expedited processing and services provided on public holidays in accordance with applicable regulations.
4.5 Cooperation Service Model
Annual legal counsel package services can reduce overall costs compared with individual service engagements.
4.6 Service Team Configuration
Services delivered by multi-disciplinary teams and supported by headquarters resources will have correspondingly adjusted fees.
4.7 Case Disposition Difficulty
For outcome-linked services, the fee ratio is correlated with the difficulty of matter handling and the service cycle.
Article V Details of Third-Party Disbursements and Reimbursable Fees
The following fees are separate from lawyer service fees and are settled in accordance with official Bulgarian standards or actual disbursements:
5.1 Official Administrative Fees
Official charges for enterprise registration, visa applications, judicial proceedings, intellectual property filing, and other related matters.
5.2 Notarisation and Authentication Fees
Fees associated with compliance procedures such as local notarisation and cross-border authentication.
5.3 Professional Translation Fees
Fees for legal document translation and bilingual support services.
5.4 Professional Service Fees
Fees charged by third-party institutions for services such as third-party appraisal, industry research, and specialist consulting.
5.5 Field Travel Expenses
Transportation and accommodation expenses incurred for off-site case handling.
5.6 Financial Transaction
Fees Bank-related fees arising from cross-border transfers and currency exchange.
5.7 Other Supporting
Fees Third-party service fees for auditing, asset valuation, compliance testing, and other related services.
Article VI Important Notice
The fee standards set out in this document serve as baseline references for the 2026 fiscal year and do not constitute a service offer or legal commitment. The final fees, service scope, and handling procedures for all legal services shall be governed by the formal written engagement contract signed by both parties.