Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Greeks and Romanians shop in Bulgaria on mass scale after the Schengen entry

Photo: digi24.ro

The benefits for Bulgaria from full entry into Schengen are estimated at over 800 million euros per year. The largest benefits will be for manufacturers and exporters. But while this macroeconomic effect is awaited, the benefits are already being felt by small businesses. Romanians and Greeks are massively using the abolition of border controls to shop for fuel, food and cigarettes in the country.

Bulgaria has become a preferred shopping destination for Romanians near the border. More and more of them are crossing the Danube to fill up their tanks or buy cigarettes and food, which are much cheaper, the Romanian television station Digi24 reported. In a report titled “Bulgaria - the preferred supermarket of Romanians from the southern part of the country”, the television station points out that about 5,000 cars cross the bridge near Ruse every day. Their number is more than twice as high as in the same period in 2024.

For bargain hunters, border police remind that there are restrictions. A maximum of 40 packs of cigarettes can be exported to EU countries. Penalties for violations start with a warning and can reach 20,000 lei, and if the limit is exceeded, a criminal case is initiated. For alcoholic beverages, the limit is 40 liters.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

A view of a building hit by Israeli airstrikes north of Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025

Foreign Ministry calls on Bulgarian citizens to leave Iran amidst rising tension in the region

Bulgaria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on Bulgarians in Iran to immediately leave the country due to the escalation of tensions in the region . Those who need to remain in the country should report their location and planned duration of stay..

published on 6/13/25 11:35 AM
Tel Aviv, 13 June 2025

Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry calls on Bulgarian citizens in Israel to register at the embassy in Tel Aviv

Bulgarian citizens in the territory of the State of Israel are advised to remain calm, strictly adhere to the instructions of the Israeli Civil Defense , and monitor current information, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry recommends. Foreign..

published on 6/13/25 11:28 AM

Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry issues safety recommendations to Bulgarian citizens in the Middle East

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on Bulgarian citizens located in the Middle East region and in particular on the territory of the Republic of Iraq, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to strictly adhere to the..

published on 6/13/25 11:17 AM