site.btaAll Services Provided by Automobile Administration Authority Will Become Electronic as of 2026

As of 2026 all services provided by the Executive Agency for Automobile Administration will become electronic, said the Transport Ministry. Drivers and companies will also be able to apply for documents or pay respective fees via a mobile application. This transpired during a meeting between Transport Minister Grozdan Karadzhov and representatives of road haulier organizations. According to Minister Karadzhov, this will eliminate bureaucracy and unregulated practices that hinder businesses.

Karadzhov will also propose a single authority that will take over road safety. "Currently, drivers can be stopped by officials from a number of institutions - some monitor for toll vignettes, others for overloading, or something else. So we maintain several administrations and create opportunities for extortion and corruption. This body should be within the Interior Ministry of Interior," said the Minister. Easing the administrative burden will be one of his priorities.

The meeting also discussed concrete measures to ease freight traffic through the border crossings with Turkiye. One of the ideas of the transport industry is to launch a ro-ro ferry from Burgas to Turkiye, which, according to the carriers, would reduce traffic across the Turkish border by about 200-300 trucks per day. "You have my full support for this to happen as soon as possible," said Karadzhov, who ordered the ministry's international directorate to provide assistance.

On the agenda was the shortage of professional drivers. According to industry organizations, there are shortages in more than 80% of the companies and about 15% of the vehicles for international transport are not used due to lack of drivers. As a solution to this problem, industry representatives said it was necessary to reduce the time limit for issuing work permits to drivers from non-EU countries, as well as to create a policy for training staff in Bulgaria.

Other topics included the toll system, the introduction of European legislation on the posting of drivers, taking action to tackle unregulated transport, and speeding up regulatory changes in the sector.