Transferring about €100k of savings to Bulgaria for an apartment purchase — any pitfalls?

You are right on both counts: the transfer is technically trivial — a same-currency SEPA payment, often arriving same-day — and the only real risk is compliance timing. Prepare for that and nothing gets stuck. The AML reality: a six-figure inbound transfer to a Bulgarian account triggers source-of-funds questions, full stop. The bank may credit the money but restrict it until you produce documents. So assemble the evidence before sending: recent ING statements showing the savings history, and whatever explains their origin — salary accumulation, an inheritance document, proceeds of a prior sale. Send one or two large documented transfers, never a series of small ones (structuring looks worse, not better). Best of all: walk into your Bulgarian bank a week early, tell them a transfer of roughly 100k is coming for a property purchase, and ask what they want to see. Pre-announced money clears smoothly; surprise money gets reviewed. The cash limit you read about: payments of 10,000 leva or more — now about 5,100 euro — must go through a bank, so a cash-suitcase closing is illegal anyway. Standard practice is bank transfer on notary day, and increasingly buyers use an escrow-style arrangement where funds release against the signed notary deed and registration — worth the small fee for peace of mind. Time the money to be in your Bulgarian account, cleared and unrestricted, several days before the notary appointment, with a buffer for notary fees, the local transfer tax and registration costs (budget roughly 4 to 5 percent on top). The full purchase sequence — preliminary contract, checks on the property, notary day — is at /guides/buying-property-bulgaria-foreigners.