Removals to Bulgaria offer a weekly service
for people moving to Bulgaria on a
permanent basis or setting up a holiday/2nd
home. We at removals to bulgaria.com are
recognised specialists at moving furniture
to Bulgaria with minimum fuss.
Our Bulgarian removals service offers unrivalled coordination
services with excellent communication keeping you informed
at every stage of your removal. After 20 yrs hands on
experience in removals to bulgaria we can rightly boast of local
knowledge throughout Bulgaria and it’s this expertise that will
ensure your Bulgarian removal becomes a stress free and
enjoyable experience.
When you enquire about the removals to
Bulgaria service your call is handled by a
co-ordinator who is highly experienced in
removals to Bulgaria and will assist you in
deciding the most favourable method for
your removals to Bulgaria in terms of ease
of service, price, and any requirements you
may have for temporary storage.
Your personal co-ordinator will make sure that the removals to
Bulgaria of your personal effects, is as smooth,simple and as cost
effective as possible. By contacting removals to Bulgaria,
your co-ordinator can take responsibility for every aspect of your
removals to Bulgaria from your front door in the UK to your front
door in Bulgaria. Your co-ordinator will remain in contact so that
you are always up to date with the progress of your removals to
Italy making the whole relocation process as simple as possible.
| January 1 | New Year's Day |
| January 2 | New Year's Bridge Holiday (Friday) compensated 10 Jan |
| March 1 | Grandmother March Day (Not a statutory holiday). |
| March 2 | Liberation Day Bridge Holiday (Monday) compensated 14th |
| March 3 | Liberation Day (Liberation from Ottoman rule). |
| April 19 | Moveable Easter Sunday (Orthodox Easter). |
| April 20 | Moveable Easter Monday (Orthodox Easter). |
| May 1 | Labour Day |
| May 4 | Bridge Holiday (Monday) (compensated 16 May) |
| May 5 | Bridge Holiday (Tuesday) (compensated 30 May) |
| May 6 | St. George's Day Day of the Bulgarian Army. |
| May 24 | Bulgarian Education and Culture, and Slavonic Literature Day
Celebrating Bulgarian culture and the Cyrillic alphabet.
|
| September 6 | Unification Day Remembering the unification of Bulgaria |
| September 22 | Independence Day Independence from the Ottoman Empire |
| November 1 | Bulgarian Revival Leaders Day (Sunday) Only schools and
universities close when 1 November falls on a school day
|
| December 23 | Christmas Eve |
| December 25 | Christmas Day |
| December 26 | Second Day of Christmas. Bulgarians do not celebrate
Boxing Day or St Stephen's Day.
|
Documents Required To Stay (and Work) in Bulgaria
EU/EEA citizens may enter Bulgaria
and reside here up to 3 months
only with their ID card passport. After the 3-month period of residing
the EU/EEA citizens may receive a long-term Residence Permit up to
5 years if they start work in the country or are self-employed, or are
enrolled in an education course incl. vocational training.
After expiry of the 5-year period the EU/EEA citizens may acquire a
permanent Residence permit. The residence permits are issued by
the National Police Service – www.mfa.government.bg, the site of
the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior.
Residence certificates in Bulgaria
A. Long-term residence certificates – up to five years, and
B. Permanent residence certificates – for an indefinite period of time
The most common grounds for issuance of long-term residence
certificates are:
- The European citizen is employed or self employed in the
Republic of Bulgaria
- The European citizen has medical insurance and enough financial
resources to cover the expenses for his/her residence and that of
the family members without having recourse to the Bulgarian social
security system, and
- The European citizen has enrolled in a school/college/university in
Bulgaria for study, including professional training, and has medical
insurance and enough financial resources to cover his/her expenses,
- In order to apply for a residence certificate the European citizen
should submit an application to the Migration Directorate within
three months after his/her first entry in the Republic of Bulgaria.
The common documents which should be enclosed to the
application are as follows:
- A valid identity card or a passport of the applicant.
- Documents evidencing the existence of the ground on which the
European citizen applies for his/her residence certificate
(e.g. labour contracts,valid medical insurance, documents proving
the current education, etc).
- Documents evidencing the payment of the relevant state fee.
- Evidence that the applicant has sufficient financial means to meet
the costs of his/her stay in Bulgaria if required.
Applications are consideredApplications are considered and reviewed and the certificate should
be issued on the day of submitting the application. The certificate
contains the full name of the person and the registration date.
In case some of the necessary documents are missing or not valid,
the European citizen shall be granted a seven-day term to correct
them. If the person fails to correct the omissions within this term the
competent authority shall deny the issuance of a long term residence
certificate.
The right of entry and the right of residence in the Republic of Bulgaria
of a European citizen may be restricted in exceptional cases and on
grounds related to national security, public order or public health.
Permanent residence certificates are issued to European citizens
who have resided continuously in the Republic of Bulgaria for a period
of five years and who meet other special requirements set forth in the
law.
Driving in Bulgaria
Bulgaria is a member of the European Union and as such the rules for
driving in Bulgaria are similar to those in other EU countries.
Rules and Regulations
- Drive on the right in Bulgaria
- The legal minimum age for driving is 18 years
- A valid driving licence is required to drive on Bulgarian roads.
Citizens of other EU countries and Switzerland are allowed to drive
with their valid national driving licences. Citizens of non-EU countries
may drive in Bulgaria with their valid national driving licences for 1yr.
- It is compulsory to wear a seat belt including in the back seats if
belts are fitted
- Children under the age of 12 and/or less than 150cm tall may not
travel in the front seat and must use appropriate restraints
- Motorbike drivers must wear safety helmets
- Headlights must be on at all times from 1 November until 1 March
- Mobile cellular telephones may only be used with "handsfree"
What to Carry in the Car?
It is compulsory to carry the following documents in the car at all times:
- A valid driving license
- The vehicle's registration document (?u1077 ?u1080 ?u1090 ?u1072 ?u1080 ?u1085 ?u1085 ?u1072 ?u1086 ?f0 )
- Proof of insurance, with the sticker on the windscreen (?u1088 ?u1078 ?u1072 ?u1089 ?u1072
?u1090 ?u1086 ?u1086 ?u1085 ?u1089 ?f0 ). Third party insurance is compulsory for all vehicles
- A roadworthiness certificate and a stamp on the widescreen
(?u1072 ?u1086 ?f0 ?u1072 ?u1086 ?u1080 ?u1077 ?f0 ?u1077 ?u1085 ?u1095 ?u1089 ?u1080 ?u1088 ?u1075 ?u1077 ?f0 )
- A road tax vignette sticker (?u1080 ?u1077 ?u1082 ?f0 ) on the windscreen when
travelling outside urban areas
All vehicles must also carry:
- A red warning triangle
- A reflective green or orange vest
- A first-aid kit
- A fire-extinguisher
Vignette (road tax)
The vignette (?u1080 ?u1077 ?u1082 ?f0 ) is the equivalent of road tax in Bulgaria and
must be bought and stuck on the windscreen when driving outside
of urban areas. Weekly, monthly or annual vignette stickers are
available at most petrol stations and post offices. The vignette can
also be bought at Bulgarian borders when entering the country.
Vehicle Tax
An annual vehicle tax must be paid at the Taxes and Fees Office
(?u1077 ?u1090 ?u1080 ?u1072 ?u1098 ?u1080 ?f0 ?u1072 ?u1089 ?f0 ). The amount paid depends on the age and engine size of the vehicle.
Eco-tax
All car owners must pay an environmental tax called eco-tax
(?u1082 ?f0 ?u1072 ?u1089 ?f0 ). The amount paid will depend on the age of the vehicle.
Speed Limits in Bulgaria
Unless otherwise marked by signs the speed limits in Bulgaria are
as follows
- 130 km/h (80 m/h) on motorways
- 90 km/h (56 m/h) on other roads outside built-up areas
- 50 km/h (31 m/h) in built-up areas
Types of roads
There are two motorways in Bulgaria, A1 Trakia and A2 Hemus.
There are no tolls for either of these, as the vignette (road tax)
covers all roads in non built-up areas. All other roads are dual
carriage ways or secondary roads. Snow tyres and snow chains may
be necessary in winter, especially in mountainous areas.
Signs for the motorways are green. Most signs in big cities and on
major roads are in Roman and Cyrillic alphabet. In smaller areas, not
all signs will have the Roman alphabet equivalent.
Parking in Bulgaria
Most parking in big towns is on a fee-basis. Restricted parking zones
are marked as either Blue or Green zones and are paid for on a Pay
and Display principle.
In Sofia the Blue zone charge fee can be paid to a parking warden
or by sending a text message to 1302. Payment is by the hour.
After sending the text message, the subscriber gets a confirmation
that the payment is successful. Five minutes before the pre-paid hour
elapses, the subscriber receives a notification that they need to
renew their payment.
In most other towns parking in Green and Blue zones is payable either
at a parking meter or to a parking warden that will be present on the
spot, following the Pay and Display principle.
Driving and Drinking
The blood/alcohol limit in Bulgaria is 0.5 grams of alcohol per litre of
blood. Police have the power to carry out random alcohol tests on
drivers at any time, refusal to take the test may lead to further
penalties. Depending on the exact level of alcohol, drivers are
subject to different fines and confiscation of their driving license
for a period of time.
Breakdown Assistance
In the event of a road accident or breakdown, tel: 112.
A number of organisations provide assistance in case of breakdown.
The official Union of Bulgarian Motorists (?u1041 ?f0 ) can be reached by
calling 146 from any mobile phone in Bulgaria or tel: 02 911 46.
Taxation in Bulgaria
Currency Both the Bulgarian lev and the euro are used. The Bulgarian
lev is pegged to the euro and there are approximately two Bulgarian
leva to the British pound. The lev is still widely used in shops and
restaurants etc.
According to the Personal Income Tax Act a subject for taxation in
Bulgaria are domestic individuals /that means persons whose
permanent address is in Republic of Bulgaria, or persons who reside in
Republic of Bulgaria more than 183 days in each 12 months, or
persons for whom Bulgaria is their vital interests place/ and foreign
individuals /all the other persons not included in the list of the
domestic individuals/. Domestic individuals are taxable on income
earned from sources in Bulgaria and from foreign countries. Foreign
individuals are taxable on income earned from sources in Bulgaria.
Wages for labour performed on the territory of Bulgaria are taxable
as a source from Bulgaria.
During 2007 tax bases on which taxes are due are defined as follows:
- On income up to 2 400 lv. per a year is non taxable.
- On an income from 2 400 to 3 000 lv. per a year the tax is 20%.
- On an income from 3 000 to 7 200 lv. per a year the tax is 120 lv,
plus 22% on amount over 3000lv.
- On an income that exceeds 7 200 lv. per a year the owed tax is
1 044 lv, plus 24% on the amount over 7 200 lv.
The annual tax base is formed as a sum of the monthly tax bases.
The tax on the income from salary payment is monthly deducted and
paid in the National Revenue Agency /NRA/by the employer.
If the salary is the only source of an employee’s income, there is no
need a tax declaration to be filled. If there are other sources of
income, a tax declaration should be filled and rendered to the NRA.
Families who raise children under age of 18 can profit from annual tax
concessions. They have to fill in a tax declaration and the annual tax
base is reduced as follows:
- For a single child under age – with 420 lv.
- For two children under age – with 840 lv.
- For three and more children under age – with 1 260 lv.
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