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Cars 4 Rental Information on Bulgaria

General

Area: 110,994 sq km (42,855 sq miles).

Population: 7,845,499 (official estimate 2002).

Population Density: 70.7 per sq km (2002).

Capital: Sofia. Population: 1,096,389 (2001).

GEOGRAPHY: Bulgaria is situated in Eastern Europe and bordered to the north by the River Danube and Romania, to the east by the Black Sea, to the south by Turkey and Greece and to the west by Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The Balkan Mountains cross the country reaching to the edge of the Black Sea and its golden beaches. The land is heavily cultivated, covered with forests and crossed by rivers. Although Bulgaria lies in the very southeast corner of Europe, the climate is never extreme in summer, even on the red-earthed plains of Southern Thrace. The Black Sea resorts have some of the largest beaches in Europe and offer sunbathing from May until October, while in winter heavy falls of snow are virtually guaranteed in the mountain skiing resorts.

Government: Democratic Republic since 1990. Head of State: President Georgi Sedefchov Parvanov since 2002. Head of Government: Prime Minister Simeon Borisov Sakskoburggotski since 2001.

Language: Bulgarian is the official language and the Cyrillic alphabet is used. Turkish and Macedonian are amongst the minority languages. English, German, French and Russian are spoken in major tourist resorts and hotels.

Religion: The majority of the population are Christian, the main denomination being Bulgarian Orthodox Church with a membership of 80 per cent of the population. Eastern Orthodox Chrisitianity is considered to be the traditional religion in Bulgaria. There is also a significant Muslim minority (9 per cent) and a small Jewish community.

Time: GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

Electricity: 230 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are two-pin.

Communications:

Telephone

Telephone: IDD is available to main cities. Country code: 359. Outgoing international code: 00. Calls from some parts of the country must be placed through the international operator. There are many public telephones in the main towns. The national network of telecommunications is operated, for the present, by Bulgarian Telecommunications Company (BTC) (website: www.btc.bg).

Mobile telephone

GSM 900/1800, with good to patchy coverage in most urban centres. Network operators include MobilTEL (website: www.mobiltel.bg) and GloBul (website: www.globul.bg).

Fax

Facilities are available at BTA (Bulgarina Telegraph Agency) offices and most post offices.

Internet

The main ISPs are Geo Enterprise (website: www.geobiz.com) and bol.bg (website: www.bol.bg). There are Internet cafes and centres in Sofia and Plovdiv.

Telegram

International services are available.

Post

Airmail to Western Europe takes from 4 days to 2 weeks. The General Post Office in Sofia, at 4 Gurko Street, is open 24 hours. Post office hours: Usually Mon-Fri 0830-1730.

Press

The weekly newspaper, Sofia Echo, is available in English, as is the business publication Pari (Money). Both of these are published weekly and are available in print or Internet versions. The most popular dailies include Duma (Word), Trud (Labour) and 24 Chasa (24 Hours).

Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.

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Money

Currency: Lev (Lv) = 100 stotinki. Notes are in denominations of Lv50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are in denominations of 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 stotinki.

Note: (a) The Lev is tied to the Euro at a fixed rate; €1 = Lv1.955. (b) Notes dated 1997 and earlier are now out of circulation.

Currency exchange: A bordereaux receipt indicating the amount of currency exchanged will be given, and must be kept until departure. Visitors are advised to exchange money at banks and at large hotels. Travellers should not change currency on the black market , and they should exercise caution when exchanging money in bureaux de change since some have been known to dupe customers with misleading rates of exchange. There is now a large network of ATMs that accept international credit and debit cards, although it is best to check with the relevant bank/card provider prior to travel.

Credit & debit cards: Major international credit cards are accepted in larger hotels and car hire offices, and in some restaurants and shops, mainly in Sofia. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services that may be available. However, Bulgaria is still a country that operates mainly on currency, rather than credit cards.

Travellers cheques: Accepted in major hotels and restaurants. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in US Dollars or Pounds Sterling.

Currency restrictions: The import and export of local currency is prohibited. The import of foreign currency is unlimited, provided declared on arrival. The export of foreign currency is limited to the amount declared on arrival. Local currency can be exchanged at the airport on production of a bordereaux.

Note: Travellers should check the currency regulations just prior to departure, as they may change.

Exchange rate indicators
The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the Lev against Sterling and the US Dollar:

Date Nov ’03 Feb ’04 May ’04 Aug ’04
£1.00= 2.84 2.86 2.92 2.91
$1.00= 1.67 1.57 1.63 1.58

Banking hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1600.

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Health

Special Precautions Certificate Required
Yellow Fever No No
Cholera No No
Typhoid and Polio 1 N/A
Malaria No N/A

1: It is sometimes advised to get immunisation against typhoid and poliomyelitis.

Food & drink: Mains water is normally chlorinated, and whilst relatively safe, can cause mild abdominal upsets. Some travellers may prefer to drink bottled water for the first few weeks of their stay. Milk is pasteurised and dairy products are safe for consumption. Local meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables are considered safe to eat.

Other risks: Hepatitis B is endemic. Hepatitis C may occur. Tick-borne encephalitis exists. Immunisation against hepatitis A, diphtheria and tuberculosis is sometimes recommended. Bacillary dysentery and typhoid fever are common, especially in summer.
Rabies is present. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay. For further information, consult the Health appendix.

Health care: There is a reciprocal health agreement with the UK. On production of a UK passport and an NHS medical card, hospital and other medical and dental care will normally be provided free of charge; prescribed medicines must be paid for and can be supplied by public pharmacies. Basic medical supplies are widely available but specialised treatments may not be.

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Climate

Varies according to altitude. Summers are warmest with some rainfall, with the south feeling the influence of the Mediterranean. Winters are cold with snow. It rains frequently during spring and autumn.

Required clothing: Mediumweights most of the year; warmer outdoor wear necessary in winter.

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Passport

Passport Required Visa Required Return Ticket Required
British Yes No/1 No
Australian Yes No/2 No
Canadian Yes No/2 No
USA Yes No/2 No
OtherEU Yes No/1 No
Japanese Yes No/2 No

PASSPORTS: Passport with at least one blank page valid for at least three months beyond departure required by all.

VISAS: Required by all except the following:
(a) 1. nationals of EU countries for stays of up to 90 days within each six-month period (except nationals of Estonia, Ireland the UK who may stay for up to 30 days within a six-month period);
Note: UK nationals living overseas do need a visa.
(b) 2. nationals of Andorra, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Monaco, New Zealand, Switzerland, USA and Vatican City for stays of up to 30 days within each six-month period;
(c) nationals of Croatia, Korea (Rep), Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of), Romania, San Marino and Tunisia.

Types of visa and cost: Single-entry: £34. Multiple-entry: £41 (three months); £61 (six months); £81 (12 months). Urgent single-entry: £44. Transit: £28 (single-entry); £41 (double-entry); from £54 (multiple entry).

Note: Nationals of Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Congo (Dem Rep), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Sudan must apply for an Airport Transit visa and may not leave the airport transit lounge. They need to present a valid flight reservation to get the visa.

Validity: Single-entry visas for tourist visits are normally valid for three months from date of issue for a maximum stay of 30 days. Multiple-entry visas are for business visits and are normally valid for three months from date of issue. Transit: Up to 24 hours. Enquire at the Embassy for further details.

Application to: Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy); see Contact Addresses section. Applications should be made in person or by courier, not by post.

Application requirements: (a) Valid passport. (b) Application form. (c) One passport-size photo. (d) Return ticket or documentation for next destination. (e) Fee, payable in cash or by postal order only. (f) UK Resident visa (if applicable). (g) Prepaid tourist vouchers from the travel agency. (h) Proof of sufficient funds (at least €50 a day). Transit: (a)-(h) and, (i) Visa issued by country of final destination. (j) Proof of paid fare for onward destination. (k) For motor vehicle transit, proof of an extra €200 for each entry. (l) Proof of a secured return trip. Business: (a)-(h) and, (i) Letters from the applicant’s company and from the Bulgarian business partner, endorsed by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce. Private: (a)-(h) and, (i) A letter of invitation by a Bulgarian citizen endorsed by the local authorities.

Working days required: Urgent single-entry visas take up to five days to be processed and should be applied for in person if resident in the UK.

Temporary residence: Enquire at the Bulgarian Embassy (see Contact Addresses section).

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