After the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European Union, cars in this country began to cost about the same as in rich Europe, and Russians began to be attracted by the opportunity to buy a car in Bulgaria, combining vacation with a useful purchase, and with a decent price difference.
Benefits of buying a car in Bulgaria
General rules and procedures, as well as European prices for cars in Bulgaria, simplify the task and guarantee a certain benefit to the buyer. Despite some difficulties, there are enough advantages:
- Lower prices than in the Russian Federation due to the absence of import duties.
- Big choice. After all, this is part of the pan-European market.
- A simple procedure for registering a vehicle (TC).
- Acceptable conditions of compulsory insurance.
When you are going to the road trip, you need to decide on the place of search, the rules for registration and delivery of the purchase home. You need to get an idea of the upcoming costs, and only then hit the road.
Where to buy a car
The car market in Bulgaria, as already mentioned, is no different from the European one. However, from the Russian too, with the exception of the size and choice of the lineup.
In this country, you can pick up a car in the same way:
- in car dealerships;
- in bazaars;
- by announcement in the media;
- through the Internet.
Look for new cars in specialized stores. They are not much cheaper here than in Western Europe or Moscow.
It is also better to buy a used car in Bulgaria from official dealers, the salons of which are now sufficient in the republic, and the address can be found on the website. The guarantees of regularity of service, final quality and security of the transaction will be higher than the market average. You shouldn't be interested in auctions.
Bulgarians have a special approach to after-sales service. Inspection in the Republic of Belarus is possible according to the full and abbreviated scheme: the so-called TO100 and TO60 are used. You can always check with the dealer how the machine was serviced.
The car market in Bulgaria is organized in about the same way as ours. The largest are located in cities:
- Sofia ─ there are more than a dozen sites along the Okolovrasten pt and Lomsko highway. The largest market in the country, Gorublyane, is located at the entrance from the side of Burgas.
- Plovdiv. There is a fairly large selection on Peshchersko Shosse.
- Varna. It is worth visiting Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard here - about 90% of the city's cars are exhibited there.
- Burgas. Most of the sites are located in the Northern Industrial Zone near Transportna Boulevard.
Nice market in the city of Ruse. A very large bazaar in the town of Dupnitsa, 100 km from the capital.
But before you go to the car market, it is better to look for offers on the Internet. The main specialized Bulgarian car sites:
- mobile.bg;
- dethleffs-bg.com.
You can use local ad aggregators:
- olx.bg;
- alo.bg;
- bazaar.bg.
As a rule, advertisements of sellers in real bazaars are duplicated here. This can really save time. There are a lot of car dealerships in large cities. Both large official and small private. Many also have their own internet portals.
What is required to purchase
As a standard, Bulgarian cars are purchased according to the following scheme:
- An option is selected.
- The conditions are negotiated and the deal is concluded. As a rule, a sales contract is drawn up at a notary's office.
- The calculation is made (an invoice is issued).
- Transit numbers are issued in the CAT (analogue of the traffic police) and insurance, a vignette "Eco" is bought, allowing travel.
- Registration numbers are obtained at the place of registration.
There is no big problem for a Russian to buy a car in Bulgaria. Local legislation does not prohibit foreigners who have real estate or business in the country who have received a temporary or permanent residence permit.
If you have real estate and a visa, but not enough status, two options are used:
- The company is registered (with local lawyers it costs from 300 to 500 euros), and the car is put on the balance sheet of the legal entity.
- The car is registered as a service car for an existing Bulgarian company. This option involves the execution of an agency agreement for management and ownership. The price of such a service varies within the same limits.
All these options involve the import of a car without customs clearance from Bulgaria. In the case of a residence permit, the purchase is made out so far only in Sofia (this is due to the peculiarities of accounting for the personal number of a foreigner). Others ─ anywhere.
It is also worth considering that you will have to bear the annual costs:
- accounting services ─ 250 BGN;
- transport tax - an average of 300 levs;
- Civil excuse (analogue of OSAGO) ─ 100 leva;
- technical inspection ─ 50 leva.
Required documents
The official sale of a car in Bulgaria is possible only under a sales contract (DCT). To draw it up, you need a passport and bulstat (certificate of company registration).
The contract requires notarization. To conclude a transaction with a notary, you need:
- small and large car coupons (golyam and malk);
- confirmation of payment of road tax (pten dank) for the current year;
- compulsory insurance policy (Civil exclusion);
- assessment of the insurance value;
- a document confirming the ownership of the seller;
- declaration on the absence of budgetary arrears of the seller.
A price less than the insured value cannot be indicated in the monetary policy. Fees and fees for concluding a contract are about 2.5% of the amount. Certification by a notary costs from 120 to 650 levs. The amount over 2 thousand leva is payable only through the bank.
Vehicle registration
According to Bulgarian legislation, used cars in Bulgaria must be re-registered within 14 days. To do this, you will additionally need:
- Foreigner's card (internal passport).
- Vehicle inspection coupon ─ diagnostic sheet (costs about 50 leva).
With a DCT and a passport for the vehicle, you must visit the office of the insurance company, make a policy, pay an ECO fee (180-240 levs, depending on the age and type of car engine), and then head to the CAT. If the machine is registered with a company, it will need to be stamped.
Documents and the application "Molba KAT-1" must be handed over to an employee who will print a form of the established sample, allowing you to get in the queue. This service costs 10 BGN.
It remains to pay 30 leva through the bank and go to the window for new large and small coupons. If the license plates change, after checking the numbers of the body, engine, technical control (the brake system is checked, sometimes the headlights), you must pay 50 leva and choose new or transit numbers.
Insurance
The almost complete absence of theft allows local insurers to insure full value. If the car is purchased with valid policies, you only need to notify about the change in owner and registration data. The insurance costs from 195 to 330 leva.
Selection Tips
The car must be checked carefully. The legality of origin is guaranteed by notaries. You will have to deal with the technical part, age and other nuances on your own.
There are a lot of old cars in Belarus, therefore:
- Before buying a car in Bulgaria, try to visit as many retail outlets as possible, but start your search from the sites.
- Choose a diesel engine to save money. By the way, in Bulgaria there are a lot of gas-powered cars and there is an opportunity to buy a motorhome for an inexpensive price. There is a large selection of them here.
- Look for a car with a set of spare tires or ask for a discount.
- Focus on the actual condition ─ mileage can be adjusted.
- Remember that the prices for used cars in Bulgaria are not high, but a car less than $ 1,500 probably has a lot of defects.
- Start registration immediately after the transaction, for which leave a few hundred dollars in reserve.
Don't forget that the seller can always help with paperwork and distillation.
Export from Bulgaria
A road permit will cost 10 leva for 7 days, 25 leva per month, and 67 leva for a year. With such a vignette, you can not only move around the country, but also leave its borders. Upon arrival at the Russian border, it is necessary to issue a temporary import, and then act in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.
Conclusions
The choice of cars in Bulgaria is decent, therefore:
- A car in good condition can be found inexpensively and issued in a few days.
- If you start looking online ahead of time, you can speed up the buying process.
- The difference in the cost of a car in the Bulgarian and Russian markets, as a rule, compensates for the hassle associated with the purchase. But it's better to calculate everything in advance so that the deal is profitable.
