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Invest Bulgaria
5 Hristo Kovachev St
Sofia 1527, Bulgaria
Tel: (+359 889) 58 98 61
Office: (+359 2) 843 0416
Fax: (+359 2) 843 0416
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Invest
Bulgaria
-
Currency
Converter
Invest
Bulgarian
-
Unit
Converter
The
currency
of
Bulgaria
is
the
Lev
- or
in
the
plural
form,
Leva.
(In
Bulgarian,
"lev"
is
the
old
for
lion.).
The
economy
is
stable
and
the
value
of
the
lev
is
tied
to
that
of
the
Euro.
As
of
Jan
2005,
$1US
was
worth
1.50
Leva.
Bulgaria
remains
a
largely
cash
economy.
Visitors
should
exchange
cash
at
banks
or
change
bureaus.
Some
change
bureaus
will
charge
commissions
on
both
cash
and
travelers'
check
transactions
which
are
either
not
clearly
posted
or
posted
in
fine
print.
Beware
of
people
on
the
street
who
offer
high
rates
of
exchange
or
who
may
ask
you
to
make
some
change
for
them.
These
people
are
confidence
tricksters
who
are
very
good
at
spotting
non-Bulgarians
and
are
intent
on
swindling
the
unwary
traveler.
Old,
dirty
or
very
worn
bank
notes
may
not
accepted,
and
bills
with
"scotch
tape"
over
any
torn
places
will
be
refused.
Changing
money
at
Sofia
Airport
is
possible
at
various
change
Bureaus
but
the
rate
will
not
necessarily
be
in
your
favor
so,
we
recommend
that
you
change
a
small
amount
and
use
the
change
bureaus
downtown.
You
are
allowed
to
bring
the
equivalent
of
8000
leva
into
Bulgaria
without
declaring
it
(about
4000
Euros).
If
you
are
carrying
more
you
have
to
fill
a
declaration
in
at
customs
when
you
arrive.
You
can
bring
as
much
as
you
want
without
problem
as
long
as
you
declare
it.
Do
not
be
tempted
not
to
declare
it
as
if
found
it
will
be
seized
and
you
will
not
get
it
back
and
can
face
prosecution
and
a
fine.
Cases
like
that
are
making
the
news
everyday!
For
larger
amounts
of
money
into
Bulgaria
we
recommend
using
money
transfers.
It
is
the
safest
way
to
transfer
money
to
Bulgaria.
do
have
in
mind
that
you
will
have
to
fill
out
a
declaration
form
if
you
withdraw
more
than
8000
leva
out
of
the
bank.
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While
it's
a
sensible
precaution
to
carry
a
percentage
of
your
funds
in
the
form
of
travellers'
cheques,
they
are
certainly
not
convenient
for
everyday
use,
except
in
Sofia
and
the
coastal
and
ski
package-resorts.
Elsewhere
you'll
be
lucky
to
find
a
private
exchange
that
will
touch
them,
and
even
banks
can
be
reluctant
to
accept
any
but
the
particular
brand
to
which
they're
affiliated. If
you
can't
find
a
branch
of Bulbank
(which
accepts
any
brand
bearing
the
Eurocard
or
Mastercard
logo),
a
three-
or
four-star
hotel
is
your
best
bet
for
changing
cheques.
In
holiday
resorts,
be
prepared
for
a
commission
charge
of
up
to
five
percent.
Credit
cards
can
be
used
to
pay
for
car
rental,
and
at
top-notch
restaurants
and
hotels
in
the
major
cities
and
resorts,
but
can
only
be
used
throughout
most
of
Bulgaria
as a
means
of
obtaining
cash
from
an
ATM.
You
can
in
theory
get
cash
advances
in
leva
with
Eurocard,
Access,
Visa,
Diners
Club
and
Mastercard,
but
most
banks
are
still
either
unequipped
to
deal
with
the
procedure
or
simply
can't
be
bothered.
Again,
Bulbank
is
likely
to
be
able
to
handle
transactions
more
efficiently
than
other
banks.
Almost
all
cards
can
also
be
used
to
get
cash
from
ATMs,
which
are
relatively
plentiful
in
city
centers
but
much
rarer
out
in
the
sticks.
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