Find out what to do in the event of a traffic accident in Bulgaria

In the Event of a Traffic Accident in Bulgaria, caused by:

- a motor vehicle with registration plates from a member state of the EEA, Switzerland, Serbia or Andorra

call the Traffic Police
obtain a Police Report for the Traffic Accident
write down the date of the traffic accident
registration number of the responsible vehicle
make and model of the responsible vehicle
number of the MTPL insurance and the country where it is issued. If possible, obtain a copy of the insurance policy or the name of the Insurer.

If you have information about the name of the Insurer of the responsible vehicle, search for their correspondent for Bulgaria. If you find a nominated correspondent, approach them directly. Turn to the nearest branch of the correspondent company.

If you are unable to find a correspondent of the Insurer of the responsible vehicle, call the National Bureau of Bulgarian Motor Insurers.

- a motor vehicle with registration plates from a third country member of the Green Card system

call the Traffic Police
obtain a Police Report for the Traffic Accident
write down the date of the traffic accident
registration number of the responsible vehicle
make and model of the responsible vehicle
number of the Green Card insurance and the country where it is issued. If possible, obtain a copy of the insurance policy or the name of the Insurer.

If you have information about the name of the Insurer of the responsible vehicle, search for their correspondent for Bulgaria. If you find a nominated correspondent, turn directly to them. Turn to the nearest branch of the correspondent company.

If you are unable to find a correspondent of the Insurer of the responsible vehicle, call the National Bureau of Bulgarian Motor Insurers.

If the responsible motor vehicle is insured with Frontier Insurance issued by a member state, follow the same instructions. If the Frontier Insurance is issued by a Bulgarian insurance company, turn directly to the nearest office.

- an uninsured vehicle with a foreign registration plate:

call the Traffic Police
obtain a Police Report for the Traffic Accident
write down the date of the traffic accident
registration number of the responsible vehicle
make and model of the responsible vehicle

If the responsible motor vehicle bears the registration plates of a member state of the EEA, Switzerland, Serbia or Andorra - call NBBMI.

If the responsible motor vehicle bears the registration plates of a third country - turn to the Guarantee Fund.

- a motor vehicle with Bulgarian registration plates:

call the Traffic Police
obtain a Police Report for the Traffic Accident
write down the date of the traffic accident
registration number of the responsible vehicle
make and model of the responsible vehicle
number of the MTPL Insurance and, if possible, a copy of the insurance policy or the name of the Insurer.

If you have information about the name of the Insurer of the responsible vehicle, search for their nearest branch and file your claim with them.

If you are from a member state of the EEA and return to your country of residence, search for the representative of the Bulgarian insurance company of the responsible driver in the country of registration of the vehicle to file your claim.

If you are unable to identify the responsible driver’s Insurer, call NBBMI for further investigation.

Some important notes:

Limits of liability for the Republic of Bulgaria after January 1, 2016.

For property or non-material damage as a result of bodily injury or death – BGN 10,000,000 for each event, regardless of the number of injured persons.

For property damage – BGN 2,000,000 for each event, regardless of the number of injured persons.

Cover

The MTPL Insurer covers the liability of the insured for damages caused to third parties, including pedestrians, cyclists and other participants in the road traffic, arising from the owning or using of a motor vehicle such as:

Material and non-material damages arising from bodily injury or death.
Material damages caused to other party’s property.
Loss of profit which constitutes direct or indirect result of the injury;
Expenses reasonably incurred in connection with a claim filed as per above cases, including judicial costs .

The compensation cannot exceed the legally established limits of liability.

Tractor and trailer cases

Damage caused by a trailer connected to a motor vehicle and functionally dependent on the motor vehicle when moving and/or when it has disconnected while moving, are covered by the Insurer of the compulsory MTPL insurance related to the owning or using of the tractor.
Damage caused by a trailer not connected to a motor vehicle and not functionally dependent on the motor vehicle which has not been moving or has been self-propelled, are covered by the Insurer of the compulsory MTPL Insurance of the trailer.