Bulgaria's Top Court Orders the Government to Legally Recognize Transgender People

The Supreme Court of Cassation of Bulgaria has ruled that the country’s government must allow transgender individuals to officially change their name and gender marker on identity documents. The decision, handed down on July 22, 2026, ends a decade-long legal battle and overturns a previous ban.

According to the Washington Blade , the court’s ruling aligns Bulgarian practice with European Union law. In 2023, this same Bulgarian court essentially banned legal gender recognition. However, in March 2026, the Court of Justice of the European Union (the EU’s highest court) ruled in the “Shipova” case that all member states must ensure transgender people can change their name and gender on documents.

One of the plaintiffs in the Bulgarian case is a transgender woman from Bulgaria who moved to Italy. She tried to change her documents for almost a decade but faced rejections from national courts. Now, relying on European law, Bulgarian judges have confirmed that the absence of a legal gender recognition procedure violates citizens’ rights to free movement and residence within the EU.

Human rights organizations Bilitis, Deystvie, TGEU, and ILGA-Europe welcomed the decision. Denitsa Lyubenova, co-chair of the Deystvie group, who represented the plaintiffs, stated that the government must swiftly establish a legal gender recognition procedure that does not require mandatory medical, surgical, or hormonal interventions. Human rights defenders also emphasized that a court decision is not a substitute for a comprehensive law, and urged the Bulgarian parliament to legally establish a fast and transparent procedure for all citizens.