BUYING & REGISTERING A USED CAR

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First and foremost find an English speaking Bulgarian who knows the process - seriously!  It is nothing like as straightforward as in the UK.  I will assume you've found your car, decided it's the one of your dreams and want to go ahead with the purchase.  I am also just going to describe the process as I experienced it.  There are bound to be variations depending on the origin of your chosen vehicle, whether you purchase in your own or company name and so on. Also, this was back in 2012, and so the proceedure may have changed.

You will need your passport, ID card and a stack of money.

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1.  Complete paperwork at the car dealer and pay for the car.

2.  Go to an insurance broker to buy compulsory insurance for the vehicle (it cannot be driven without this).  It's known as Гражданска отговорност.

3.  Go to KAT (the traffic police department) and register the vehicle in your name.  If this isn't your home region then you will be given transit number plates.  You can drive on these for one month and then you must register the vehicle in your own region.

4.  Take the plates back to the car dealer to have them put on.  I also purchased the eco tax here which is a one off payment for imported vehicles (mine came from Italy).

5.  Don't expect the car to have been serviced or be fully roadworthy at this point.  Take it straight to a garage for an oil change, new filters etc.  Mine also needed new brake pads. 

6.  Other things you must purchase are the vignette and an emergency kit to carry in the car.  I chose to up my insurance to fully comprehensive too (пълно каско) but for this the insurers needed to see the car to take photos of its current condition.

7.  Within one month go to the KAT office for your region.  For Gostilitsa this is in Gabrovo.  Take your passport, ID card and car documents.  Fill out some details at one department then take the car round for the equivalent of an MOT. 

8.  Police MOT.  They checked the lights (both parking and one brake light were out on mine), the VIN number , the brakes and the emergency kit.  Despite the light failures they okayed it and just said to get them fixed.  Go to another desk to pay and receive proper number plates and the registration documents.

9.  Register the car with the local municipality to pay the yearly tax on it.  For me this was at the municipality building in Dryanovo.  They need to see the car registration card and 'dogovor' document from the car purchase. The cost can vary hugely depending on the type of vehicle. If you're thinking of buying a car you can check here to get an idea of what your annual charge will be. You'll need to enter the car's kw or horse power, the region you live in, age of the vehicle and whether it has a catalytic converter fitted.

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Job done!  In all it took about a day and a half to do everything but some of that was waiting around for work on the car etc.

Now all that's left is once a year to renew the insurance, municipality tax, vignette and MOT.

REMEMBER: HEADLIGHTS ON ALL YEAR LONG
 

WINTER MOTORING

It is customary to put winter tyres on your car once the weather begins to be regularly cold; around November time, though I believe the legality issue lies in the tyre tread depth rather than the type of tyre (don't hold me to that!).  It might also be advisable to carry useful items if you plan on driving in potential snow or sub-zero temperatures:

Shovel, blanket, snow chains, hot drink, extra clothing, something to help the tyres get traction (sawdust, cat litter, card etc).

The police tend to do roadworthy checks on vehicles to check that tyres have a decent tread depth and that you're carrying to correct emergency items (fire extinguisher, reflective jacket, warning triangle, first aid kit).

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VIGNETTE

This can be bought weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly.  The cost for a car for one year is 97 levs (dated from the date of purchase).  As of January 2019 you need to buy an eVignette which can be done online. Click here for the website which has instructions in English. You just enter your email, select the type of vehicle (car, lorry etc), how long you need the vignette (month, year etc), the date you want it to start on and your vehicle number plate. It will give you the opportunity to check the details (no refunds for errors) and then you can pay online with a bank card. You will receive an email straightaway as proof of payment which I guess should be kept in the car just in case your vehicle doesn't appear on the system during a random police check.

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MOT

First done when the car is 3 years old, then again at 5 years and then yearly after that. Take the car to the MOT place along with your lichna card, both car registration certificates and the old MOT. They check emissions, headlights, taillights, indicators, all brakes, steering and possibly other things I didn't notice! Be warned, at the Dryanovo station you will be expected to drive the car across the inspection pit yourself and to carry out various tasks like applying the brakes, reversing, turning the steering wheel and stopping at various points. The MOT centre in Dryanovo is on the main road between the LukOil and Shell garages.  In 2017 it cost 34 levs.

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RE-REGISTERING YOUR CAR WHEN YOU RENEW YOUR LICHNA CARD

The registration documents for your car may be dated to expire when your lichna card does. When you have your new lichna card go along to KAT to update the registration documents. You will need the green card and paper document for your compulsory car insurance, both parts of your current car registration, your passport and new lichna card.

At KAT go along to room 3 and explain why you're there. They will ask for the above documents and will print off a form for you. Take this along to room 7 to the window on the left. Hand over the forms and pay the fee (11 levs as of August 2017 - and you could only pay with a bank card). Sign the form and then wait maybe 5 minutes and she will call you back to the window to receive your new registration documents.

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CHANGING YOUR DRIVING LICENCE FOR A BULGARIAN ONE

As Brexit looms closer, many people are opting to swap their UK licence for a BG one whilst it's still possible.  There is a chance that after Brexit you might be required to take a Bulgarian driving test if you wanted to change your licence, and strictly speaking, once your UK licence comes up for renewal it should be renewed for the address where you currently reside, i.e. Bulgaria.  This is all very up in the air, and you might wish to contact the British embassy in Sofia for further guidance. Anyway, if you do decide to exchange your licence pre-Brexit then it's quite a simple proceedure.

You will need to get a document from the doctor to say you're not a crazed lunatic, then take that along to the KAT office in Gabrovo (room 3, window on the right) along with your lichna card, passport and UK licence. Fill out a form, pay a fee (this varies with age, and you may possibly need to have your photo taken too). If any unpaid motoring fines show up then you'll need to go along to room 9 at the end of the corridor to pay this. You will then be given another form to check all your details are correct. Circle 'вярно' on each line if they are. Date, sign and add a contact telephone number.

You probably won't be able to keep all the categories you had on your UK license without further medical checks and/or driving test, so the woman will write the categories you're giving up and you write 'отказ' next to them and again sign to say you agree to lose these. Call back in a couple of weeks to check if your new licence is ready. Once it is, return to KAT, sign a couple of papers, hand over your old licence and leave with your shiny new Bulgarian one.

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CAR SERVICING AND REPAIRS

There are many places to choose from, and every car owner will have their own recommendations. The Bulgarians tend to be very hands on with their own vehicles so you'll quite likely find a neighbour to help you out in a fix. Below are two places I've used:

        Miro & Slavey: Mayor Nadya's son and husband run a garage in Dryanovo. The son, Miro, speaks good English and has done annual servicing and repairs to my vehicle. He will also help out if you are wanting someone to go with you to look for a car to buy. To find the garage keep the Dryanovo Park Hotel on your left and the Locomotiv sports stadium on your right. Continue along this road and turn immediate sharp right as soon as you see a little stone bridge on your right. You'll see lots of open fronted sheds, and the garage is at the far end.

        Ivan:  This guy repairs windscreen chips. He's located in VT and speaks very good English. His address is Ul Malyovitsa not far from a fitness centre on the same street (one of the side streets just before the KAT office). If you phone him he's happy to meet you somewhere else in VT. Tel: 0884079436. Price of repair 20-30 levs.

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