Key Facts
Independence: 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire);
National holiday: Liberation Day, 3 March (1878);
Nationality: Bulgarian;
Ethnic groups: Bulgarian 83, 9 %, Turkish 9,4 %, Roma 4,7 %, other 2 %;
Official Language: Bulgarian, alphabet – Cyrillic;
Religion: Bulgarian Orthodox (82,6 %), Muslim (12,2%), other Christian (1.2 %), others (4,1 %);
Administrative divisions: 28 provinces;
Time Zone: GMT (London) + 2 hours, CET (Paris, Rome) + 1 hour;
Electric Power: 220 V, 50 Hz.

National Holidays
January 1 – New Year
March 3 – National Day of Liberation from Ottoman Rule
Easter – Two days (Sunday and Monday) according to the Orthodox calendar (a week after the Catholic Easter)
May 6 – St. George’s Day. Day of the Bulgarian Army.
May 24 – Day of Bulgarian Culture and Slavonic alphabet
September 6 – National Day of the Bulgaria’s Unification
September 22 – National Day of the Bulgaria’s Independence
November 1 – Day of the National Revival Leaders
December 25/26 – Christmas
December 31 – New Years’ Eve

Geographic location
Bulgaria is located in Southeastern Europe. To the north it borders Romania, to the east – the Black Sea, to the south – Turkey and Greece, to the west – the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia. It has strategic location near Turkish Straits and controls key land routes from Europe to the Middle East and Asia.
Total Area: 110.910 sq. km
Climate: temperate; cold, damp winter; hot, dry summers
Terrain: mostly mountains with lowlands in the north and southeast
Population: 7, 64 million (2008 census)
Political System: Parliamentary Democracy
Capital: Sofia (1,2 million inhabitants)

Financial Information
Currency Unit:
Bulgarian Lev (BGN). 1 lev = 100 stotinki. Presently coins in circulation are of nominal values 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 stotinki, as well as banknotes of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 leva.
Money Exchange:
The Lev (BGN) is pegged to EURO at an exchange rate EURO 1: BGN 1,95. You may change cash in banks or in the numerous change bureaus, many of which are open during weekends, too. Euro-checks may be cashed in many
Cash machines are widely available in cities and larger towns and provide a convenient access to local currency. All major European and North American debit cards are accepted.
Credit Cards:
Credit cards are accepted and they can be used for the payment of all standard services: hotel accommodation, restaurants, nightclubs, shopping, car rentals, plane tickets, etc. Many of the bigger hotels accept VISA or Master Card. American Express is less popular. Note: Although most hotels, shops and restaurants in Sofia accept credit cards, this is not so in smaller towns and rural areas. Cash is the accepted form of payment, so keep plenty of small notes in you.

Useful Information
Medical Services:
Foreigners arriving in Bulgaria are not required to have any compulsory immunizations. All medical establishments in the country perform medical checks, tests and treatment of foreigners. Foreigners pay for the medical services in exchange of an invoice in Bulgarian leva either in cash at the cash desk of the medical establishments or else with a bank transfer from abroad.
Chemist’s shops are well stocked only in the big cities so take what you need with you when you go to smaller towns and rural areas. All towns and villages have well qualified doctors but make sure that you have emergency insurance cover for unexpected occurrences.
Insurances:
People visiting Bulgaria as tourists or guests may be insured. Insurance of foreign citizens is normally included in the tourist packages of the Bulgarian tour-operators. Foreign tourists may also enter Bulgaria with insurances by foreign insurance companies.
Working Hours:
Working hours of state institutions: 9.00 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.
Foodstuff shops are usually open from 9.00/10.00 a.m. to 7.00/8.00 p.m.
Many shops are also open on weekends and holidays from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
Banks work from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
Post and Telecommunication:
Working hours of post offices are from 8.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. You can buy stamps and post cards at the post office desks as well as from the newspaper kiosks.
The telephone system is with international direct dialing widely available. There are numerous street phones, which you can use with phone-cards for long-distance calls.
Emergency Phone numbers:
150 – Emergency
1286 – Road aid in Sofia
160 – Fire
142 – Road aid outside Sofia
166 – Police

Border Regulations
Passport /Visa Regulations:
EU citizens enter Bulgaria with an international passport that should be valid for at least three months more. For the citizens of some countries a visa is required. EU nationals, as well as those of USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel and some other countries with reciprocal agreements can spend up to 30 days in Bulgaria visa-free on a valid international passport. For additional information contact the Bulgarian Embassies in the respective country.
Customs Formalities:
Personal belongings may be imported with no custom fees. Applied to consumption goods are the following regulations for persons older than 16:
-cigarettes 200 items or 250 g tobacco products;
-2 liters of wine, 1 liter alcoholic drinks;
-coffee 500 g.

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