Our website receives many questions related to the replacement and use in Bulgaria of native driver's licenses issued in the country of citizenship.

Question: Are driving licenses issued by foreign countries recognized in Bulgaria?

Yes, they do. This is regulated by the Law on Road Traffic in Bulgaria, as well as several international treaties – Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 19 September 1949 and Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 8 November 1968. These international treaties have been promulgated, ratified and entered into force in Bulgaria and take precedence over domestic legislation.

Question from a Russian citizen: Are driver's licenses in Bulgaria recognized if they are issued in Russia? What samples of explosive devices does Bulgaria recognize and are there any restrictions on their use on its territory?

Yes, they do, and many foreigners, renewing Residence permit in Bulgaria (residence permit), they use their native rights, and the traffic police do not demand a change of license. There are two types of driver's licenses in Russia: National driver's licenses of the "old" model, "new" model, as well as international driver's licenses, valid only if there is a national, Russian driver's license. National "new" explosive devices and international explosive devices can be used on the territory of countries that have signed the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (list of countries at the end of this article).

 Please note that that drive abroad with an international driver's license, issued in Russia, without a national driver's license is not allowed!

If you are traveling to countries that have not signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, but have signed the earlier Geneva Convention of 1949 (the list of countries is at the end of this article), then you need an international license, which, let me remind you, is valid only with a national license. In some countries, the lack of an international or national driver's license is tolerated, but in the event of a traffic accident, the insurance company may refuse to pay damages.

Question: Is it necessary, for example, to change a Russian driver's license to a Bulgarian one?

Foreigners are required to change their national license to Bulgarian, but it all depends on the status of residence in the country. For example, a foreign citizen who entered Bulgaria on a tourist visa C can drive a vehicle for 3 months on his native driver's license without replacing it with a Bulgarian one. Those who have a residence permit can travel in Bulgaria with a national driver's license for up to 1 year, and foreigners who have obtained a residence permit in Bulgaria Permanent Residence/Residence – it is mandatory to change your driver's license to a Bulgarian one! But, there is another option: in order to safely drive with your license for another year, you need to cross the border of Bulgaria, and the period of stay will be reset to zero. Of course, in practice, many people live in Bulgaria for years in the status of a residence permit, using their native, national rights and have no problems. And the local traffic police do not particularly make any demands for the replacement of the license, since it is very difficult to determine when you left the country. But there are especially vigilant law enforcement officers, and we recommend that you replace your license with a Bulgarian one. And here is another example for those who have a driver's license issued in one of the countries below, regardless of their citizenship. These persons have the right to drive vehicles in Bulgaria without any restrictions other than the validity of the driver's license itself. A driver's license issued by a member state of the European Union or another state party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, or by the Swiss Confederation, are valid in Bulgaria for the category for which they are issued, in accordance with the Law on Road Traffic. Legal basis: "LAW FOR BULGARSKITE PERSONAL DOCUMENTS"  "The Law for Movement on the Road" – Member. 160, member. 161, member. 162, al.2-8" Pravilnik za izdavane na bulgarskite lichni dokumenti Ch.5 Section I NAREDBA № I-157 FROM 1 OKTOMVRI 2002 g.  Promised lists of countries. Countries of the Vienna Convention: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Ghana, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guyana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Zimbabwe, Israel, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Korea, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Kuwait, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Niger, Netherlands, Norway, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Croatia, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Senegal, Serbia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Uruguay, United Arab Emirates: Finland, France, Central Republic, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Chile, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa. Countries of the Geneva Convention: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA and Montenegro.