Ciela Norma

What Ciela Norma does

Ciela Norma AD is a privately held Bulgarian joint stock company headquartered in Sofia that develops and distributes legal and regulatory information software, publishes legal literature, and operates election technology services. Its core offering is the Ciela product family, including Ciela Normi (Bulgarian legislation), Ciela Info (business intelligence on registered companies), Ciela Accounting, Ciela Construction, Ciela Energy and Environment, Ciela Euro, and Ciela Law (Bulgarian legislation translated into English), delivered via the web-based CielaNet platform and the Ciela WebServer desktop application. The company also operates the State Gazette Archive (70 years of digitized issues from 1920-1989), the Ciela Diary educational platform, an e-commerce store at e-ciela.net, and the Borza Iskar book exchange acquired in 2020.

The business runs on per-workplace annual subscriptions sold through a sales-led motion (direct field sales, regional distributors, physical offices in Sofia and Plovdiv, and e-commerce), complemented by professional services including conferences, seminars, and machine-voting contracts for Bulgarian elections delivered in partnership with Smartmatic. Ciela Norma has been repeatedly selected by the Central Election Commission for machine voting since 2014, achieving a sub-0.4% defect rate in the October 2022 parliamentary elections. In April 2026, the company announced Ciela-Noxtua, a strategic partnership with European AI provider Noxtua to launch the first localized legal AI platform for the Bulgarian market, offering natural-language legal research and automated document drafting.

Ciela Norma holds ISO 9001 (since 2001), ISO/IEC 27001 (since 2013), and ISO/IEC 20000-1 (since 2011) certifications, is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner, and is approved by the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice as a mediator training organization. The company is led by Executive Director Veselin Todorov and serves a broad base of legal professionals, courts, ministries, agencies, enterprises, notaries, healthcare and education institutions, and international entities operating in Bulgaria.

Name

Ciela Norma

Legal name

"Сиела Норма" АД

Website

https://ciela.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ciela Norma AD is a Sofia-based Bulgarian legal information software company providing subscription-based regulatory and business intelligence platforms (Ciela Normi, Ciela Info, Ciela Accounting, and vertical-specific systems) to lawyers, courts, government agencies, and enterprises, complemented by publishing, educational software, and election machine-voting services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Information Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Government & Public Policy Publishing (Regulations, Gazettes, Legislative Tracking) (MPAJACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Law & Legal Studies (EDAGABAH), Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE) (EDAAALAB)

Keywords

• Legal information systems
• Business intelligence software
• Regulatory compliance software
• Legal publishing services
• Election technology services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sofia

HQ country

Bulgaria

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Legal Information Software Subscriptions: Annual subscription model for legal information systems including Ciela Normi, Ciela Info, Ciela Evro, Ciela Law, Ciela Accounting, Ciela Construction, and specialized products. Subscriptions are sold per workplace seat with minimum 1-year terms. Includes content updates, support, and assistance via phone and email during business hours.
2. Event Management and Training Services: Company organizes conferences, seminars, and training sessions with legal and economic themes for state administration employees. The company has organized over 500 events since 2000.
3. E-commerce Software Sales: Online sales through e-ciela.net and ciela.com platforms for direct software purchases and subscriptions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ciela Norma develops, sells, and maintains subscription-based legal and business information software systems for the Bulgarian market. Its core platform, Ciela Normi, delivers consolidated Bulgarian legislation with daily updates from the State Gazette, supported by specialized products covering EU law, accounting, construction, energy, business intelligence, and court practice. The company also offers legal publishing, the largest Bulgarian book exchange (Borza Iskar), and machine voting services for Bulgarian elections.

Product overview

Ciela Norma is a comprehensive legal and business information technology company offering a portfolio of interconnected software products and services. The core offering includes the Сиела Норми (Ciela Normi) platform as the primary Bulgarian legal information system, complemented by specialized vertical products including Сиела Инфо (business intelligence), Сиела Счетоводство (accounting/tax), Сиела Строител (construction regulations), Сиела Процедури (administrative procedures), Сиела Евро and Ciela Law (EU/international legislation), Сиела Енергетика (energy/environment), and the State Gazette Archive (historical legislation 1920-1989). The company also provides AI-powered legal services through the Ciela-Noxtua platform, operates the free online State Gazette library, offers machine voting services for elections, and publishes the legal journal 'Норма'. Products are available via annual subscription through web-based CielaNet platform, desktop WebServer application, and the e-ciela.net online store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Сиела Норми (Siela Normi): Bulgarian legal information system containing current Bulgarian legislation
• Ciela-Noxtua
• Сиела Инфо (Siela Info)
• Сиела Счетоводство (Siela Schetovodstvo)
• Сиела Строител (Siela Stroitel)
• Сиела Процедури (Siela Proceduri)
• Сиела Евро (Siela Euro)
• Ciela Law
• Сиела Дневник (Siela Dnevnik)
• Нотариус Футурум (Notarius Futurum)
• Архив на Държавен вестник (Archive of State Gazette)
• Сиела Енергетика и околна среда (Siela Energetika)
• Сиела Практика (Siela Praktika)

Products and services

• Сиела Норми (Ciela Normi) Core Bulgarian legislation legal information system containing current consolidated Bulgarian legislation texts updated after each State Gazette issue, with quadruple verification, hyperlinked documents, deadline calendar, and advanced search capabilities. Used by lawyers, courts, government agencies, and legal professionals for daily legal research.
• Сиела Инфо (Ciela Info) Business information system containing rich data on registered commercial companies and entities in Bulgaria, with consolidated business dossiers integrated from official sources, annual financial reports, detailed financial data, and comparative analysis for due diligence and risk assessment.
• Сиела Счетоводство (Ciela Accounting) Specialized legal information system containing normative base in accounting, insurance, taxes, finances, and labor law, designed for accountants, financial experts, tax consultants, and specialists tracking current legislation.
• Сиела Строител (Ciela Construction) Specialized legal information system containing normative base and regulations related to design, construction, and spatial planning, with over 12,000 documents covering regulations, design standards, government agency documents, procedures, templates, and EU directives.
• Сиела Процедури (Ciela Procedures) Legal handbook for citizens and businesses regarding administrative procedures and services, facilitating access to administrative services from central, regional, and municipal administrations with detailed procedure descriptions, required actions, and necessary documents.
• Сиела Евро (Ciela Euro) Bilingual European legislation information system containing EU legislation with English texts and official Bulgarian translations from EUR-Lex, including founding treaties, regulations, directives, decisions, recommendations, and opinions from European institutions.
• Ciela Law Bilingual legal information system with Bulgarian legislation and acts of international public law translated into English, containing over 1,400 Bulgarian normative acts in English translation, including acts of international public law such as double taxation treaties and Constitutional Court decisions.
• Сиела Енергетика и околна среда (Ciela Energy and Environment) Specialized legal information system for professionals in energy and environmental protection sectors, containing current normative base, departmental practice, reference and statistical information, selected court practice, and EU acts.
• Сиела ЕвроСчетоводител (Ciela EuroAccountant) European accounting legislation information system complementing Ciela Accounting, containing EU accounting standards and regulations for professionals dealing with cross-border transactions.
• Сиела Практика (Ciela Practice) Court decisions and acts of other jurisdictions in the Republic of Bulgaria, providing comprehensive access to judicial practice for legal professionals.
• Архив на Държавен вестник (State Gazette Archive) Digitized archive of State Gazette issues from 1920 to 1989, covering 70 years, 13,500 issues, and 180,000 pages with indexing and full-text search capability. Only complete collection of digital copies of State Gazette issues from this period.
• GDPR Помощник (GDPR Assistant) GDPR compliance tool containing European and national legal framework, forms and templates for all procedures, comments and clarifications, with additional structure including 4 registers and 'My Documents' section.
• Сиела Дневник (Ciela Diary) Modern web-based platform for managing the educational process, designed for school directors, teachers, parents, students, and administrative staff. First electronic diary integrated with Microsoft Teams for distance learning.
• Профил на купувача (Buyer Profile) Public procurement information system providing comprehensive modules for publishing, management, and notifications for contracting authorities under the Public Procurement Act, with web portal access for both contracting authorities and contractors.
• Ciela-Noxtua Legal AI Platform First localized legal AI platform for the Bulgarian market, combining Ciela Norma's decades of legal expertise and content with Noxtua's AI technology. Features natural language legal research, in-depth document analysis, and automated document drafting (claims, contracts, complaints, memoranda). GDPR compliant, processed on certified European servers.
• Нотариус Футурум (Notarius Futurum) Specialized software for notarial office management and notarial archives, originally created as 'Nota Register' in 1998 and transferred to the Notary Chamber of Bulgaria in 2009.
• Онлайн списание Норма (Online Magazine Norma) Legal journal published 11 times per year (excluding August) containing articles by established scholars and practitioners in various areas of legal science, linked to cases from legal practice, current legislative changes, and court practice.
• Машинно гласуване (Machine Voting Services) Technical provision and organization of machine voting for elections. Ciela Norma has been repeatedly selected by the Central Election Commission to provide machine voting services for parliamentary and European Parliament elections since 2014, achieving a record defect rate below 0.4%.
• ДДС Помощник (VAT Assistant) New specialized product for accountants and financial specialists covering value-added tax regulations and compliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Less than 0.4% machine defect rate in elections
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• NoxtuaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026Strategic partnership with European independent AI leader Noxtua to create Ciela-Noxtua - the first localized legal AI platform for the Bulgarian market. Combines Ciela Norma's decades of legal expertise and rich legal content with Noxtua's AI technology. Platform built on Bulgarian legal data including the Civil Procedure Code, Commercial Law, Law on Obligations and Contracts, extensive court practice, and specialized literature. Ciela-Noxtua will be exclusively distributed by Ciela Norma AD.
• SmartmaticcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 May 2019International partnership with Smartmatic for voting machine software development and device supply for European Parliament elections. Smartmatic is globally recognized as one of the best companies in production, delivery, and maintenance of voting machines. Project included logistics support to 2000 precinct election commissions in the country, service, and training organization for working with devices.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• C.H. Beck: German legal publisher and software provider combining legal books, journals, and online information systems for German-speaking professionals. Strong mid-sized European comparable in the same niche of curated national legal content plus digital platforms.
• vLex: Legal AI and information platform aggregating case law and legislation across multiple jurisdictions with Vincent AI. Comparable to Ciela-Noxtua in layering AI on top of curated primary law, with a similar mid-sized, multi-jurisdiction growth profile.

Broad incumbents

• LexisNexis (RELX): Major legal research and business information provider under RELX, offering subscription access to case law, legislation, and AI-augmented research tools. Closest large-scale analog to Ciela Norma's subscription-based legal information model.
• Wolters Kluwer: Global leader in legal information, regulatory compliance, and professional software publishing. Directly comparable business model of selling curated legal/regulatory content and workflow software to professionals, though at vastly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Thomson Reuters: Operates Westlaw, Practical Law, and CoCounsel legal AI, providing legal professionals with subscription access to statutes, case law, and AI-assisted research. Comparable curated-content-plus-AI model, though globally scaled and English-language centric.

Others

• EUR-Lex: Official EU legal database providing free public access to EU legislation, treaties, and case law. Not a direct competitor but the upstream data source that Ciela Norma's Ciela Euro and Ciela Law products build on, and a structural alternative for users willing to use free public sources.

Emerging players

• Harvey AI: Domain-specialized generative AI platform for legal professionals offering research, drafting, and analysis. Most relevant comparable to Ciela-Noxtua in terms of workflow transformation, though focused on large law firms and English-speaking markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CielaNorma
• Xx.com/ciela_norma

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ciela Norma