LIVING IN BULGARIA

Daily life and people

Bulgarian people are friendly and welcoming, and are known for their Latin temperament and sense of humour, which tends to be self deprecating. A sociable bunch, they never cease to amaze expats with their ability to seamlessly combine work with an active social life. Despite their ebullient nature, those who are seeking a peaceful and quiet lifestyle will also find the calm they seek.

From 1946 until 1990, daily life in Bulgaria was dominated by the socialist political system. The communist party attempted to control every aspect of life, attempting to change they way the citizens behaved and thought. However, the Bulgarians managed to retain their traditional customs and beliefs, and ideals such as the importance of family still permeate the fabric of daily life. It’s important to try to understand some typical Bulgarian customs prior to relocating to the country, especially the concept that Bulgarians shake their heads from side to side when they mean ‘yes’ and nod to say ‘no’.

Despite being a rapidly westernising and developing country, many Bulgarians still incorporate traditional aspects of folklore and culture into their lives, especially in the form of festivals.

Visas and residency

Residents of the UK can stay in Bulgaria for up to 30 days within a six-month period without applying for a visa, and other members of the EU for up to 90 days. If you want to stay for longer than 30 days, you’ll need to apply for a long-term, type D visa or a type C short-term visa which will allow you to stay for up to 90 days within a six-month period.

Two types of residence permit can be obtained by UK citizens; either a temporary permit for residency of up to a year, or a permanent one. To obtain a temporary residence permit you need to already have a type D visa, proof of National Insurance or social security status, and a minimum deposit of 3,000 leva (approximately £1,020) in a Bulgarian bank account. This will grant you a one-year visa which can be renewed annually, and a Bulgarian Identity Card.

To obtain permanent residence, you must have spent at least five years in Bulgaria on a temporary residence permit. More details on the visas, permits and the application process can be obtained from The Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in London, and you can download visa application forms from www.bulgarianembassy.org.uk.

Utilities

In Bulgaria, the voltage is 220 volts AC and two-pin continental plugs are used. Consequently you’ll need to get an adaptor to use any UK electrical products there.

Gas is not in widespread usage outside of Sofia and so most central heating is electric, with wood-burning stoves used in rural areas. Billing for both gas and electricity is monthly, based on the amount you consume and there is no standing charge for utilities, apart from telephones. Payment can be made through your Bulgarian bank account, at the post office, via the internet or using a debit card.

If you need to connect to water and electricity, this can be organised through the municipal offices, as will any direct debit payment you may wish to set up. Water is drinkable in most areas, although in some rural regions it may be wise to buy bottled mineral water.

Telephone services are available throughout the country, although mobile phone reception can be poor in the rural areas. Bulgaria Telecom is the national telephone service provider and their website offers comprehensive details of their services. See www.btc.bg/en. There are public payphones throughout the country and also telephone offices within the post offices.

Email is also becoming more widely employed and the number of internet cafés is starting to grow. If you’re looking to get internet at home, there are a number of service providers, but provision tends to be dial-up rather than broadband. However, this is starting to change.

Banking and currency

The national currency is the Bulgarian lev or leva when used in the plural. In official documents you may well see the currency leva written as BGN, but in most shops around the country it will be shortened to lv.

One lev consists of 100 stotinki (st). Banknotes are available in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 and stotinka in coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50. When paying for something in a shop, do not always expect the right change–the price is often rounded up to the nearest lev.

Between 2001 and 2004, 30 million counterfeit notes were confiscated, so in order to ensure you are receiving authentic currency, check that notes carry the Bulgarian Lion watermark. Credit cards aren’t widely accepted in Bulgaria, except in hotels and restaurants that cater for foreign tourists, although cash machines are widespread.

There are restrictions on taking currency into Bulgaria. The maximum you can take into the country without declaring it is 5,000 leva (around £1,750), while in order to take in anything between 5,000 leva (£1,750) and 25,000 leva (£8,627) you will have to declare it at customs and produce a bank statement proving the origin of the funds.

It is recommended that you open a Bulgarian bank account (see the section on Buying a Property page 116), and to do so is fairly simple–all you are required to do is produce your passport and deposit some funds. Not all banks have English-speaking staff, although Raiffeisen Bank (http://www.rbb.bg) and Bulbank (http://www.bulbank.bg) offer English language services.

Taxes

Income tax is charged at between 15% and 29%. As Bulgaria has signed a double tax treaty agreement with the UK, foreign nationals will avoid double taxation on any income they pay tax on in Bulgaria.

According to Bulgarian taxation law, you are considered a tax resident if you have a permanent residence in Bulgaria or are a permanent resident:

i.e. if you spend more than 183 days in Bulgaria in any year. If you aren’t a permanent resident and are only working in the country temporarily, then tax is payable only on your income generated in Bulgaria. If you own a company, note that the rate of income tax for corporations was reduced to 15% in 2005.

The end of year for tax returns in Bulgaria is 31st December and tax returns must be filed by 31st March if you are a limited company, or 15th April for an individual.

Insurance

As always, ensure you get home and contents insurance for your Bulgarian property. There are plenty of policies to choose from. On average you can expect to pay between £70 and £150 per year depending on the location and type of property you own.

The following companies offer insurance policies in Bulgaria:

• Orel Insurance JSC, www.orel-insurance.com
• Bulsrad PLC, www.bulstrad.bg
• QBE, www.qbe-sofia.bg
• Grawe Bulgaria, www.grawe.bg
• Fidelitas Assistance Ltd, www.fidelitas-assistance.com
• AIG Bulgaria, www.aig.bg

Healthcare

With an EHIC card you will be able to get free emergency treatment in Bulgaria, should you need it. While facilities may be basic and hospitals under-funded, health care is of an acceptable level, although you may have trouble finding English-speakers. Consequently if you need some sort of specialised treatment, it’s best to head for Sofia.

If you are relocating permanently then private health care is probably the best option. Most large towns and cities offer private medical care, with prices varying from £15 to £50 for a consultation.

As for over-the-counter medicines, pharmacies are well stocked and prices are much lower than in the UK.

Retiring

As with any retirement situation, if you are planning to retire to Bulgaria then be sensible about where you choose to live and make sure you won’t be isolated or in particularly hilly or harsh terrain.

You will still be entitled to your UK pension and you can arrange for this to be paid into your Bulgarian bank account. However, there is no social security agreement in place between the two countries, so your pension will not rise with inflation; instead it will be frozen. However, now that Bulgaria has joined the EU this may well change, because if you choose to retire to another country in the European Economic Area (EEA), you might be liable to claim certain benefits that you would not normally get abroad, or a benefit which that country provides. For more details see www.dwp.gov.uk.

Education

The education system in Bulgaria is good and the Bulgarian people place strong emphasis on schooling. Compulsory education starts at the age of seven and ends at 16, although most Bulgarian children go on to further education. Schooling is divided into three stages: ages seven to ten, ten to 14 and then 14 to 18. Further education is also divided into three types: comprehensive (general studies), vocational (technical studies) and profile-oriented (specific studies).

Bulgaria has many excellent universities and institutes providing higher education and the country enjoys one of the highest proportions of university graduates, coming third in an EU poll with 21.1% of the population.

If you are relocating with your children, then you need to consider buying close to Sofia if you intend to send them to a private, English-speaking school.

• The American College of Sofia, www.acs.bg
• The Anglo-American School of Sofia, www.aas-sofia.org
• Prof. Vassil Zlatarski Private School, Sofia, www.zlatarskischool.org
• American College Arcus, www.ac-arcus.com

Driving

Despite being relatively traffic free and devoid of the tailbacks so common on UK motorways, Bulgaria’s roads are not good. The World Bank recently condemned their condition, saying that only one third of the national road network was in good shape, with the majority of artery roads requiring upgrades to meet the EU road safety requirements. Road signs are written predominantly in Cyrillic, so you will need to invest in a road map which carries both Cyrillic and Latin place names. Bulgarians drive on the right-hand side of the road. Keep a look out for animals and horse-and-carts. During the winter, night driving is not advised as conditions get very bad. It is compulsory to carry a fire extinguisher and warning triangle, and to have–and use–headlamp converters when driving.

Speed limits are as follows:

• motorways: 120km/h (74mph);
• main highways: 90km/h (55mph);
• built-up areas: 50km/h (31mph).

You can drive in Bulgaria with your existing European licence, but if you intend to stay for more than six months, you will need to apply for a Bulgarian licence. Fuel is extremely cheap at around 50p per litre and diesel is also widely available.

Getting around

As with the road network, Bulgarian public transport has also suffered from a lack of investment. Train services have been most affected and outside of the major centres of Sofia, Varna and Burgas, they are irregular. Buying a ticket and negotiating the timetable will require the help of a Bulgarian speaker, although some details can be gleaned from www.bdz.bg.

Buses are much more reliable and link most major towns and villages, with services cheap and frequent. Longer journeys are run by private bus companies, and these are affordable and efficient–a three-hour journey from the coast to Veliko Tarnovo costs just £4.

Taxis are available in all major towns and fares are metered, with the average journey costing roughly 30p. However, it is a better idea to decide on a fare beforehand rather than using a meter. Taxis can often be an easier way of travelling if public transport is unreliable, but along the Black Sea coast fares can be vastly inflated.

Language

If you intend to relocate permanently to Bulgaria, it’s recommended that you get to grips with the language. Bulgarian is a Slavic language, based on the Cyrillic alphabet. As such it is quite tricky to learn, and bears little resemblance to the Latin alphabet, with most letters being borrowed from Greek.

English is the most common second language spoken in Bulgaria and in many of the larger towns, cities and resorts, you’ll find plenty of English-speaking Bulgarians. Many of the professionals you’ll be dealing with during the property purchase are likely to speak English, but if you’re looking to employ builders or cleaners, the chances are they won’t.

Those looking to relocate to rural areas will have to be prepared to get a basic grasp of both spoken and written Bulgarian as there will be fewer English-speakers around.

Shopping

The cost of supplies in Bulgaria is extremely low and it’s better to buy locally-produced goods than to pay for imported–or potentially fake–products. As already mentioned, there used to be a two-tiered pricing system, with higher charges for foreigners. As this is now illegal, look out for overcharging. Shops are open from 9am to 7pm, Monday to Friday. They’re generally closed on Sundays.

For an international feel to your shopping, Sofia has the best boutiques and internationally recognised brands–including Bulgaria’s first Marks & Spencer–and along the Black Sea Coast you’ll be inundated with tourist shops selling trinkets, buckets and spades. Most towns tend to have a supermarket, such as Billa, Metro and Hit, and while customer service is improving, many shop assistants still aren’t acquainted with the concept. You will find that when you buy, the price tends to be rounded up, for example, from seven leva and 17 stotinki to seven leva and 20 stotinki.

Post

The Bulgarian postal service has been slow to modernise, but is still quite efficient. Post offices offer all the services you’d expect in the UK, including letter and parcel postage, utility bill payments and telephone services; they also deal with banking services for the Bulgarian Postal Bank. Post offices tend to be open between 8.30am and 5.30pm from Monday to Saturday. For more details visit www.bgpost.bg.

Crime, corruption and the police

Unfortunately, Bulgaria does have a reputation for being plagued by corruption and it is a big problem, especially as the country is trying so hard to modernise. Now it is a member of the EU, pressure is being put on the government to resolve these problems and they are starting to make headway.

Most foreigners will not find themselves exposed to problems of corruption, although it is true that a few ‘payments’ here and there can make the purchase of land much swifter than the average four to five months you are generally looking at. If you ensure you employ a knowledgeable agent, then they will be able to grease the wheels for you.

Street crime and violent crime rates are very low compared with Western Europe, but this doesn’t mean you can let your guard down–just make sure you take the kind of precautions you would back home. If you do need to call the police for any reason, dial 166.