Amendments to the Environmental Protection Act, promulgated in the State Gazette (No. 104 of 05.12.2025), extend the deadline for submitting applications for registration of wells for citizens' own needs and water abstraction facilities for economic purposes until November 28, 2039.

The requirement to register wells is necessary for the assessment the quantitative status of groundwater bodies. The Ministry of Environment and Water recognizes that the extended deadline is sufficient for collecting reliable data for assessing the pressure on groundwater when updating the next cycle of the River Basin Management Plans.

November 28, 2039 becomes the last deadline in which the facilities can be legally registered. Submission of applications is free of charge for wells, the water from which is used for citizens' own needs, and represents an important step towards legalizing water abstraction.

The Ministry of Environment and Water reminds that after the deadline, unregistered water extraction facilities will not be allowed for use and will be subject to liquidation at the expense of their owner, who will also bear administrative and criminal liability.

Each owner submits the application for registration to one of the four Basin Directorates (BDs), on whose territory the property falls - BD "West Aegean Region" - Blagoevgrad, BD "Black Sea Region" - Varna, BD "Danube Region" - Pleven, and BD "East Aegean Region" - Plovdiv.

The application for registration of a well for personal needs can also be submitted through the respective mayor of a municipality, mayor of a district, mayor of a mayoralty or the deputy mayor at the location of the well, for which the mayors and deputy mayors issue an incoming number for each application received and forward the received applications to the respective Basin Directorate.

Registration fee for water extraction facilities used for the citizens' own needs is NOT to be PAID. It applies to wells, the water from which is used for household purposes, for watering and watering animals, for household needs. The use of water up to 10 cubic meters per day from registered wells in settlements is free of charge. The installation of water meters is not required and no state fees or taxes are paid for these wells. Registration is necessary in order to protect the interests of citizens when granting rights to extract water in the area of the respective settlement and to limit the risk of wells drying up.

The registration application form, approved by the Minister of Environment and Water, can be found on the websites of the four Basin Directorates. Information about the basin water management directorates can be found at https://www.moew.government.bg/bg/kontakti/basejnovi-direkcii/

More information, including about the facilities used by companies for commercial and non-commercial purposes, can be found at https://www.moew.government.bg/bg/vodi/aktualno-novini/

Climate changes in recent years, associated with prolonged periods of drought and high temperatures, are affecting the quantity of both surface and groundwater. The mission of the Ministry of Environment and Water is to preserve this valuable natural resource in good qualitative and quantitative state. Therefore, it is essential that water resources are managed and used carefully and in a balanced manner with care for the current and future generations.