Car Shipping to Bulgaria
from the United Kingdom
Bulgaria offers one of the more affordable EU destinations for vehicle imports. The Ship Cars ships to Varna and Burgas on the Black Sea coast. View our shipping services or request a quote.
Methods
Container
Transit Time
12–18 days to Varna/Burgas
Ports
Varna, Burgas
Starting From
£1,200
Overview
Bulgaria offers one of the more affordable EU destinations for vehicle imports. The Ship Cars ships to Varna and Burgas on the Black Sea coast.
Shipping Methods
Container shipping to Varna or Burgas. Overland via Western European ports also available.
Shared Container Shipping to Bulgaria
For enclosed protection at a fraction of the cost of a dedicated container, our shared container shipping service consolidates two to four UK vehicles bound for Bulgaria into a single sealed 40ft high-cube container. Typically 25–35% cheaper than a dedicated container, with marine all-risks insurance, professional racking and personal-effects allowance included. See the full shared container shipping page for routes, prices and sailing schedules to Bulgaria.
Explore shared container shippingTransit Time
12–18 days to Varna/Burgas from Southampton.
Import Regulations
EU import regulations apply. Import duty 10% plus 20% DDS (Bulgarian VAT). GTP technical inspection required. Ecological tax based on vehicle age.
Documents Required
- V5C registration
- Passport
- Commercial invoice
- Bill of Lading
- Certificate of Conformity
Costs & Fees
Container from £1,200–£1,900. Import duty 10%. DDS 20%.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bulgaria cheap for car imports?
How long does it take to ship a car from the UK to Bulgaria?
Which UK ports do you ship from to Bulgaria?
What documents do I need to ship a car to Bulgaria?
What shipping methods are available from the UK to Bulgaria?
How much does it cost to ship a car from the UK to Bulgaria?
Shared Container Shipping to Bulgaria — FAQs
Common questions about shared container shipping to Bulgaria from the United Kingdom.
Do you offer shared container shipping to Bulgaria?
How much cheaper is shared container shipping to Bulgaria than a dedicated container?
Can I put personal effects in the car when shipping to Bulgaria by shared container?
Available Ports
Why ship a car to Bulgaria from the UK
The Ship Cars is a specialist UK vehicle export company moving cars, SUVs, classics, motorbikes and light commercials to Bulgaria every month. European trade lanes from the UK are dominated by short-sea RORO and weekly groupage container departures. Cross-Channel and North Sea sailings out of Immingham, Tilbury and Killingholme feed Iberian, Atlantic and Mediterranean discharge ports. Typical clients on this lane include EU-resident expats, alongside private owners relocating to Bulgaria and returning residents importing a personal vehicle. Our UK-to-Bulgaria corridor is engineered around predictable transit, transparent pricing and full compliance with Bulgaria customs.
Vehicles depart from Tilbury, Immingham, Liverpool and arrive at Varna, Burgas via short-sea Channel and North Sea routings. Typical door-to-port turnaround is 12–18 days to varna/burgas from southampton, supported by marine all-risks insurance, GPS-tracked UK collection and bonded warehousing where required. For an instant indication of cost, use our car shipping cost calculator or request a tailored quote on our quote page.
How UK to Bulgaria car shipping works
Every shipment to Bulgaria follows the same six-step pipeline: free quotation, UK collection or self-drop at Tilbury, bonded UK warehousing and pre-shipment photos, HMRC NOVA / C88 export clearance handled by our UK customs clearance team, ocean transit to Varna (and onward feeder to Burgas where required), and destination customs handover. You choose the shipping mode that best matches the vehicle profile and budget — see the full breakdown on our car shipping costs page or compare live RORO sailing dates to Bulgaria.
RORO to Bulgaria
Roll-on/Roll-off is the lowest-cost method for running, road-legal vehicles bound for Bulgaria. Drive-on at the UK port, drive-off at Varna. RORO shipping to Bulgaria — check the weekly RORO schedule.
Container to Bulgaria
20ft sole-use or 40ft dedicated containers give classic, high-value, modified or non-running vehicles fully enclosed protection on the route to Burgas. Dedicated container shipping to Bulgaria.
Shared container to Bulgaria
Two to four UK vehicles consolidated into a sealed 40ft container — typically 25–35% cheaper than a sole-use container. Shared container shipping to Bulgaria — get a shared container cost estimate.
Bulgaria ports, routing and transit
Vehicles bound for Bulgaria are typically routed through Varna as the lead discharge port, with Burgas available as alternatives depending on sailing schedule and onward inland transport. We schedule loads to match weekly RORO sailing schedules to Bulgaria and consolidated shared container departures from the UK. For sole-use loads we book 20ft and 40ft container slots on the same rotation.
- Port of Varna
- Port of Burgas
- UK departure: Southampton
- UK departure: Tilbury
- UK departure: Bristol (Portbury)
Bulgaria import duty, VAT and customs in 2026
Importing a vehicle into Bulgaria is regulated and document-driven. The headline framework is summarised below; our team verifies every figure against the latest Bulgaria customs schedule before quoting.
- EU type approval and Certificate of Conformity (CoC)
- Post-Brexit 10% import duty and country-specific VAT (TVA, IVA, MwSt, BTW)
- National roadworthiness inspections (ITV, contrôle technique, TÜV, APK, IPO)
- Re-registration with local plates and CO2-based road tax
Document checklist for Bulgaria
- V5C registration
- Passport
- Commercial invoice
- Bill of Lading
- Certificate of Conformity
For full country-specific customs rules, see our Bulgaria import guides and articles, our UK and Bulgaria customs clearance service, or use the duty-inclusive cost calculator for a landed estimate to Varna.
Who ships to Bulgaria
- • Returning Bulgaria residents and dual nationals
- • UK expats relocating to Bulgaria
- • Europe car dealers and Bulgaria re-exporters
- • Private collectors and classic-car enthusiasts
- • Diplomatic missions and corporate fleets
- • Online auction buyers (Copart, BCA, Manheim)
Vehicles we ship to Bulgaria
- • Saloons, hatchbacks and family cars
- • SUVs, 4x4s and pickups (Land Rover, Range Rover, Toyota, Nissan)
- • Luxury and executive vehicles (Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi)
- • Performance and supercars (McLaren, Aston Martin, Porsche, Ferrari)
- • Classic and historic vehicles (pre-1990 with HMRC NOVA exemption)
- • Motorbikes, scooters and quad bikes
- • Vans, light commercials and motorhomes
- • Electric and hybrid vehicles (EV battery documentation supported)
Why exporters choose The Ship Cars for Bulgaria
• Specialist UK-to-Bulgaria corridor with weekly capacity
• Marine all-risks insurance and bonded UK warehousing
• HMRC NOVA, C88, EORI and DVLA V5C export handled in-house
• Transparent UK to Bulgaria pricing with no hidden destination fees
• Direct relationships with Varna agents
• Dedicated account manager from booking to delivery
Related services and tools for shipping to Bulgaria
Shipping methods
Pricing & schedules
Guides & comparisons
Other Europe destinations from the UK
We ship to 8+ other Europe countries from the UK on the same trade lanes as Bulgaria. Many customers shipping to Bulgaria also enquire about Romania, Greece, Turkey because routing, customs documentation and transit windows overlap.
Get an instant quote for car shipping to Bulgaria
Request a free quote online for live sailing dates, indicative landed cost and document checks on the Bulgaria corridor. Online quotes are typically answered the same working day.