buying a car in bulgaria

HOW TO BUY

There is a huge selection of both new and used cars in Bulgaria - mainly of European production. You can buy a car at low prices in car dealerships, car markets or through advertisements. The most popular sites are www.cars.bg and www.mobile.bg, where there is a huge selection of cars for every taste and wallet with a choice by age, price, brand, model, condition and many other parameters.

How to have a car registered

Foreign citizens who have permanent or permanent residence in Bulgaria can register a car for themselves as an individual. It is somewhat more difficult for foreigners with a residence permit. If it is decided to register the car for yourself, you will have to go to Sofia - blue numbers are issued only there. In addition, registration must be renewed regularly, and for this you will have to go to the capital again. Not everybody is ready to spend time on this, so most foreigners with a residence permit register a car for their company or trade representation. In this case, you do not need to go to Sofia, you can get ordinary Bulgarian numbers. When buying a car, a sales contract is concluded. It must be certified by a notary - even if it is concluded between two legal entities. The only exception is the purchase by a Bulgarian company or a foreign representative office of a car not yet registered in Bulgaria from a company that is engaged in the import of cars into the country. The contract specifies the cost of the car, which cannot be lower than its insurance price. Additionally, notary fees and duties are paid, which amount to about 2.5% of the car cost specified in the contract. If the cost is more than 10 thousand leva, then payment can only be made through the bank. After signing the contract, the buyer receives all the documents for the car.

How long will it take to have a car re-registered?

It depends on whether there is a license plate, i.e. whether the car was previously registered in Bulgaria. Previously, the registration region was also important - when changing it, it was necessary to change the license plate. Now this rule has been canceled. If you don't need to get a new license plate, then re-registration takes a minimum of time. You need to submit an application with a package of documents, pay a tax of about 30 levs (an additional bank commission is charged), and then wait for your turn and receive large and small coupons in the name of the new owner. In other cases, more time will be needed: the car will have to undergo a technical inspection, engine and frame numbers will have to be checked, headlights and brakes will have to be functional, etc. The attendants will check for a first aid kit, fire extinguisher, emergency sign. After the technical inspection, the car owner receives a diagnostic sheet. It, along with the withdrawn license plate and other documents, must be submitted to the appropriate window, pay the fee for re-registration and for new license plate, and then wait for the receipt of new documents. If you wish, you can choose a license plate number according to your taste - the cost of such a service starts from 30 leva. To set the license plate, you need to go to a special site on the Traffic Police.

What is required to complete a sales contract with a notary:

big and small coupons for a car;
documentary evidence of payment of municipal car tax for the current year;
civil liability insurance policy;
a certificate of the insured value of the car (issued by an insurance company);
a document confirming the seller's ownership (for example, a sales contract);
declaration that the seller has no debts to the budget, which are subject to compulsory collection (in accordance with Article 264, clause 2 of the Tax Procedure Code).

How to get a car re-registered in the Traffic Police.

After buying a car, the new owner must register the car in his name within 14 calendar days. This is done at the KAT (traffic police) department. To register you will need:

notarized sales contract and its simple copy;
big and small coupons;
document confirming payment of tax and its simple copy;
compulsory insurance policy and its simple copy;
coupon, certificate of Car Inspection.

If the car was not previously registered in Bulgaria («new import»), you will need to provide the originals of registration documents in the country from where the car was brought. If the car comes from a country outside the EU, then a copy of the customs declaration may also be required. It's better to have it with you just in case. When registering a car in Sofia, a foreigner must also have a passport and a personal card (residence permit).If the car is registered with a Bulgarian company or a trade representation in Bulgaria, then you need to get a certificate of the current operation condition in advance and do not forget to take the seal with you. All documents are submitted to the appropriate window in the Traffic Police. department. As a rule, it is there that the longest lines of those wishing to re-register their cars are. After checking the documents, an application for re-registration is filled out.

Insurance and vignette

If you purchased a used car with formalized insurance policies (mandatory and / or voluntary), you must notify the insurance company about the change in ownership and other data. Otherwise, the insurance will be invalid. You must do the same when buying a car with a valid electronic vignette. In order for it to continue to operate, you must apply within three days after changing the license plate number to the nearest office of the agency of "Road Infrastructure" with the appropriate notification.

Taxes

Previously, within two months after the registration of the car in the Traffic Police, the owner had to notify about this the community at the place of residence or the location of the organization (depending on whether the car was registered for an individual or a legal entity). The information is now being sent to the Community electronically directly from the KAT. The new owner will then be charged car tax. Information about the charged tax is sent by mail annually in January - February. You can check the charges on the website proverka.eu, in the epay.bg system, on the website of the local municipality (Community). You can pay in the Community at your place of residence, at Izipey ticket offices or electronically.

We provide services for the legal arrangements of a car sale and purchase transaction, as well as its registration in the KAT. Please contact us for advice and assistanse!