For 80 years, civil marriage has been the only valid form of matrimony in Bulgaria

Radio Bulgaria in English

Monday 12 May 2025 12:20

Monday, 12 May 2025, 12:20

For 80 years, civil marriage has been the only valid form of matrimony in Bulgaria

PHOTO Radio Vidin (archive)

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80 years ago, on May 12, 1945, an Ordinance-Law on Marriage was promulgated in Bulgaria's State Gazette, which entered into force on May 27, 1945. With its adoption, mandatory civil marriage was introduced as the only valid form of marriage. On the day the ordinance came into force, the first civil marriage was concluded in Sofia, BTA recalls. This happened soon after the coming to power of the communist regime in 1944.

Until 1945, the only legal form of marriage in Bulgaria was religious marriage.

In 1949, the Ordinance-Law was replaced by the Law on Persons and the Family, and since 1968 - by the Family Code.

Currently, the Constitution of Bulgaria states: "Marriage is a voluntary union between a man and a woman. Only civil marriage is legal."

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