ECONOMY
Business etiquette
Appointments should be made in advance. It is customary to invite Bulgarian business partners to dinner according to areacodesexplorer.
Opening hours
Business hours: Mon-Fri 9 am-5.30pm.
Economy
Chamber of Commerce Switzerland-Central Europe
c / o SOFI Swiss Organization for Facilitating Investments
Stauffacherstraße 45, CH-8026 Zurich
Tel: (044) 249 48 80.
Internet: www.sec-chamber.ch
German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce
F.J. Curie Str. 25 A, BG-1113 Sofia
Tel: (02) 816 30 10.
Internet: http://bulgarien.ahk.de/
Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
ul. Parchevich 42, BG-1058 Sofia
Tel: (02) 987 26 31.
Internet: www.bcci.bg
Business contacts
Chamber of Commerce Switzerland-Central Europe
c / o SOFI Swiss Organization for Facilitating Investments
Stauffacherstraße 45, CH-8026 Zurich
Tel: (044) 249 48 80.
Internet: www.sec-chamber.ch
German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce
F.J. Curie Str. 25 A, BG-1113 Sofia
Tel: (02) 816 30 10.
Internet: http://bulgarien.ahk.de/
Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
ul. Parchevich 42, BG-1058 Sofia
Tel: (02) 987 26 31.
Internet: www.bcci.bg
COMMUNICATION
Phone
The country code is 00359. Public telephone booths are available in all larger towns. Domestic and international calls are cheaper in public telephone booths than in hotels. Telephone cards for public telephones are available in hotels, post offices, kiosks, or from tour guides.
Phone
The country code is 00359. Public telephone booths are available in all larger towns. Domestic and international calls are cheaper in public telephone booths than in hotels. Telephone cards for public telephones are available in hotels, post offices, kiosks, or from tour guides.
Cellphone
GSM 900/1800, dual band network. The transmission / reception area for mobile communications is almost unrestricted (with the exception of some mountain regions). Roaming agreements exist. Network operators including Telenor (Internet: www.telenor.bg/en) and Mtel (Internet: www.mtel.bg/bg).
International roaming can be used within the EU at the Euro tariff. Customers of all European mobile network operators automatically make all calls in and from other EU countries at the Euro rate. However, the Euro tariff does not apply to other mobile communications services such as SMS, MMS and data transmission.
Internet
There are internet cafes and centers in all major cities. Mobile surfing on the Internet is made possible by the Goodspeed Wi-Fi hotspots, which are subject to a charge (Internet: goodspeed.io/de/index.html). Most Wi-Fi hotspots can be found in business centers, train stations, and bus stations.
Post Office
Airmail to Western Europe takes between 4 days and 2 weeks.
Radio
Since the use of shortwave frequencies changes several times over the course of a year, it is advisable to contact Deutsche Welle customer service directly (Tel: (+49) (0228) 429 32 08. Internet: www.dw-world.de) to request.
MONEY
Currency
1 lev = 100 stotinki. Currency abbreviation: Lw, BGN (ISO code). There are banknotes in denominations of 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 Lw; Coins in denominations of 1 Lw as well as 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 stotinki. The lev is tied to the euro. The introduction of the euro has been postponed indefinitely.
Credit cards
Diners Club, American Express and Visa are accepted in larger hotels, car rental offices, some restaurants and shops. Details from the issuer of the credit card in question.
ATMs
EC / Maestro card / Sparcard
With the EC / Maestro card and PIN number, cash in the local currency can be withdrawn from ATMs throughout Europe. In many European countries it is also possible to pay in shops with the ec / Maestro card. Cards with the Cirrus or Maestro symbol are accepted in Europe and worldwide. Further information from banks and credit institutes. The same applies to the German Sparcard, the successor to the postal savings book as a means of procuring currency in other European countries. With a Sparcard and PIN number, cash can be withdrawn from European ATMs with the Visa Plus logo.
Attention: Travelers who pay abroad with their bank customer card and want to withdraw money should find out about the possibilities of using their card from their bank before starting their journey. The maximum amount of money that is currently available at the ATM is 400 lev.
Bank opening times
Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Foreign exchange regulations
For travelers within the EU, there are no restrictions on the import or export of national and foreign currencies.
Travelers entering or leaving the EU and carrying cash of € 10,000 or more (or the equivalent in other currencies or other easily convertible values such as checks made out to third parties) must declare this amount to the customs authorities.
Currency Exchange
The exchange receipts (Bordereau) must be kept until the end of the stay and presented on departure. Money should only be changed in commercial banks, not in exchange offices or on the black market. Unfair practices towards tourists have often occurred in exchange offices. ATMs are now widespread, they can be found in Varna and Burgas as well as in banks in some spas. The best exchange rate is available when you withdraw cash from an ATM.
