The Bulgaria vignette is 100% digital, so there is no physical sticker and no waiting. Officially called the e-vinetka, it is mandatory for all cars, vans and freight vehicles under 3.5 tonnes travelling on Bulgarian motorways and all national roads. That includes the major roads and E-routes connecting Romania, Greece, Türkiye and Serbia. New to road-charging stickers altogether? Our plain-English explainer on what a vignette is covers the concept in two minutes.
Here is what you need to know right off the bat: Bulgaria runs a dense network of automated cameras, around 300 fixed units plus more than a hundred patrol-mounted ones, scanning licence plates around the clock. And since Bulgaria became a full Schengen member in January 2025, there are no passport checks at all when you arrive from Romania or Greece, so nothing stops you between the border and the first camera. Buy yours before you cross to avoid the compensatory fee of €46.50 for cars and fines of €153.39 (300 BGN).
Critical for transit drivers
If you are hauling a trailer from Germany to Türkiye or heading to Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, note that vignettes are separate from bridge tolls and the heavy-vehicle distance toll. Everything you need is explained below, so there are no surprises and no fines.
Who Needs a Vignette in Bulgaria?
Not every vehicle on Bulgarian roads needs a vignette. The rules turn on one number: 3.5 tonnes of technically permissible laden weight.
Any passenger car under 3.5 tonnes needs a vignette for all national roads and motorways, not just motorways.
Light commercial vans, minibuses, camper vans and motorhomes under 3.5 tonnes fall in the same category as cars. Motorhomes registered as category M1 stay in the vignette system even above 3.5 tonnes: under the Roads Act, weight does not move them into the truck toll.
Covered by the car's vignette only if the car and trailer together stay under 3.5 tonnes. See the sum of mass rule below.
Completely exempt. Motorcycles ride free on every motorway and national road in Bulgaria.
Trucks and buses do not use vignettes at all. They pay a GPS-based distance toll and must be registered in the BGTOLL heavy-vehicle system. The one exception: M1-registered motorhomes keep paying the vignette whatever they weigh.
Who Is Exempt from the Vignette?
Bulgaria's exemption list is short and set by the Roads Act. Besides registered agricultural and forestry machinery, which hardly concerns visitors, three groups genuinely travel free:
- Motorcycles and tricycles. Any vehicle with fewer than four wheels is fully exempt on every motorway and national road. No registration or application is needed.
- State and emergency vehicles. Police, armed forces, national security services and emergency medical vehicles are exempt so that rescue work and state operations are never held up.
- Drivers with a registered disability of 50% or more. A Bulgarian national scheme grants a free e-vignette valid for one year, and families of children with permanent disabilities qualify as well. It is administered by the Bulgarian authorities, so visiting drivers should not assume a foreign disability card carries the exemption across the border.
Everyone else pays. Trucks and buses over 3.5 tonnes are not exempt either: they sit outside the vignette system altogether and fall under the BGTOLL distance toll instead.
Electric cars and foreign plates pay the same
Bulgaria gives electric and hybrid cars no vignette exemption or discount: they need exactly the same e-vignette as petrol and diesel cars. Foreign-registered vehicles, including rentals, follow the same rules as Bulgarian plates.
The Sum of Mass Rule for Trailers
This is where most travellers get caught out. Whether your trailer needs its own vignette depends on the combined weight of car and trailer, not the trailer alone.
Do I need a second vignette for my trailer?
Car + trailer under 3.5 tonnes: one car vignette covers both.
Car + trailer over 3.5 tonnes: you need two vignettes, one for the car and a separate one for the trailer.
A 2.0 tonne SUV towing a 1.8 tonne caravan comes to 3.8 tonnes, so that combination needs two.
The most expensive mistake vans make
If your commercial van or truck is over 3.5 tonnes, a vignette is the wrong product entirely. It falls under the GPS distance toll for heavy vehicles, and buying a vignette will not protect you from a fine.
Motorhomes are the exception that catches people in reverse: a camper registered as category M1 needs a vignette regardless of weight, even at 4 or 5 tonnes.
Which Roads Require a Vignette?
This is where Bulgaria differs from most of Europe, and where visitors most often get caught out. The vignette is not limited to motorways. It covers the entire national road network: motorways plus most first, second and third class roads outside municipalities.
There is no toll-free alternative route
In countries like Czechia or Slovakia you can avoid the tolled motorway and take a back road. In Bulgaria that plan does not work, because the ordinary national roads are tolled too. Effectively, if you are driving between towns, you need a vignette.
Only roads inside municipal boundaries are free.
The A-roads below carry most international traffic and are the routes you are most likely to use:
- A1360 km
Trakia
Sofia - Plovdiv - Stara Zagora - Burgas
- A2433 km
Hemus
Sofia - Botevgrad - Veliko Tarnovo - Shumen - Varna
- A3150 km
Struma
Sofia - Pernik - Blagoevgrad - Sandanski - Kulata
The A1 Trakia is the artery from Sofia towards Plovdiv and the Black Sea coast, and together with the A4 Maritsa it forms the corridor to the Turkish border at Kapitan Andreevo. The A2 Hemus heads north-east from Sofia towards Varna. Towards Greece, motorway sections of the A3 Struma alternate with first-class road down to the border at Kulata, and the vignette requirement applies to both alike. These motorways also carry one of Europe's highest limits at 140 km/h, enforced by average-speed cameras: our guide to speed limits in Bulgaria covers the full rules.
Beyond these, the E-routes crossing the country and the first, second and third class national roads all fall under the same requirement. The safe assumption is simple: once you leave a town, you need a valid vignette.
Bridge Tolls Are Separate from the Vignette
Many drivers assume the vignette covers every road cost. It does not. Your vignette covers all national roads and motorways, but crossing the Danube between Bulgaria and Romania is a separate charge.
Your vignette covers the road up to the bridge and after the bridge. The bridge itself is a separate infrastructure charge.
Ruse to Giurgiu (Friendship Bridge)
Location: the main crossing between Ruse in Bulgaria and Giurgiu in Romania, on E85.
Toll: approximately €2 to €3.
Payment: cash or card at the toll booth, some digital payment apps accepted.
Traffic: the busiest Bulgaria to Romania crossing. Expect queues in peak summer and over holidays.
Vidin to Calafat (New Europe Bridge)
Location: the western crossing between Vidin in Bulgaria and Calafat in Romania.
Toll: approximately €6.
Payment: cash or card at the toll booth.
Traffic: less congested than Ruse, which makes it faster when travelling to or from Serbia and Greece.
Ferries across the Danube, such as Oryahovo to Bechet or Svishtov to Zimnicea, carry their own charges as well, set by the ferry operators by vehicle size. Schedules and rates vary by season, so check ahead if you are planning that route.
Bulgaria Vignette Prices and Validity Options
Prices are fixed by the Bulgarian state and identical through every official sales channel, and every vignette type can be bought online. The rates below come live from our catalogue, so what you see is what you pay.
Vehicle < 3.5t
Trailer 0-3.5t
Prices shown are the total amount payable, including the road toll and the registration fee.
Prices Went Up 30% on 1 August 2026
On 1 August 2026 Bulgaria raised its vignette prices by roughly 30 per cent, the first increase since the e-vignette system launched in 2019. The table above already reflects the new tariff, so what you see is what you pay. Treat any price list you found elsewhere with care: many guides and forums still show the pre-August rates. The compensatory fee for driving without a vignette rose under the same decision, so the cost of getting it wrong went up too.
Which Validity Period Should You Choose?
Daily
A single calendar day on Bulgarian roads. Useful for a short hop across the border or a one-way transit leg.
Weekly
The standard transit option. Ideal if you are passing through Bulgaria en route to Türkiye or Greece.
Monthly
Extended holidays, multiple transits, or exploring Sofia, Plovdiv and the Black Sea coast at a slower pace.
3 Months
Popular with seasonal workers and long-stay travellers.
Yearly
Most economical if you cross Bulgaria regularly. Not tied to the calendar year: it runs 365 consecutive days from your start date.
Every vignette covers the same roads. Whether you buy a weekly or a yearly one, you get access to every motorway and national road in Bulgaria. There are no premium or limited tiers.
How Activation Works
Immediate activation
Choose "start now" and your registration reaches the national e-vignette system within minutes.
Future start date
Buying ahead of your trip? Pick the date you actually cross, not the date you pay.
No backdating
Vignettes cannot be issued retroactively. Validity starts at purchase or at your chosen future date, never earlier.
Where Can You Buy a Bulgarian Vignette?
Every official sales channel registers the same e-vignette in the same national system at the same state-fixed price, so the real difference is convenience and timing.
Checkout takes under three minutes in English, confirmation lands by email, and your plate is registered before you reach the border. This is the route that fits the buy-before-you-cross rule best.
The same purchase from your phone, on iOS and Android. Ideal in the queue at Kapitan Andreevo or Kalotina: buy, choose immediate activation, and drive through covered.
BGTOLL, the national toll operator, sells through its own website, mobile app and roadside terminals, in Bulgarian and English.
Larger fuel-station chains and Tol Pass partner offices sell e-vignettes at the counter. The catch: you have to be inside Bulgaria already, and since the Schengen changes there is often no natural stopping point before the first camera reads your plate.
How to Buy Your Bulgaria Vignette Online
The whole process takes under three minutes.
Select your vehicle type
Car, van, freight vehicle, or trailer if your car and trailer together exceed 3.5 tonnes.
Select your validity period
Daily, weekly, monthly, three months or yearly, depending on how long you are staying.
Enter your licence plate
Exactly as it appears on the vehicle: capital letters and numbers only, no spaces or hyphens. A German plate reading "B-AB 1234" is entered as BAB1234.
Choose your activation timing
Start now, or pick the future date you actually cross the border.
Pay by credit card
Your confirmation is emailed straight away, usually within a few minutes.
You receive an email confirmation with your vignette details, a digital receipt to keep on your phone, and registration in the national e-vignette system for automated camera verification. No sticker is needed: your licence plate is your vignette.
How to Check That Your Vignette Is Valid
Because the e-vignette is digital, any plate can be verified in seconds. It is worth doing after every purchase and before every trip.
Run your plate through the official check
The BGTOLL website has a free validity check: enter your registration number and it returns the vignette's start and end dates.
Compare the end date with your travel dates
Pay attention to the return leg. A weekly vignette bought on the way out often expires a day or two before you drive back.
Checking a rental car? Never trust the sticker
Old windscreen stickers mean nothing under the digital system. Check the plate online before you leave the rental lot.
Keep your confirmation to hand
Your email confirmation and PDF receipt settle any dispute on the spot if a roadside check lags behind a very recent purchase.
Crossing into Bulgaria: What Happens at Each Border
Bulgaria shares borders with five countries, but since 1 January 2025 they fall into two very different groups. Bulgaria is a full Schengen member: arriving from Romania or Greece there are no passport checks at all, while Serbia and Türkiye remain external Schengen borders with full controls. One rule holds everywhere: camera enforcement begins within the first kilometre after the border.
From Romania via Ruse or Vidin
The Ruse to Giurgiu crossing on E85 is the busiest entry point from Romania.
Buy your vignette before you reach the bridge
Digital confirmation is instant, and you avoid hunting for a kiosk on arrival.
Pay the bridge toll at the booth
Around €2 to €3 for a car, by cash or card. This is separate from your vignette.
Drive straight through: there is no passport control
Bulgaria and Romania are both in Schengen since January 2025, so the toll booth is the only stop on this crossing.
Cameras read your plate within the first kilometre
With no border queue left to buy you time, the vignette has to be active before you cross.
Do not count on a stop to buy one
Before Schengen, drivers used the border queue to sort out their vignette. That queue no longer exists: you roll off the bridge straight onto camera-monitored roads, so buy while you are still in Romania.
Vidin to Calafat is less congested, which makes it the preferred route to and from Serbia and western Romania. The same rule applies: your vignette must be active before you cross. The bridge toll is higher at around €6, but traffic moves faster.
One more cost to plan for on this route: Romania's own rovinieta e-vignette covers the Romanian side, and like the Bulgarian e-vinetka it applies to ordinary national roads, not just motorways.
From Türkiye via Kapitan Andreevo or Lesovo
Kapitan Andreevo on E80 is the main gateway between Western Europe and Türkiye, and an external Schengen border with full passport and customs checks. Queues can stretch for hours, especially through the summer holiday season and around Turkish public holidays. Rather than hunting for a kiosk at the crossing, use the waiting time:
Buy on your phone while waiting in the queue
No kiosk, no language barrier, no cash needed.
Select immediate activation
Your registration reaches the national e-vignette system within minutes.
Clear customs
This can take one to three hours at peak times.Drive on with the vignette already active
The automated cameras sit right after the customs area.
Lesovo, the quieter crossing north-east of Kapitan Andreevo, follows identical rules. Do not rely on physical kiosks there either.
Heading the other way, into Türkiye? Turkish motorways use the HGS toll tag instead of a vignette, which you can sort out on our Türkiye HGS page, and our full guide to driving in Türkiye covers the rules waiting on the other side.
From Greece via Kulata
Kulata on E79 is a Schengen-internal crossing: driving up from northern Greece you pass no border control at all, and the A3 Struma, the main route to Bansko, Sofia and beyond, begins immediately after the old checkpoint.
The Struma corridor is one of the most strictly enforced in the country, watched by both cameras and mobile patrols. If you are driving to Bansko in winter, buy before you set off: the entire Kulata to Bansko route runs on vignette-required roads, with no local road alternative.
From Serbia via Kalotina
Kalotina on E80 is the main entry from Serbia, connecting Niš to Sofia via the A6 Europe motorway. It is an external Schengen border, so expect full passport checks and real queues in peak season, which is time you can use to buy on your phone.
A valid vignette is mandatory from the first metre after the border. Many drivers assume it can wait until Sofia since there is less than an hour of driving left. It cannot, and that assumption results in immediate fines.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Fines
Bulgaria has a two-tier penalty system that differs from most of Europe, and understanding it can save you real money.
Compensatory fee: pay it, skip the fine
€46.50 for cars, raised from €35.79 in the August 2026 tariff update. Pay it to a toll-control patrol on the spot or within 14 days of the infringement being recorded, and no fine follows. You still have to buy a valid vignette.
Two details nobody tells you: roadside terminals take card only, no cash, and regular police stops cannot take the payment at all. Only the toll administration's own patrols can.
Official fine, posted to your address
€153.39 (300 BGN). Applied if the compensatory fee is not paid within the 14-day window after the infringement is recorded.
The penalty arrives by post at your registered address, and if you are caught at the border on the way out, the vehicle cannot leave Bulgaria until the debt is settled.
Unpaid fines follow you home
Some drivers assume Bulgarian fines can be ignored once they leave the country. They cannot. EU member states exchange vehicle-owner data for toll enforcement and Bulgaria works with international collection agencies, so you may face collection letters with added fees or rental car charges later.
Wrong Licence Plate Entry
The e-vignette system matches your plate character by character. Mistype one digit and your vignette is invalid: you will be fined as though you never bought one.
The most common slips are:
- Confusing the letter O with the number 0
- Confusing the letter I with the number 1
- Adding hyphens or spaces that the Bulgarian system does not use
- Mixing up similar shapes such as B and 8, S and 5, or Z and 2
Use capital letters only, enter the plate as one continuous string with no spaces or punctuation, and check it against a photo of your plate before you pay.
Wrong Start Date
A common scenario: a driver buys on Monday for a trip starting Friday but leaves immediate activation selected. By Friday, four days of a seven-day vignette are already gone.
If you are buying ahead, set the start date to the day you actually cross. If you are at the border now, immediate activation is the right choice.
Prevention is cheaper than penalties
A weekly vignette costs a fraction of the compensatory fee, and the official fine is several times higher again, on top of which you still have to buy the vignette. Getting it right the first time saves both money and hours of dealing with enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy a Bulgaria vignette retrospectively?
No. Validity starts from the moment of purchase, or from the future start date you select. A vignette cannot be backdated to cover a trip you have already made.
Do I need to print the receipt?
No, the vignette is entirely digital and tied to your licence plate. Keeping the PDF on your phone is still recommended in case of a police check or a system error.
I am driving a rental car. Does it already have a vignette?
Check the validity online using the plate number rather than trusting a sticker on the windscreen, because old stickers are no longer valid under the digital system.
What if I enter the wrong licence plate by mistake?
Contact our support immediately. If the vignette has not been activated yet because you set a future start date, it may be possible to cancel and reissue it. Once activated, vignettes cannot be changed or refunded, which is why checking your plate before paying matters.
Do motorcycles need a vignette in Bulgaria?
No. Motorcycles are legally exempt from the vignette requirement in Bulgaria and travel free on all motorways and national roads.
Does the Bulgaria vignette cover the Danube bridge tolls?
No. Bridge crossings between Bulgaria and Romania, such as Ruse to Giurgiu and Vidin to Calafat, are charged separately at the toll booth. Your vignette covers the roads leading to and from the bridge.
Is a vignette required on national roads or only motorways?
Both. Unlike some countries, Bulgaria requires a vignette on the entire national road network, which includes most first, second and third class roads outside municipalities, not just motorways.
