Bulgaria - Clearance
Bulgaria Arrival Procedures for Yachts
The Republic of Bulgaria is part of the single Customs territory of the Union where the Customs legislation of the European Union (EU) is applied. See the Noonsite EU page for details.
NEW European Entry and Exit System (EES) – launched 12 October, 2025, means for non-EU crew biometric data will need to be recorded on entry and exit. This will require a visit to an official office at a port of entry. See Immigration for more details.
Ports of Entry
The main seaports in Bulgaria are the port of Varna and the port of Burgas. Burgas is a large commercial harbor with limited facilities for private yachts, Sozopol would be a better place to stop – but is not a port of entry.
The best port to clear in coming from Turkey is Tzarevo, and coming from Romania is Balchik.
Russian-Flag
From 8th of April 2023 the access into Bulgarian sea and river ports of Russian registered vessels is forbidden.
General Process
Clearance must be completed with Customs, Health, Immigration and Port Authority. Officials will usually visit the yacht on arrival and the crew must remain on board until formalities are completed. The formalities are not complicated, but passports and ship’s papers may be retained until departure.
See Documents for the required documents.
All Bulgaria Ports of Entry follow the same procedure.
A certificate (Form A) will be issued at the first Port of Entry and each section signed by the relevant officials. First Health officials, next to the Border Police, then Customs and, finally, the Maritime Administration Office. If there are no changes to skipper or crew, then Form B will not be needed.
Domestic Cruising
Yachts are no longer required to check in/out of each port once clearance has been completed.
Bulgaria Departure Procedures for Yachts
On departure from Bulgaria, Complete Form C and then follow the departure procedure at the Maritime Administration office and the Customs office. After which the form can then be authorized by the Border Police.
Port Control in the smaller harbors do not respond often on VHF Channel 16.
Bulgaria Maritime Administration Website
Last updated: October 2025
We are not seeing users access Bulgaria information regularly. We are prioritizing and focusing efforts on keeping the most visited countries up to date.
If you plan to visit Bulgaria or believe that we have made an error, please send us an email at noonsite@noonsite.com. We will assign a team member to work with our contacts to update the formalities information that you are interested in. If you have visited Bulgaria on a yacht, we would love to hear from you, please send us an email or leave a comment about your experience.
If you have information for this section, or feedback on businesses used, please let us know at editor@noonsite.com. We also welcome new information about businesses you have used (see Related Businesses).
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