Bulgaria's motorways and main roads are a paid road network: a car needs an electronic vignette (електронна винетка) — annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly, weekend or, since February 2026, one-day. The cameras of the Road Infrastructure Agency (АПИ) and its National Toll Administration read the plates. A car without a vignette valid for its plate commits an offence — and the law offers a way out: the compensation fee (компенсаторна такса).
Compensation fee or fine
The driver, the owner or anyone else may pay the compensation fee; once it is paid, nobody is fined for that journey (Roads Act, art. 10). Not paid, the driver's fine is 300 leva — €153.39 at the fixed rate since the euro (Road Traffic Act, art. 179). Driving the same car on the same day counts as one offence.
How it reaches you
- Within three working days a notice by e-mail or SMS goes to the contact given when a road fee was last paid for the car. It is for information only — getting none changes nothing.
- An electronic ticket (електронен фиш) is issued to the owner. You have 14 days from receiving it to pay the compensation fee, or to ask the Agency to cancel it — because a vignette was paid, the car was not yours then, or the system made an error. After 14 days the full fine on the ticket is owed. An appeal goes to the district court within 14 days of receipt, or of a refusal to cancel.
- Stopped by a control officer, you can pay at once by card or in cash, or within 14 days of receiving the report (акт), quoting its number.
Enter the day you received the ticket on this page and the site counts the 14 days.
A car registered abroad — or hired
For a car registered in another EU country the Agency finds the owner through the EU's exchange of vehicle data and writes in a language of that country; the letter gives up to 60 days from receipt to admit the offence or name the driver. A hire car's ticket goes to the rental company as the owner — your contract says what it passes on to you.
Check before you pay
- A vignette counts only for the plate typed when it was bought: one wrong character and the car has none. Check it with Vignette check on bgtoll.bg.
- Pay only as the ticket says — never through a link in a message you did not expect.
A lawyer for traffic fines can check the ticket, ask for its cancellation or appeal in Bulgarian. A speed camera is a different ticket: see a Bulgarian traffic fine.
Prepared by Legal Help Tool. Last updated . General information, not legal advice.
