Persons crossing
the border of the Republic of Bulgaria may import and export MEANS OF PAYMENT
(in the form of money in cash and noncash payment instruments) under the
following rules:
While importing
and exporting means of payment amounting to up to EUR 10 000, they are not
subject to being declared in writing to the customs officials so that
passengers may go through the “green corridor” which means that the passenger
has nothing to declare.
When the means of
payment imported or exported amount to EUR 10 000 or more, the passenger
declares in writing in a customs currency declaration the total value of the means of payment in
Euros, their origin and destination, the transportation route, the means of
transport, and the passenger is obliged to go through the “red corridor”.
When exporting
means of payment amounting to more than BGN 25 000 or their equivalent in
foreign currency, it is necessary to present a certificate from the National
Revenue Agency that the passenger has no overdue payments and its number is
registered in the customs currency declaration. For foreign natural persons,
the certificate is issued by the Territorial Directorate of the National
Revenue Agency depending on the person’s latest address of stay in the country.
Foreign natural
persons may export means of payment exceeding BGN 25 000 without a certificate
from the National Revenue Agency after submitting a declaration to the customs
officials that the amount of the exported means of payment does not exceed the
value of the means of payment imported and declared during his/her latest entry
into the country, for which a previous customs currency declaration for import
must be submitted.
For passengers
under the age of 16, the declaration must be submitted by one of their
accompanying adults.
Foreign natural
persons may export and import for their personal and family use precious
metals, jewels and jewelry, both processed and unprocessed, freely, without a
written declaration, within the following limitations:
• gold and platinum, unprocessed and
half-processed (in ingots) and coins amounting to a total of 37 grams
regardless of the content of the gold or platinum;
• jewelry and accessories made of
alloys of gold and platinum amounting to a total 60 grams regardless of the
content of the gold or platinum;
• silver, both processed and
half-processed, and coins, as well as jewelry and accessories made of alloys of
silver, amounting to a total of 300 grams, regardless of the content of the
silver;
• precious stones implanted in the
above goods.
Precious metals,
precious stones and goods exceeding the above amounts, as well as goods made of
precious metals or precious stones transported in the form of powder or otherwise,
other than the abovementioned ones, are declared in writing.
Undeclared BGN,
currency, precious metals and precious stones are seized to the benefit of the
state.
In addition,
fines are imposed in cases of more serious violations of the above rules. When
undeclared goods or currency in particularly big amounts are established,
besides them, the motor vehicles with which they are transported are also
seized to the benefit of the state.