Shipping Car to Bulgaria

Shipping Your Car to Bulgaria? Car Shipping from the USA to Bulgaria starts at a cost of $1,595 USD with an estimated turnaround time of 4-6 weeks, depending on the make and model of the car, the port of origin, and the method of shipment. Below, we explore everything you need to know about shipping your car to Bulgaria in our 2025 guide.

Shipping a Car to Bulgaria: Checklist

Vehicle Import Options

Shipping a Car to Bulgaria: Costs & Time Frame

Shipping a Car to Bulgaria: Options

Additional Services

Ports Served in the US and Bulgaria

Cleaning Your Vehicle of Biosecurity Concerns

Plating Your Vehicle in Bulgaria

Other Bulgaria/US Shipping Options

Shipping a car from the United States to Bulgaria can be relatively easy if you carefully prepare and choose a reliable and trustworthy shipping company.

Here’s a rough breakdown of the process you’ll need to go through to ship your car overseas to Bulgaria.

After you’ve determined that your vehicle is eligible for import to Bulgaria and selected a suitable international car shipping option, you should gather all of the necessary documentation, including:

Obtaining all of the necessary paperwork can take a while when shipping a car to Bulgaria, so the process should be started well in advance before you plan to ship your vehicle.

Before starting the car shipping process, you should be sure that you understand all of the costs involved in shipping a vehicle to Bulgaria, including:

Once the relevant paperwork is complete, you can select a reputable shipping company and preferred car transportation method to handle your car shipment from the United States to Bulgaria.

Don’t forget to determine your vehicle’s departure and destination ports.

More information on the process of shipping a vehicle to Bulgaria can be found here.

As you engage in the process of car shipping to Bulgaria, some of the most important questions to consider include:

• Do you plan to permanently keep your car in Bulgaria or is this just a temporary import?
• Is your imported vehicle for personal use, or do you plan to resell it or use it for commercial purposes?
• Is your vehicle currently registered in another European Union (EU) member state or European Economic Area (EEA)?
• Are you importing a new or used car?

These questions and more will determine whether your car is eligible for overseas transportation to Bulgaria. Your actual tax rate is also based on these details. When shipping a car to Bulgaria, you should never assume that your international shipping scenario is the same as someone else’s.

Notably, individuals are permitted to import used cars into Bulgaria, but the import of new cars is restricted to authorized dealers only. Right-hand drive vehicles can be imported into Bulgaria, but they must undergo a technical inspection and have their headlights appropriately adjusted before they can be registered.

As part of the European Union, Bulgaria follows the EU’s emission standards for vehicles. Imported vehicles must comply with the Euro 4 emission standard or later. If your car does not meet these standards, you may be unable to import it, you may face a penalty fee, or it might require modifications to comply.

To obtain an estimate of the cost to ship a car to Bulgaria, fill out our free quick quote form.

Vehicle Import Approval

Upon arrival of your vehicle shipment to Bulgaria, the vehicle must be declared in Bulgarian Customs.

You’ll need the following documentation:

• Original Car Title Certificate
• Sales Contract or Purchase Invoice
• Registration Certificate (or any equivalent official document)
• Vehicle Customs Value Declaration
• Your Passport for Identification Purposes
• Certificate of Conformity
• Proof of Bulgarian Insurance
• Copy of Driving License

Things to Consider

• All vehicles shipped to Bulgaria must comply with the legal and technical requirements stipulated by the Bulgarian government and the European Union, including safety, emissions, and technical standards.
• Once your car has met the standards set out by the government, you can proceed with the import process, which includes customs clearance and vehicle registration.
• Bulgarian law obliges any user of a motor vehicle to take out a third-party liability insurance policy to cover any personal injury and material damage caused by their vehicle. You must produce a valid certificate of insurance as proof of this cover. You must also pay the compulsory electronic Bulgarian road tax, commonly known as “vignette.”

To obtain an estimate of the cost to ship a car to Bulgaria, fill out our free quick quote form.

Car Shipping from USA to Bulgaria can be performed using a shared container, a sole container or a roll-on/roll-off service. It is important to find the best vehicle transportation solution to meet your shipping needs.

Roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) – Vehicles are loaded onto a ship that contains a cargo area built like a very big parking garage. International RoRo shipping tends to be cheaper as, other than the shipping charge, you are required to pay only port charges and customs clearance charges.

Transits tend to be faster than with the shared container service, as the vessels depart on a weekly basis.

Shared container service – Shared container shipping to Bulgaria requires multiple vehicles to be loaded into one shipping container. While there are more fees involved to ship a car from the USA to Bulgaria with shared container service than with the roll-on/roll-off shipping method, due to the fact that the container must be processed, these charges are shared between the various clients who are using the container. Such fees include a trucking charge, terminal handling charge, customs clearance, and charge for unloading the vehicles at a bonded warehouse.

One disadvantage is that you might face a longer wait before your vehicle departs, as the container must have a full load before shipping to Bulgaria.

Full container load – You have the added benefit of a fully enclosed container, just like our shared container service, but the 20 ft container is dedicated solely to your vehicle. Since there’s no wait for other cars to be loaded, you’ll enjoy a shorter wait before departure. However, additional terminal handling fees and other charges won’t be shared with other vehicle owners.

Our most selective customers prefer the high level of safety and expediency offered when shipping cars with dedicated container shipping. When your vehicle is received, we’ll photograph and document the vehicle’s condition as well as the loading process. Your vehicle will be loaded using our modern steel loading system, which is not only environmentally friendly, but doesn’t rely on outdated wood ramps and nails that other shipping companies use, which can damage your vehicle.

After your car is loaded onto your own private container, it is locked and secured. This will ensure no one gains access to your car before reaching its final destination. Since the vehicle is fully enclosed in a secure container, we invite our clients to pack and transport other items inside the vehicle. However, everything must be loaded securely, as we won’t be responsible for loss or damage of any kind.

Once your vehicle reaches its destination in Bulgaria, our agent will unlock the container, document the vehicle’s condition, and photograph the entire unloading process. Every step of the shipping process is not only handled carefully but documented for your peace of mind.

Compared to our roll-on/roll-off shipping option, enclosed container shipping is not only more secure when shipping to Bulgaria, but much faster due to frequent departures each week.

Sourcing vehicles – Overseas clients who wish to buy a vehicle can turn to our long list of car buyers developed in our nearly thirty years in the auto industry, who can find and purchase vehicles for an additional fee or commission.

Other services – Some of the auto transport services we offer in overseas territories include domestic pickup, vehicle import assistance, tracking of your shipment, customs clearance in the USA and a full vehicle inspection report.

Departure Ports – United States

The location your vehicle will depart from depends on the method of car shipping to Bulgaria, where your vehicle is located, your budget, and which services the nearest port offers. We have multiple departure locations from which we can ship cars from the USA, including Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Miami, Savannah, and more.

Destination Ports – Bulgaria

Here are the entry ports in Bulgaria that we can ship a car to.

Before shipping to Bulgaria, the undercarriage of your car must be cleaned and free of foreign soil to prevent the introduction of invasive plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms. This can be accomplished through steam cleaning or other thorough cleaning methods.

CFR Classic can assist with finding an appropriate cleaner to help ensure you comply with this requirement before car shipping to Bulgaria. We do not recommend washing the interior of the vehicle as it can cause mold during transport. Vacuuming the interior is usually more than sufficient prior to car transport.

All cars shipped to Bulgaria from the U.S. must be registered with the Bulgarian Traffic Police (KAT) for use on Bulgarian roads. Once your car has been cleared through customs and you have paid all of the relevant import duties and taxes, you will receive a Customs Clearance Certificate from Bulgarian Customs. Your vehicle will then need to undergo an inspection by an authorized Bulgarian inspection station. This will ensure that your vehicle complies with all of the relevant Bulgarian safety and environmental regulations. On passing this inspection, you will receive a valid technical inspection certificate.

Once you have this inspection certificate, you will need to register your vehicle with the local Bulgarian Traffic Police. Before registering your vehicle, you must ensure that you have a suitable Bulgarian insurance policy in place that meets all local requirements.

In order to register your car with the Bulgarian authorities, you will need to gather together all of the necessary documentation, including:

• Ownership Certificate/Original Title
• Current Vehicle Registration Document
• Valid Passport, Driver’s License and/or Residence Permit to prove your identity and residency status in Bulgaria.
• Customs Declaration/Clearance Statement
• Proof of Payment of Bulgarian Taxes and Duties
• Proof of Paid Eco Tax (road tax)
• Technical Inspection Report
• Proof of Valid Bulgarian Third-Party Liability Insurance
• Current License Plates or Export Plates

To register your vehicle in Bulgaria, you will need to pay the necessary registration fee. The service fee for registrating your car with the Bulgarian Traffic Police is €650, which is currently equivalent to $718.50 (this includes annual insurance, eco tax, MOT, license plates, and a service fee).
After presenting this information and paying the relevant taxes, duties, and registration fee, you will be issued with valid Bulgarian license plates.

More information about the registration process can be found here on the Bulgarian government’s vehicle registration page.

International Car Shipping
Classic Car Shipping
Motorcycle Shipping
Boat Shipping
Air Freight
Cargo Shipping
Moving Household Goods

This information was updated in January 2025. All information, time frames, pricing, and regulations are subject to change. Please contact a sales representative for the most current rates and information.

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