This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec
Driving in Bulgaria: the three basics
Drives on the
right
The driver sits on the left and overtakes on the left. Roundabouts turn anticlockwise.
Your licence
EU licence is enough
An EU, EEA or Swiss licence is valid as it stands. A licence from anywhere else works alongside an International Driving Permit, which hire desks and police expect to see.
Motorways
Vignette
Motorways are paid for with a time-based vignette bought before you join one, not at a barrier. Driving a motorway without it is a fine, and the check is usually automatic.
The e-vignette is electronic and bought online or at a petrol station before joining a motorway.
Bulgaria sells an e-vignette online or at petrol stations, and the mountain roads matter more than the motorway rules.
An electronic vignette bought before the first motorway, and roads that vary sharply once you leave them.
The e-vignette is bought online or at a petrol station and is tied to the plate; weekend, weekly, monthly and annual versions exist.
The alcohol limit is 0.5 g/l.
Motorway quality is good and the secondary network is not. The A1 to Burgas and the A2 to Varna are modern; the mountain roads to Bansko and the Rhodopes are narrow, unlit and slow.
Winter tyres are required from 15 November to 1 March.
Dipped headlights are compulsory all year.
Fuel is among the cheapest in the EU, which is why cars from neighbouring countries fill up before crossing back.
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