On 8 July 2025, the Council of the European Union formally adopted the three essential legal acts required for Bulgaria’s accession to the eurozone. This marks the completion of the legislative process and confirms that Bulgaria will officially adopt the euro as its currency on 1 January 2026. The fixed conversion rate has been established at EUR 1 = BGN 1.95583.
In anticipation of this transition, companies and other consumer-facing businesses operating in Bulgaria are required to implement several compliance measures starting from 8 August 2025. These steps aim to support transparency, ensure consumer protection, and facilitate a smooth changeover to the euro.
One of the primary obligations is the introduction of dual pricing. From 8 August 2025 until 31 December 2026, companies must display all consumer prices in both Bulgarian lev (BGN) and euro (BGN/ЛВ. and ЕUR/€). This requirement applies only to business-to-consumer interactions and does not affect business-to-business transactions. All price labels, discount campaign announcements, online listings, catalogues, and advertising materials that include prices must show both currencies. There are no explicit rules on which currency should be displayed first – lev (BGN/ЛВ.) or euro (ЕUR/€), or whether prices should be displayed side by side or one below the other. Each merchant decides which currency to display first. The two prices should appear next to each other, be clearly legible and easy to understand, written in the same font size, and accompanied by the appropriate currency symbols or abbreviations (BGN/ЛВ. and ЕUR/€). Audio and video advertisements may continue to refer to prices in Bulgarian lev until the euro is officially introduced, after which prices must be stated in euro only.
The conversion of prices from BGN to EUR must be done using the exact fixed rate of 1.95583, without rounding during the calculation. However, when displaying the converted euro price, standard mathematical rounding rules must be applied.
- If the third digit after the decimal is less than five, the second digit remains unchanged. For example, BGN 653.96 divided by 1.95583 results in EUR 334.36443, which rounds to EUR 334.36.
- If the third digit is five or higher, the second digit increases by one. For instance, BGN 655.12 divided by 1.95583 equals EUR 334.95753, which rounds to EUR 334.96.
- In the case of accrued but unpaid staff liabilities, a specific rule applies: any value beyond the second decimal point must be rounded up to the nearest cent, regardless of its size. Therefore, BGN 1024.51 converts to EUR 523.82364, which is rounded up to EUR 523.83.
In addition to dual pricing, fiscal and system receipts issued to consumers, must clearly show the final amount payable in both BGN and EUR. These receipts or equivalent documents must also include the official exchange rate used in the conversion.
With these requirements taking effect on 8 August 2025, consumer-facing companies should ensure its pricing systems, labelling practices, advertising content, and receipt templates are updated accordingly. Preparing now will not only ensure regulatory compliance but also help maintain consumer trust throughout Bulgaria’s transition to the euro.
