Importing a car to Bulgaria: costs and steps

At a glance

Total time: Register soon after you become resident
Official fees: 10% duty + 20% VAT on non-EU cars
Where: Customs, then KAT
Bulgarian needed?: Sworn translations needed

You can bring your car to Bulgaria, but once you live here it must be registered on Bulgarian plates. What you pay depends mostly on where the car was registered before: in the EU, or outside it.

EU car or non-EU car

	Car from an EU country	Car from outside the EU (including the UK)
Customs duty	None	10% of the car’s value, plus shipping and insurance
Import VAT	None for a used car	20% of the value plus duty
Customs papers	Not needed	Customs declaration, usually through a customs agent
Moving your home	No extra relief needed	Duty and VAT can be waived if you have owned and used the car for at least 6 months and move here to live

A new car bought in another EU country, less than 6 months old or with under 6,000 km, is treated differently: VAT is paid in Bulgaria. Ask an accountant before you buy.

Before you can register it

To put a car on Bulgarian plates in your own name, you normally need a Bulgarian residence document and personal number (LNCH or EGN). If you don’t have them yet, a car can be registered to a Bulgarian company you own. See our EU registration guide or our residence guide.

Step by step

Get the paperwork together: the foreign registration document, proof of ownership (a sales contract or invoice) and, for a non-EU car, the customs clearance papers.
Have the documents translated into Bulgarian by a sworn translator.
Buy Bulgarian third-party insurance (гражданска отговорност, “civil liability”). You need it before the car can be registered.
Take the car for a technical inspection. KAT also checks the chassis (VIN) number.
Pay the one-off registration fees at KAT, the traffic police. You get Bulgarian plates and a registration certificate (талон), often the same day.
Register the car for the yearly vehicle tax with your municipality. In many towns this is done automatically from KAT’s records, but check.
Buy an e-vignette for your new number plate before you drive on motorways.

Running costs

Vehicle tax: paid yearly to the municipality, based on engine power, age and emissions. Pay it all by 30 April for a 5% discount, or in two halves by 30 June and 31 October. Electric cars are usually exempt.
Insurance: civil liability insurance is compulsory. Comprehensive cover (каско) is optional.
Inspection: a yearly technical inspection once the car is a few years old.
Winter tyres: required on Bulgarian-registered cars in winter conditions, roughly from mid-November to March.

UK and right-hand-drive cars

Since Brexit, UK cars count as non-EU cars: duty and VAT apply unless you qualify for the moving-home relief. Right-hand-drive cars can be registered, but the headlights must suit driving on the right. Many people find it cheaper to sell the car before moving and buy one here.

Common mistakes

Driving for years on foreign plates after becoming a resident. Once you live here, the car must be registered in Bulgaria, and police do check.
Selling a car within 12 months of a duty-free import, which can make the duty payable after all.
Not working out duty and VAT before shipping a car from outside the EU.
Forgetting that your driving licence may also need exchanging.

Sources

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and fees change, so check with Customs, KAT or a customs agent before you import a car.