4 min
An imported car can't just be driven in and parked outside your home — before it gets Bulgarian plates, it goes through a few required steps. Here's what actually happens.
The first step is clearing the car through customs — with duty and VAT paid (covered in a separate article), the car receives a customs declaration required for the next steps.
Cars imported from outside the EU/EEA require a technical inspection in Bulgaria to confirm they meet road-worthiness requirements — including brakes, suspension, lights and emissions.
After a successful technical inspection, the car is registered with КАТ (the Bulgarian traffic police), where it receives Bulgarian plates and a registration certificate. From that point, it's fully legal to drive on Bulgarian roads.
In practice, that means the only step you take is picking up the keys. The entire bureaucratic process is already part of the final price you approved.