Vehicle import

Yes you can. I brought 2 cars with me and just transferred them over no problem.

I dont remember the exact procedure, but I believe that you are OK so long as you have owned the vehicles for more than 6 months.

@frazer2022 many thanks for the reply.  I wasn't looking forward to telling the wife she can't take her bike because I'm taking mine. 

@jasmith837

The procedure mentioned by @frazer2022 is a TOR, or Transfer of Residence. This allows you to bring all personal effects, including multiple vehicles, free of VAT and import duties. HOWEVER... you have to be able to prove ownership for more than 6 months AND provide evidence of your previous and new residence status (e.g. in UK and Bulgaria). I suspect this latter requirement means you should already have your Bulgarian residence permit, rather than being a tourist.

https://customs.bg/wps/portal/agency-en/home/info-citizens/

If you bring a big truck full of stuff including two motorbikes, this will probably need a bit of a song and dance at the border. However, I don't think they care too much if you simply come over in one vehicle (i.e. both in your car, or both riding your bikes). My experience of this is that they just let me in, no problem at all. I then left the vehicle at our house, and sorted out the formal import and re-registration later (for the 2nd car, much later, maybe 2 years... which triggered an administrative fine for not doing it within x months of bringing it in... maybe 50 leva!).

@gwynj thank you for the reply.  We would probably ride the bikes over.  I've done the trip to Greece via Italy before.  We'll just treat it as a good road trip and then fly back to get the other stuff and the dogs. 

We're over next month, hopefully find the area or even the house we like.

Should be a good logistics exercise moving over.

Hi, ref the above...I have brought my bike into Bulgaria and today I went to KAT to register it in Bulgaria. They are telling me I need to import the vehicle and pay import tax, I can't find any info on line....any ideas what I need to do next?

@stevejbhome

Welcome to the expat.com forum!

I guess you are already a Bulgarian resident, as KAT didn't complain on that issue? If not, you will register in a Bulgarian company instead.

Non-EU vehicles have to pay VAT and import duty (approx 20% and 10%).

If you have abundant paperwork about your move (and you've owned the bike more than 6 months) you might be able to claim a ToR (Transfer of Residence) which is exempt.

I think KAT can handle everything, but I recommend you have an interpreter/helper with you.

@gwynj

Thanks for the reply, I have lived in Bulgaria for about ten years and have registered two other vehicles but not from England... I have owned the bike for about 20yrs, and no longer have receipt, what will I have to pay 20% of....KAT sent me to the customs office but they were less than helpful, would I apply my own value on some sort of form....no one seems to know....

@stevejbhome

Might be worth looking at states migration and the customs service website, I looked into this a couple of years ago and seen to remember something about EU law allowing import of personal belongings for your personal use including vehicles without import duty from outside the EU.

It's a different form from the customs service but they won't tell you about it they just default to charging import duty.

Google import of. Personal belongings from outside the EU.

@neevemik

Thanks, I'll take a look...

@stevejbhome

You've definitely moved to Bulgaria, and you've definitely owned it for more than 6 months. So take a look at the ToR to see if you can go this route (for it to be exempt).

https://customs.bg/wps/portal/agency-en/home/info-citizens/Release%20for%20free%20circulation%20of%20personal%20property%20belonging%20to%20natural%20persons%20transferring%20their%20normal%20place%20of%20residence%20from%20a%20third%20country%20to%20the%20community

Otherwise, I think it's pretty clear that the duty/VAT due is based on the "value". Agreed, there might be some debate about the current value, but it's a fairly common sense approach.

KAT/customs like official looking paperwork, so I imagine it wouldn't be hard to manufacture an old bill of sale with some kind of stamp. Then crumple it up and spill coffee on it to convey the appropriate aging. :-)

You might have a very fancy moto, but most 20-year-old bikes are pretty worthless... I know my 2007 Vstrom is! 32% of FA is not much. :-) So perhaps you could visit a notary and make a sworn declaration that you have owned bike x (with all bike details, reg, VIN, year, etc) since 2004, when you purchased it for y quid. You estimate that the current value, based on age, mileage, and condition is z quid. Cue lots of notary stamps. Sworn declarations are very cheap, convey the necessary info, and look very serious/official. Plus plenty of scope to fudge the numbers in your favour.

I don't have direct experience of this, but it seems like a plausible option. And if it's pretty minor money then it might be easier to do this rather than chase a ToR.

I think I might even hedge my bets, and include my basis for claiming a ToR in the declaration, and state that I believe the import should be exempt of VAT and duty. And then leave it up to them.

Thanks, lots of good sensible comments...

Greetings all,

New member here.  I have had permanent residency here in BG for about 9 years. 

I have been reading this thread with interest.  I was planning to replace my old faithful Nissan X Trail which died, with a used GB registered Honda CR V which I am thinking of buying in the UK and driving back here to BG and then registering for my own use.   

If I understand correctly this thread, I would be hit for 20% VAT and 10% import tax if I haven't owned it for 6 months and covered 6000Kms.

Is this correct folks?

Best regards, Murdjo.

Thanks in advance.

@Murdjo correct

@Murdjo But you do not need to register it as soon as you hit BG soil.

If you can register it in your name on UK plates then just wait till you reach the criteria and do the BG registration then

@Murdjo

If you're already a PR in Bulgaria, I doubt you can prove you are doing a ToR!

@gwynj

Hello,

We are in similar situation. We just imported a car from US to BG. We have dual citizenship - Bulgarian and American. The car Is supposed to arrive in Varna tomorrow. Our family comes to Bulgaria every summer for 3 months so we wanted to bring a car for ourselves. The problem is that we owned the car in USA for only 4 months. Now they are asking us to pay 32% мито/ import fees. Someone told us that we can take the car out to Macedonia since its not in in the EU and that will help with the 6 months ownership rule. Next summer we can register the car in Bulgaria.

That's what i think we should do but is it true, is ot going to work? Are we going to have problems with insurance?

Thank you so much

@Murdjo

Hello,

We are in the same situation so wanted to see of your have any solution for your issue?

Thanks

Hi slightly different question what about buying a car on english plates from a bulgarian car dealer when you go to register it would uou be exempt grom vat etc as purchased in bulgaria cheers john

@Bojidara Iordanova -

No, if you buy a car from a BG dealer, and it has UK plates on, then it is still a UK registered car... You're going to have to MOT and Tax it in the UK to get insurance etc

...and the follow on question is yes, the import taxes would then still apply if you want to put BG plates on it

@gwynj In that situation be careful they do not annotate the vehicle on your passport as can happen, this will mean you may have to leave the country with the vehicle

@Bojidara Iordanova The car has not been imported if still on UK plates, so you will have to import it and pay import tax

@gwynj

Hi there,

I’m planning to bring a car to Bulgaria. I have dual citizenship and owned the vehicle for more than 6 months. I do not want to pay taxes and use ToR . I heard that customs are requiring evidence for permanent returning to Bulgaria in order to not charge taxes.

Could anyone share experience what kind of document they are accepting as evidence of permanent change of residency.

Thank you !

Does anyone knows company from Chicago or Colorado that is shipping cars to Bulgaria

Thank you !

@Bojidara Iordanova

Hi there,

I'm planning to bring a car to Bulgaria. I have dual citizenship and owned the vehicle for more than 6 months. I do not want to pay taxes and use ToR . I heard that customs are requiring evidence for permanent returning to Bulgaria in order to not charge taxes.

Could anyone share experience what kind of document they are accepting as evidence of permanent change of residency.

Do you know any company that is shipping cars from Chicago or Denver

Thank you !

@gwynj

Hi there,

I'm planning to bring a car to Bulgaria. I have dual citizenship and owned the vehicle for more than 6 months. I do not want to pay taxes and use ToR . I heard that customs are requiring evidence for permanent returning to Bulgaria in order to not charge taxes.

Could anyone share experience what kind of document they are accepting as evidence of permanent change of residency.

Thank you !

@anguelov

Welcome to the Expat.com forum and good luck with your move!

For non-EU vehicles import duties and VAT is due when imported. So the choice is either to pay (approx. 30%), or do a ToR (Transfer of Residence) to be exempt. This definitely requires some paperwork to prove to that you were PREVIOUSLY resident in Place A (in your case, USA, I think), and that you NOW have residence in Place B (Bulgaria). Here's the Customs page:

https://customs.bg/wps/portal/agency-en/home/info-citizens/Release-personal-property

However, are you a dual citizen of USA and Bulgaria? If so, that might be a significant complication. You'd have to check whether they extend this ToR relief to Bulgarian citizens. And I'm sure it's a lot more complicated to demonstrate that you've changed your residence to Bulgaria (as you have a passport, and don't need to do any immigration formalities, while the rest of us have to get a residence permit, which is part of the typical evidence).

My guess is that they'd accept common sense evidence that shows that you've genuinely been living permanently in USA for x years, and have exited that life, and established a new one back in your home country. For example, if you left Bulgaria 20 years ago, and never (or infrequently) returned, then flying back now is some evidence... especially if you resigned a job in USA (old employment contract), and now have a new one in Bulgaria (new employment contract). Even better if you sold your home in USA (sale contract) and have already bought one in Bulgaria (recent Notary Act). How easy this is depends on your exact circumstances. I reckon it's best to check directly with Customs, or have a consultation with an appropriate attorney.

If it's complicated, and this is some mega fancy vehicle (i.e. 30% is a LOT of money), then you could, as an EU citizen, easily get a residence permit (EU Citizen Registration Certificate) in another EU country (e.g. Romania or Hungary). Then you'd probably have an easier time doing the ToR there. Drive it in Bulgaria for a while, then import it to Bulgaria the following year (i.e. importing an EU-registered vehicle).

Hello

I am trying to register my vehicle in Bulgaria. KAT said that I don't have the correct type approval number on my UK V5 document. DVLA have instructed me to contact the manufacturer. I have done this three times by email and have had no response.

My only other option is to pay 450 Lev for a certificate of conformity inspection. Before doing so I would like to find out the requirements to pass this inspection so I don't throw money away.

Can anyone here help me with acquiring this info or share any knowledge of this situation?

Thanks 👍

Hi i have been advised that one can pay the import duty while driving through a EU country to exit into bulgaria,  as it would be cheaper. is this true.

Thanks

@jasmith837

I have brought my vehicles and mc without any problem    a total of 11      of course I had to pay import fees  and vat of 20%

@anguelov

Did you find one?

@Johnavann

It's the perfect number. Amplifiers, loudspeakers and vehicle ownership should always be cranked all the way up to 11. :-)

@gwynj

Hi Jas,

thanks for the answers. One more clarification. I brought my car into Bulgaria as a tourist and now have my temporary residence. Do I have to apply for the TOR to keep the car here? And how is that done in the country application or have to take the car out and then apply at the border when recentering?

Do I have to take the car out in any case before six months or can this be done inside the country?

thanks a lot

imran

@imrankhairi40

The car is already in Bulgaria, it doesn't matter that you changed your status (from tourist to resident).

However, now that you're a legal resident you can (and should) register the vehicle here. This is done at your local KAT. This process includes any import charges (VAT and duty, if it's a non-EU vehicle), so you don't need to take it back to the border.

Now the car is in Bulgaria, you should have a vignette (it doesn't matter where the car is registered).

The TOR (Transfer of Residence) is a formal process if you want to get an exemption on any import charges (for your vehicles and other possessions).

There might be a 6 months official time, but Bulgaria is not super aggressive about enforcing this. If you plan on staying, I suggest you get it done sooner rather than later, but there's no panic. Our 2nd vehicle was here for a couple of years (during Covid) before I did it. They said it was a late registration (after the 6 months) so they levied a fine (but it was tiny).

If you want a hand, go look at BulgarianPlates. This is my attorney in Plovdiv, and he did my registrations (x3). It's a day in Plovdiv, but it's way easier than doing it yourself. You can go with his guy if you want the full Bulgarian KAT experience, but normally he does a POA so they can handle everything and they bring the car back at the end of the day with your new plate and documents, and you drive off into the sunset. (You'll get Plovdiv plates, but that doesn't matter.)

@gwynj

Hi @gwynj,

Thanks for all the info on here folks.

I have Bulgarian long term residency and am married to a Bulgarian lady and lived here in our own home in BG for over 10 years.   I returned to the UK in August August 2022 due to my ailing father.  I worked whilst I was there for an agency and then Royal Mail until March of last year 2023.

I went ahead and bought a Honda CRV in the UK on UK plates and registered it on 5th June 2024 to my parents address where I lived occasionally in UK. I used it regularly there on and off whilst back and fro to BG. I also rented an apartment there in NI for 1 year near my parents from 1st April 2022 to March 2023 whilst working for Royal Mail.

I brought the Honda back here with me to BG.  I will have owned it for 6 months on 5th December and done more than 6000 Kms.

I was wanting to register it here then on BG plates etc on or after 5th December after satisfying that criteria.  Given all the circumstances would I still have to pay VAT and import duty?

Although we live near Svoge, your friend in Plovdiv sounds appealing @gwynj

Apologies for my 'wind bag' of a message but I just wanted to give as many details as possible to try to get the best information for the registration.

Kindest regards.

@Murdjo

VAT and import duty is for non-EU vehicles (including UK). So you're on the hook for that unless you do a TOR. As you've been living here 10 years, you might struggle to do a TOR (it's a change of residence declaration, so you have to show proof that you were recently living in another country, and proof that you've just acquired residence in Bulgaria).

Aside from this, I'm not 100% sure about UK vehicles getting registered. Some folks have said they've had problems (because RHD), so you'd be wise to check if it's still OK. My guess is that it is, but in the larger KATs in Sofia/Plovdiv/Varna.

You also need to get your headlights changed over, that's a bit of work/expense too.

Svoge is a bit of a trek to Plovdiv I think. You might be better off trying to find a helper in Sofia.

Good luck!

@gwynj

Ok, thanks so much for your help.

Will try to source someone near here in Sofia to see what the possibilities are.

When I get things sorted I'll post back here for the info of others.

Best regards,

Interesting thread, thanks for this.

We are looking to import our 2010 nissan mitsubishi nativa from Oman to Bulgaria. Driving it through turkey.

Anyone had experience of Turkish borders / Bulgarian borders and what kind of export plates or documents are required to bring into Bulgaria. Is a Bulgarian driving liscense required ?

We heard about the TOR option . I've had my Bulgarian residency for about 5-6 years where as my husband only 6 months. Any help / experience of doing TOR from outside of Europe from middle eastern countries and are we exempt from the 30 % if it's from 2010?