Not too sure if this is the right place for this question so sorry Ashley if it's not :oops:just a quick question can anyone tell me would it be more sensible to bring our car from the uk or to buy one in BG? the car we have is a 4x4 and is only 3 years old so it's still got a lot of life in it, and what would a replacement cost in BG [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

sarah

Hi Sarah

:: of ours bought there car over from the UK but are still on UK numbers plates and it is costing them a fortune on insurance.(they dont live here, they just insure it when they are out) and it is costling them 300leva just for a week as where we are on 160lev (basic bulgarain insurance) for a year (on bulgarian number plates) so it all depends if you are going to change your number plates over, but be warned, this is not a striaght forward procedure and will prob take you 2-3days

Hope this help

jan

Thanks for the quick reply Jan, so from what your saying if we re register our car in BG then the insurance would come down ? I think if we decided to take it with us and make Bg our home it make any sense not to register it in Bg, so you have given us something to think about thank you again :bounce:

Hi again

Not too sure on this but i think if you live in Bulgaria (permantley) and you have UK number plates you have to change them to Bulgarian numbers plates or you will get fined, but please look into this a bit more as it is only what i heard on the grape vine

thanks
jan

Thanks for that I think you maybe right it's much the same here in the uk but here they just tow it away [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hi Sarah
We brought our 4x4 with us and we insured it with English plates we have now re-registered it and we are still with the same insurance company and the price is the same. You just need to have everything with you an invoice for the car when you bought it log book etc., It takes a day and you need someone with you who speaks Bulgarian.
Second hand cars over here are very expensive so you would be better bringing yours over .
Sue

suellen wrote:

Hi Sarah
We brought our 4x4 with us and we insured it with English plates we have now re-registered it and we are still with the same insurance company and the price is the same. You just need to have everything with you an invoice for the car when you bought it log book etc., It takes a day and you need someone with you who speaks Bulgarian.
Second hand cars over here are very expensive so you would be better bringing yours over .
Sue

Hi i agree with you when i said my Insurance was the same on Eng plates and on Bg plates I mean it was a normal Bulgarian price not a high one
Sue

When driving in Bg, you have to drive with the thought that every other driver is a total lunatic and idiot. That way you will expect them to do the most stupid things, and for most of the time they do.

That's the way I drive in UK as well, BG doesn't have the monopoly on idiots in motor vehicles.

Cumbrian wrote:

When driving in Bg, you have to drive with the thought that every other driver is a total lunatic and idiot. That way you will expect them to do the most stupid things, and for most of the time they do.

That's the way I drive in UK as well, BG doesn't have the monopoly on idiots in motor vehicles.

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My twopenneth ... it's difficult enough driving here in a left hand drive, no way I would want to attempt this in a right hand drive!

With regards re-registration to BG plates, here's a small snippet from an article we published recently:

"
Unfortunately, this has caught out one driver recently. The gentleman, who does not wish to be named, had an accident in his UK registered car. Fortunately neither he nor the other driver were injured or harmed. However, the two cars were in a bad way. The fault of the accident lay with the Briton. Now, he has been living in Bulgaria for a year and is still driving a UK registered car but, having been out of the UK for so long, the car did not have either UK road tax or MOT. He did however, have insurance for the car. The insurance company have totally refused to pay up as they claim the car was driven illegally. If it is a UK registered car, it must have UK road tax and MOT cert. In this instance, the insurer will not pay out a stotinki/penny for either of the two vehicles which were damaged in the accident. He is also facing a real predicament with the local police who are likely to prosecute him for driving illegally (without Bulgarian plates, vignette, insurance and road worthiness certificate).

If you are living in Bulgaria and driving around in a UK registered vehicle, then please make the effort and get it re-registered in this country right away. You are allowed to drive your UK registered vehicle here for six months provided you have minimum third party insurance. We know that queuing at KAT and the language barrier make this a 'right pain' but it is something you should do. At the same time get Bulgarian insurance which will really pay out in the case of an accident."

This is one of those topics that is a minefield...

A few months ago, I was at our local KAT station in Burgas. I was with a Policeman who was buying a BG registered right hand drive vehicle from another Brit. I was doing the translation between them. As the Policeman had misunderstood the Brit and likewise the Brit him. Anyway, all was concluded satisfactorily.

While there, I took the opportunity to ask "
What exactly is the law, regarding the transfer of plates, UK to BG?"
As a friend of mine will be selling his UK registered vehicle to a Bulgarian and does not want to cause problems for either himself of the purchaser of the vehicle.

The Head of Kat at Burgas told me that it was legal to drive for 6 months, if there was no change in ownership, thereafter it was a necessity to register the vehicle in Bulgaria. As sooner or later there would be a clamp down and heavy fines if not confiscation.

Like I said, another one of those topics, that people seem to receive a straight answer to a simple question, that differs greatly from one person to another.

I'd bring the 4x4 Sarah as not only will it be cheaper in the long run to bring it across you can fill it full of goodies and personal treasures.

lorka

I think the way things are in BG now my advice would be to buy a car when you get over there I seem to remember that there isn't a shortage of people constantly bringing cars in from Germany

Firstly BG Police are not stupid.

Bring the car here but you must get it registered within the 6 months time frame.

Like all things when people do things outside the frame work of the legal system its fine. Unless of course you are caught as is the example that Chris has given. I'd always drive a LHD in BG and a RHD in the UK.

Tony

Daisy wrote:

I think the way things are in BG now my advice would be to buy a car when you get over there I seem to remember that there isn't a shortage of people constantly bringing cars in from Germany

Second hand cars from Germany (or Hungary or wherever) are at least 50% above UK prices and almost universally 'clocked', mileage (kilometeres) showing less that actually covered.
Bring out your own 4x4 and if you don't get on with right hand drive here you will still be able to sell at a very good price.

Hi Sarah

Just from the experience we have had with our jeep [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I would said buy in Bulgaria unless you are are applying for residency. Keeping it on UK plates is really not an option, a) you can only drive on your UK insurance for 30 to 60 days - b) When you buy insurance in BG on UK plates you pay through the nose - our cost £229 for 4 weeks. c)Then when the UK tax and Mot run out you are stuck - so best option would be to buy one in BG.

Oddy [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]