Obviously the rules traffic must be observed. But not everyone succeeds. What threatens violations in Bulgaria? In the worst case, a catastrophe and the death of all participants. At best, fines. We will tell about them. This information is relevant both for those living in Bulgaria and for tourists who rent a car.
You can check if you have been charged any fines (and at the same time pay them) here https://e-uslugi.mvr.bg/ESP.Web.Portal/KATActs/ActService/Index .
The fines change periodically. On January 21, 2017, the next changes came into force.
Ignoring road signs in Bulgaria can lead to a fine Over speed
In built-up areas, you can drive at a speed of 50 km / h, if there are no additional signs. Outside built-up areas - 90 km / h.
Exceeding the maximum permitted speed by 10 km/h - a fine of 20 levs.
At 11-20 km / h - a fine of 50 levs.
At 21-30 km / h - 100 levs and minus 2 control points (we wrote about the points in). Upon receipt of the rights, you receive a ticket with 39 points. In case of violations, they are taken away. Take away everything - you have to get the rights again. We cannot say what they will do with the holders of foreign rights - they will probably only demand a fine).
At 31-40 km / h - a fine of 400 levs and minus 6 checkpoints.
Exceeding more than 40 km / h - a fine of 600 levs and 12 points.
More than 50 km/h - 700 BGN fine, for each subsequent 5 km/h exceeding this indicator, the fine increases by 50 BGN + 16 points + deprivation of rights for 3 months.
parking
Parking in places for the disabled without the right to do so - a fine of 200 levs.
Parking in parks, gardens, playgrounds, sidewalks and pedestrian areas - from 50 to 200 levs.
Parking in the area of pedestrian paths - a fine of 50 levs and minus 3 checkpoints.
You can not stand and park in the second row in the traffic area. For such a violation, you will have to pay 50 levs and 4 points.
Parking at a bus stop - a fine from 20 to 150 levs and 3 checkpoints.
Wrong parking - 20 leva fine.
Vignetka
What is a vignette, we wrote in.
For the absence of such a sticker on the windshield, drivers cars must pay 300 leva;
vehicle owners from 8 passenger seats– 600 levs;
owners of buses with more than 8 seats, trucks with a permissible maximum weight from 12 tons - 1500 levs;
truck drivers with 2 or more axles with a technically permissible maximum weight of 12 tons or more - 3000 levs.
On Bulgarian roads, you need to drive carefully and carefully, especially in winter and / or in the mountains maneuvers on the road
Wrong stop - a fine of 20-50 leva.
Violation of the rules for the location of the vehicle on the roadway - a fine of 20 levs.
Violation of traffic rules in reverse- 20 leva fine.
Movement along bus lane– a fine of 50 leva.
Driving on rails and violating the rules of crossing railway tracks– a fine from 20 to 150 leva and 4 checkpoints.
Stopping on a traffic lane without signal signs (emergency gang, triangle) - a fine of 150 levs and 6 points.
If you don't miss vehicle with a special driving mode ( fire engine, police, ambulance) – a fine of 150 lv and 6 checkpoints.
Driving on the opposite side of the motorway and express road - deprivation of rights for a period of 3 months and a fine of 1000 levs. In case of a repeated violation, you remain without a license for six months and pay a fine of 4,000 leva.
Ignoring traffic signs
If you don't stop at the STOP sign, pay 20 levs and lose 7 checkpoints.
Incorrect inclusion in traffic, creating obstacles for transport that has the right of way, incorrect rebuilding - a fine of 20 levs.
Driving under a prohibition sign or driving in a prohibited direction on a one-way road - a fine of 30 levs.
Incorrect overtaking without danger to traffic - a fine of 30 leva and 4 points.
Failure to comply with traffic lights or a traffic controller - a fine of 50 leva and the loss of 4 points.
Failure to comply with road signs, road markings, rules of preferential passage, overtaking or detour, if this creates a danger to road users - a fine of 150 leva and 6 control points.
Travel to a red traffic light - minus 100 leva and 10 points. In case of repeated violation - minus 200 leva and deprivation of rights for a month.
Those who do not provide an advantage to pedestrians at crossings face a fine of 100 leva. In case of repeated violation - 200 leva and deprivation of rights for a month.
car accident
If the accident occurred due to non-observance of the distance and speed limit, then the fine will be 200 leva and 3 points.
Rubber
You will have to pay 50 levs (and say goodbye to 6 points) in case of driving a vehicle with worn or torn tires. In the period from November 15 to March 1, cars must be equipped with tires designed for winter conditions or with a tread depth of at least 4 mm.
We came across quite adequate CAT employees in Bulgaria, there is nothing to complain about Documentation
If the driver does not have a driving license, a control coupon and a vehicle coupon - a fine of 10 levs.
No document on compulsory insurance civil liability – 10 lv. fine.
In case of refusal to submit documents for verification, your rights may be taken away for a period of 1 to 6 months with a fine of 50-200 leva.
Driving a vehicle after deprivation of rights - a fine from 100 to 300 levs.
Driving without a license - a fine from 100 to 300 levs.
If the driver interferes with the inspection by the regulatory authorities, he will be deprived of his license for 1-6 months and fined 50-200 levs.
Refusal to follow the instructions of the regulatory authorities and representatives of the CAT is the same, say goodbye to the rights for a period of 1 to 6 months and pay from 50 to 200 levs.
Alcohol
Concentration from 0.5 to 0.8 ppm inclusive - a fine of 500 levs, minus 10 control points and deprivation of rights for six months.
The concentration of alcohol in the blood from 0.8 to 1.2 ppm inclusive - a fine of 1000 levs and a year without a license.
In case of repeated violation, deprivation of rights for a period of 1 to 3 years and a fine of 1000 to 2000 levs.
Refusal to test for alcohol / drugs entails deprivation of rights for up to 2 years, a fine of 2000 levs and the removal of 12 control points.
Providing a motor vehicle to a person who does not have the appropriate rights, has consumed alcohol and / or drugs - a fine from 100 to 300 levs.
Racing
A driver who organizes or participates in unregulated competitions on roads open to public use, or uses them for purposes other than their intended purpose, is punishable by deprivation of the right to drive vehicles for a period of 12 months and a fine of 3000 levs.
In case of repeated violation, the rights are taken away for 3 years, and the fine is 5000 levs.
Other
Misuse sound signal in the settlement - a fine of 10 levs.
Pollution of roads by throwing something out of the car - a fine of 30 levs and 5 checkpoints.
Late technical inspection - a fine of 50 levs.
Vehicle management with increased allocation harmful substances or a faulty muffler - a fine of up to 50 levs.
The use of anti-radar - a fine of up to 50 levs.
Incorrect number setting - deprivation of rights for a period of 1 to 6 months, a fine of 50 to 200 levs.
Driving an incorrectly registered or unregistered car - deprivation of rights for 6-12 months and a fine from 200 to 500 levs. Those. we carry a brand new car on a tow truck until we arrange it as it should.
The use of special signals intended for cars with a special mode of movement - deprivation of rights for a period of 1 to 6 months, a fine of 50 to 200 levs.
Usage mobile phone while driving – a fine of 50 levs and 6 checkpoints.
Failure to use a seat belt - a fine of 50 levs and 10 points.
Violation of the rules for transporting children - a fine of 50 levs.
Driving with unreadable or closed registration number– a fine of 50 lv.
Fines for cyclists, pedestrians and passengers
Riding a bicycle without a special vest with reflective elements - a fine of 10 levs.
Driving without a seat belt (in a car) or a helmet (on a motorcycle) - a fine of 50 levs.
If the pedestrian decides to climb over the fence, parapet, chain, fencing carriageway– a fine of 50 lv.
Other pedestrian violations – BGN 20 fine.
Roads in Bulgaria are in a rather deplorable state. There are potholes and pits even on the main roads, so you should drive carefully and carefully, especially at night. The European Union provides financial support to Bulgaria for the restoration of roads. However, it will take quite a long time for thousands of kilometers pavement Bulgaria to put in order.
Before you go on a trip to Bulgaria, read the rules of the road of this country and other information related to traffic. Despite the fact that the rules of the road in Bulgaria are practically no different from the rules of other European countries. But each state has its own conditions for driving a car.
Driving license in Bulgaria
Type driving license:
In Bulgaria, EU type rights are valid. Most of the other rights also apply, but it is still recommended that you purchase the International driver's license.
Driver:
The minimum age of the driver is 18 years old, and he must also have a valid driver's license.
You can find out about the need to purchase an International Driving Permit at your Bulgarian embassy.
Speed limit in Bulgaria
In the country:
Try not to violate traffic rules. There have been cases when the police stopped foreign drivers for speeding and demanded to pay a fine right on the spot, although they have no right to insist on immediate payment. Although, if you are stopped by the police for any violation and require you to pay a fine immediately, it is most reasonable to comply with their requirements. But if you are sure of your innocence, it is better for you to immediately go to the local police station to clarify the situation. However, you need to be prepared for the fact that you can come out of there with nothing.
Traffic on the road in Bulgaria
Traffic:
In Bulgaria, traffic is on the right;
Give way to public transport.
Driver:
Permissible blood alcohol level 0.5%;
It is forbidden to use radar detectors, as well as their installation;
While the car is in motion, it is forbidden to use a mobile phone. phone not equipped technical device"bluetooth" or "hands free".
Passengers:
The passenger must be fastened seat belt;
Transportation of children must be carried out using special child restraints.
The main traffic rules in Bulgaria coincide with the rules of other EU countries. Although, quite often, many Bulgarian drivers ignore them. Therefore, be especially careful and attentive while driving a car.
Parking
Monday Friday:
08:00 – 18:00.....1.00 BGN/h
Around the clock - free of charge
At first, in big cities it is quite difficult to deal with parking. For example, in Sofia it is possible to park a car in the so-called "blue zones" when the parking space is marked blue color. A parking ticket must be purchased from a person in a bright orange vest. In this parking lot, you can leave your car for 2-4 hours. It is also possible to pay for parking by sending an SMS with a specific text to a specific phone number, but it is better to use more traditional payment methods first.
There are not so many public parking lots in the center of Sofia, so it will be much more profitable to leave the car outside the city and get to the center by public transport.
Penalties for traffic violation In Bulgaria
Violation of the rules for the use of sound signals ..... 10 BGN
Failure to comply with the requirement to stop before the sign "STOP" ..... 20 BGN
Violation of the rules of overtaking.....30 BGN
Driving in the opposite direction on a one-way road.....30 BGN
Passage to a prohibiting traffic light.....50 BGN
Failure to give way to pedestrians enjoying the right of way.....50 BGN
Parking with running engine.....50 BGN
Violation of the rules for driving through railway crossings ..... from 20 to 150 BGN
Refusal to provide documents for verification.....from 50 to 200 BGN
Summer is coming and many are heading to resorts. But the rest consists not only of the beach and the sea, as a rule, we also want to replenish our collection of impressions during the holidays or create a series of photographs that will be nice to look at on cold winter evenings and show to friends and relatives. You can, of course, buy a ticket for an excursion and they will certainly take you and show you places that have already been seen and that millions have already told, the guide will tell you a story that has been told to thousands of tourists every season for many years. To go where, well, if a human foot has not set foot, then in any case there is a chance that the place has not been trampled by thousands, to see what is not depicted on every postcard, and in the end, a car will allow freedom of action and movement. Of course, there is always the option that, for example, you came to Bulgaria from Moscow for own car and then the issue of transport should not particularly worry you. In 2014, we did just that.
But if the distance of 2.5 thousand kilometers seems too tiring to you, then it’s more humane to fly to the resort by plane and rent a car. In this regard, Bulgaria is a very attractive country, there are a lot of car rental companies, the roads are of good quality, and the rental prices are quite humane.
Car rental in Bulgaria
For example, a small Suzuki Alto when renting for 15 days can be found for 15-20 euros per day in summer season. However, there are several factors to consider when renting. The rental price is strongly influenced not only by the class of the rented car, but also by the season. For countries with a relatively short holiday season, this is especially true. Rental companies try to earn maximum during the peak season. However, if you take care of renting a car in advance, that is good chances book the right vehicle at the lowest possible price and even get a discount.
In Bulgaria, the second most important factor influencing the price is the type of gearbox. “Automatic” can be much more expensive than “mechanics” with a comparable class of cars. Of course, the above price is valid if you rent a car with manual transmission and about six months before the trip.
Local car rental companies
You should also be warned against the temptation to book a car with a local unfamiliar company. Yes, the price may turn out to be quite a penny, but the rest can be completely ruined and instead of impressions of local beauties, you will get a dubious experience of communicating with a local service and the owner of an unscrupulous distributor. There were cases when the driver fell off steering wheel on the road. But besides the malfunctions of the car itself, unscrupulous rental offices, as a rule, save on insurance. Despite the fact that on the company’s website or according to the employee “everything is covered, damage, theft”, in fact, insurance has a lot of restrictions, deductibles, etc. The following point should be taken into account here. Local residents, as a rule, do not use rental services at all, since almost everyone has their own transport. At the same time, the country is small (from the westernmost part of the country to the coast no more than 700 km.) And it makes no sense to rent a car, you can come on your own.
In general, the advice is simple: choose a car from a trusted company. Especially now there are no such problems. You can take a car from local companies if you are sure of the quality. For example, someone has already booked a car with them or on the Internet about it only good feedback. All well-known European car rental brands, including economy class, are represented in Bulgaria. However, in order to find the most low price to rent a car, it is not at all necessary to set the same data a dozen times on the website of each rental company, it is enough to use the services of one aggregator. For example, we found a Peugeot 206 at a very attractive price and the car turned out to be practically new without any problems. good helper in the selection of a car in a local company - MyRentacar. The guys from this company carefully approach the selection of rental companies and the support service works, of course, in Russian.
International companies
In Bulgaria, there are international companies car rental companies like Herz and Europcar. Prices here can be much higher, but the range of cars offered is usually longer. The service of finding a car for rent in different companies(so-called rental broker). Large Bulgarian companies are also represented here.
Of the most popular car rental brokers in the popular resort towns of Bulgaria (where there is an airport), we can recommend rentalcars. It is one of the world leaders in car rental. You can also look at rental options with a more “young”, but actively gaining popularity broker Rideways.
Features of traffic in Bulgaria
In almost all European countries, despite general rules traffic, there are some features that are worth remembering.
Speed limits in Bulgaria
Standard speed limits in Bulgaria (unless otherwise indicated on the signs).
Cars:
- in the village - 50 km / h
- outside locality– 90 km/h
- on highway– 120 km/h
- on the motorway - 140 km / h
Trailer vehicles:
- in the village - 50 km / h
- outside the settlement - 70 km / h
- on the motorway - 100 km / h
Motorcycles:
- in the village - 50 km / h
- outside the settlement - 80 km / h
- on the road - 90 km / h
- on the motorway - 100 km / h
Please note that in case of exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 km / h, the driver's license is subject to detention and then sent by diplomatic mail to the country where it was issued. There is no “preferential excess” without a fine in Bulgaria. For exceeding the speed limit even by 1 km / h, you will have to pay 20 leva (about 10 euros). Maximum fine for speeding - 350 leva.
Dipped beam must be kept on at any time of the day, within and outside the settlement. Pay close attention to the signs prohibiting parking, as the car can be evacuated to a fine parking lot, and the release will cost a pretty penny.
Rest is often accompanied by the use of alcohol. In this sense, Bulgarian laws may seem quite liberal. Maximum allowable level blood alcohol 0.49%. However, this issue should be taken seriously, since the fine in case of exceeding this amount will be from 500 to 1000 leva. If the level of alcohol in the blood exceeds 1.2%, your holidays in Bulgaria will last for a year. True, not on the beach, but in prison. Yes, it provides for criminal liability for drunk driving and imprisonment for up to one year.
IN major cities you may encounter traffic lights that are unusual for us. The peculiarity is that here, as a rule, there are no sections with arrows that are familiar to us, and if it is possible to leave the intersection in different directions from a certain lane, then a separate traffic light will be designed for it (the row). That is, you may encounter a situation where red is on the right of the stop line, and green is on the left. In the above example, we are standing in the left lane and focus on the traffic light on the left, but we do not pay attention to the one on the right - it is not for our lane.
This is how the situation with car rental in the resorts of Bulgaria looks like. Everything is feasible and fairly budgetary, you just need to choose the right car rental company and comply with traffic rules. Happy road trips in Bulgaria!
Roads in Bulgaria… are different. Even with all the love for the Republic of Bulgaria, we cannot say that it is a country of excellent roads. But, on the other hand, everything is not at all as scary as many people imagine. Highways between cities are usually quite decent. In the villages, of course, things are worse: in some places the asphalt has not been updated, it seems, since the days of socialism. However, you can drive almost everywhere, and this is the most important thing.
Toll roads in Bulgaria
You cannot drive on roads with such a sign without a vignette. On the Russian Internet, you can read a lot of interesting things about Bulgaria. So, in one popular blog, we learned that, it turns out, almost all roads in Bulgaria are toll roads, and in order to drive on them, you need to buy a vignette - a special sticker on Windshield car.
This is both true and not true. Yes, you really need to buy a vignette for driving on Bulgarian roads (most of them). You can do without it only if you do not travel outside your locality. We talk in more detail about these stickers, their cost and purchase rules in the article "". By the way, since 2019, vignettes have become electronic, you no longer need to stick stickers on glass.
But because of this, calling Bulgarian roads toll roads is still not entirely correct - a vignette is essentially a kind of road / car tax (by the way, there are no other road taxes in Bulgaria).
By the way, in the first month of our life in Bulgaria, we safely drove without a vignette - we bought a car without it, but no one told us that there should be such a sticker. Oddly enough, we were never stopped, so we would have continued to drive if we hadn’t become interested in a roadside sign and asked our friends what a vignette is. However, we do not recommend anyone to repeat this experience - in Bulgaria they still happen.
CAT
The roads between cities in Bulgaria are good - the Hemus highway. The Bulgarian traffic police is called CAT. Police officers sometimes ambush on the road, check documents and issue fines - just like their counterparts in other countries. What pleases - the local drivers warn oncoming people about such an ambush by blinking their headlights (as in Russia). By the way, patrols from Bulgarian and Romanian Katovites sometimes work in our region - this is due to the proximity of the Romanian border. But in general, from experience we can say that there are fewer traffic inspectors on the roads compared to the same Russia.
If you follow the rules and do not commit gross violations, then you will hardly have to deal with CAT employees. Well, except when registering a car.
SDA
But there are such roads in Bulgaria. The rules of the road in Bulgaria differ little from Russian ones. Outside the city, the speed can be up to 140 kilometers per hour (motorways), in the city - no more than 50 km / h. It seems that not everyone respects these restrictions. On some roads, including in resort areas, there are restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles, especially in hot weather. the owner of the car pays for speeding, regardless of who was driving, so lending your car to someone in Bulgaria is strongly discouraged.
Parking in cities in work time mostly paid. Employees in neon vests walk and collect money. standard cost– 1-2 leva per hour. On weekends, you can park in the same places for free.
Place for free parking you can also find it - if there are no signs, one way or another prohibiting parking, then you can safely leave the car. In large cities it is more difficult to find such places, in small ones, respectively, easier.
Maximum allowable percentage alcohol in the blood - 0.49%. CAT employees often conduct roadside checks.
At any time of the day, you need to drive with low beams (not everyone observes this rule either).
The use of seat belts is mandatory regardless of whether the passenger is seated in front or behind.
Pedestrians need to be let through, oddly enough. Beautiful gypsy girls standing on the sides of the highway do not need to be let through - they are not there for that.
Bulgarian drivers
Bulgarian drivers cannot be called very law-abiding. Speeding is a fairly common violation. Often, Bulgarian drivers overtake where it is impossible to overtake, they often forget to turn on the turn signals, and even the seat belts are treated very carelessly. Unfortunately, according to CAT reports, too many drink alcohol while driving.
However, drivers from Romania and Turkey have an even worse reputation. So it’s better to let cars with Romanian and Turkish numbers pass on the road, following the well-known rule of “three Ds”, well, just in case.
Among drivers, it is customary to warn oncoming cars by flashing headlights about an ambush by CAT employees, accidents and other non-standard situations. As a thank you, it is enough to understand the hand with the palm turned to the driver who kindly warned about the emergency, or to blink the parking lights.
Car plate numbers
Numbers that start with the letter E are issued in the Blagoevgrad region The number issued before Bulgaria joined the EU is decorated with the Bulgarian flag, the numbers issued after that are the EU flag and the letters BG.
As in other countries with a Cyrillic alphabet, in Bulgaria in license plates only those letters are used that coincide in spelling with the letters of the Latin alphabet. Each region has its own letters:
- Burgas region - A;
- Varna region - B;
- Vidinskaya region - VN;
- Vratsa region - BP;
- Veliko Tarnovo region - VT;
- Blagoevgrad region - E;
- Gabrov region - EV (from the name of the second largest city in the region - Sevlievo);
- Pleven region - EN;
- Shumen region - N;
- Kardzhali region - K;
- Kyustendil region - KN;
- Montana region - M;
- Lovech region - OV;
- Rousse region - R;
- Pazardzhik region - RA;
- Plovdiv region - RV;
- Pernik region - RK;
- Razgrad region - RR;
- Sofia - C, CA, NE;
- Sofia region - SO;
- Silistra region - SS (red numbers with SS code - diplomatic, consular);
- Smolyan region - SM;
- Sliven region - CH;
- Stara Zagora region - ST (red numbers with ST code - diplomatic);
- Targovisht region - T;
- Dobrich region - TX (from the old name of Dobrich - Tolbukhin);
- Yambol region - U;
- Haskovskaya region - Kh.
We will definitely tell you about the purchase and registration of cars by foreigners separately. If a foreign citizen draws up a car for himself (not for a Bulgarian company), then he receives numbers with white letters on blue background. Issue such numbers only in
