How can Ukrainian citizens with temporary protection extend the temporary importation of their vehicles in Bulgaria, and what conditions and procedures must be fulfilled for this, taking into account the Vienna Convention?

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A vehicle registered in Ukraine may be operated in Bulgaria without registration for six months (in accordance with the Vienna Convention) provided that:

· there is a valid document of liability insurance for damage caused by the operation of the vehicle (green card),

· the vehicle is in proper technical condition (the date of inspection is not checked during the operation of such a vehicle, as Ukraine is not a member of the EU).

If you do not have a "green card", you can get it at the National Bureau of Bulgarian Motor Insurers (see here).

As a rule, the six-month period of temporary importation ends when the vehicle has left the customs territory of the EU. In case of re-entry of the vehicle into the territory of the EU, the six-month period for temporary importation begins to count again.

The State Agency "Customs" of the Republic of Bulgaria issued an instruction according to which after the expiry of the period of 6 months after the entry of a Ukrainian car into Bulgaria, the owners who received temporary protection can submit an application for the extension of the permit for the temporary importation of the car into the territory of Bulgaria to the director of the relevant territorial Department of the State Agency "Customs" at the place of residence.

You can see the list of territorial offices of the State Agency "Customs" at the following link: https://customs.bg/wps/portal/agency/contacts/customs-contacts1.

The application is submitted in any form by the owner of the vehicle or his authorized person, if the vehicle is imported by an authorized person, and must contain data about the registration number, brand and model of the vehicle, about the owner or his authorized representative, about the place and date of entry to the customs territory of the Union, the duration of the status "Temporary protection" and other relevant data.

More information at the link: https://customs.bg/wps/portal/agency/media-center/on-focus/02-09-avtomobili.

If citizens of Ukraine have decided to settle in Bulgaria and wish to register their cars with Bulgarian numbers, they should submit an application under the procedure for admission to the free movement of personal property of persons who move their usual place of residence from a third country to the EU (more information at the link: https://customs.bg/wps/portal/agency/home/info-citizens/movement-bg).

Please note that persons with temporary protection from July 2022 in EU countries (in particular, Bulgaria) can:

– use a Ukrainian driver's license without the need to exchange it during the entire period of stay under temporary protection;

– use an old-style Ukrainian driver's license, which is issued only in Cyrillic and does not have an expiration date, without the need to have an additional certified translation or an international driver's license;

– use a Ukrainian driver's license even if it expired in 2022 (this is relevant for licenses issued for the first time with a validity of 2 years);

– obtain a temporary (for the period of stay under protection) EU model driver's license in case of loss or theft of a Ukrainian driver's license without passing exams - it is enough for the EU country to verify the validity of the right to drive obtained in Ukraine, as well as to verify compliance with the standards of physical and mental fitness to drive.