BG TOLL – Toll and vignettes in Bulgaria

In 2004, the Republic of Bulgaria undertook to harmonize with the EU legislation and to introduce the Vignette system. The aim is to improve the quality of the roads used by the citizens, because the fee that will be paid will be spent specifically for the maintenance and repair of the Republican road network.

The vignette is initially paper and is stored with the car documents, which are presented to the control authorities upon request for inspection. The stickers, which came into force in 2005, are affixed to the inside of the windscreen (lower right corner) of the car so that they are clearly visible from the outside and do not impede inspection by the authorities.

Electronic vignette

In 2019, e-vignette will be introduced in Bulgaria as a modern way of collecting tolls for the use of the national road network. The electronic vignette payment method has been used since 2010 in Romania and in the Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg and Sweden since 2008.

A vignette fee shall be paid for the following road vehicles with a total technically permissible maximum mass up to or equal to 3,5 tonnes:

  • motor vehicles which have at least four wheels and are intended for the carriage of passengers; < / li>
  • motor vehicles which have at least four wheels and are intended for the carriage of goods; < / li>
  • off-road motor vehicles.

Pricing and Categorization

With the entry into force of an electronic data carrier, there is no need to stick a sticker on the windshield of the car. When inspected by road control authorities, drivers are not required to present a document certifying a purchased vignette.

In order to carry out the activity of collecting the tolls, the Road Infrastructure Agency operates a System for electronic collection of tolls. The system is a combination of technical means and procedures through which sales, validation and control for the regulated use of the road network are carried out.

Electronic vignettes can be purchased in several convenient ways:

Tol fee

From March 1, 2020, a toll will be introduced for heavy vehicles over 3.5. The toll collection system is based on modern technologies that allow convenient ways of payment and control, without impeding the free movement of road vehicles. The introduction is equated with a fair and based on European directives charging model. This type of payment entitles the road vehicle to travel a certain distance between two points of the road or road section. The toll is determined depending on the technical characteristics of the road or road section, the distance traveled, the category of the road vehicle, the number of axles and its environmental characteristics and is determined for each individual road or road section.

Categorization of vehicles subject to toll charging:

* source https://www.bgtoll.bg/tol-taksa

Ways to pay tolls

There are several ways to pay the due toll when using the road network: via on-board device, route map and GPS tracker.

On-board unit

This product is suitable for road vehicles over 3.5 tons that have more frequent or regular trips on the toll network.

The metering mechanism for tolling purposes is by means of an on-board device installed in the vehicle, which sends the data needed to calculate the toll due. This is based on the global navigation satellite location system – GNSS. The data is sent to the provider of the electronic toll collection service, with whom the user has a contract. The latter, in turn, processes the received data and compiles and sends a declaration of toll.

Route map

This product is suitable for road vehicles over 3.5 tons, which are used for less frequent (single) trips.

Owners and users of a road vehicle with a total technically permissible maximum mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes, who do not have on-board devices, may use the paid road network after purchasing a route map, also known as a route ticket. This product is based on distance traveled within a certain period of time for which it is valid. It is issued in advance, allowing a road vehicle of the above category to travel a single distance within the range of the toll road network from the starting point to the end point, with additional intermediate points specified by the user, which cannot be more than four.

Route maps can be purchased in several ways:

    • at the points of sale – by cash payment, card payment, including through a fuel card; </ span>
    • at a self-charging terminal – by card payment, including through a fuel card; </ li>
    • electronically – from the Internet at www.bgtoll.bg , or < a href = “https://www.a1.bg/tolling/order/vehicle?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI88n2xLuz6wIVVbTVCh2lcArGEAAYASAAEgITFfD_BwE”> https://www. order / vehicle? gclid = EAIaIQobChMI88n2xLuz6wIVVbTVCh2lcArGEAAYASAAEgITFfD_BwE
    • via mobile app
  • The issuance of a route map is conditioned by a preliminary calculation and payment of the due toll.
GPS tracker

Enables automatic toll accounting through a car-mounted GPS tracking device that detects and transmits data at specific times.

Tariff for toll fees

Road toll map:

Source: https://cdn.tollpass.bg/static/media/cms/ ywbh1jbv / tollpass-road-map_.pdf

Violations

All drivers, owners or users of road vehicles who use the toll road network without having paid the respective toll and who have not paid a toll for the use of the national road network (e- vignette or subsequently a toll) are infringers and should be fined.

Sanctions for the use of the paid road network without paid fee reach up to BGN 3,000 for heavy road vehicles, as follows:

  • A driver who drives a lorry on the toll road network for which the relevant mileage obligations have not been fulfilled, or no fee has been paid (vignette, route card or toll fee), shall be punished by a fine in the amount of BGN 1,800;
  • Owner of a heavy goods vehicle for which no toll has been paid in full or in part, including as a result of incorrectly declared data ( the technical characteristics of the road or road section, the distance traveled, the category of the road vehicle and the number of axles, its ecological characteristics), shall be punished by a fine of BGN 2500. The fine shall be imposed on the registered user of the road vehicle, if any . If the owner or the registered user is a legal entity, a property sanction in the amount of BGN 2,500 is imposed;
  • When using the toll road network of heavy goods vehicles without toll and at the same time it is illegible or closed in any way the registration number, the fine is BGN 3,000