From February 1, 2026, Bulgaria officially completes its transition to the euro, which now serves as the country’s sole legal currency. The dual circulation of levs and euros has ended, and all transactions must now be conducted exclusively in euros. Merchants are no longer permitted to accept levs and are required to provide change only in euros.

Despite this, the Law on the Introduction of the Euro in Bulgaria mandates that until August 8, 2026, all prices, menus, labels, and receipts must still show amounts in both euros and leva. The lev value is purely for reference, helping citizens and businesses adjust to the new currency in their daily calculations.

Individuals and businesses can exchange leva for euros free of charge at banks or post offices in locations without bank branches until June 30, 2026. At post offices, amounts up to 1,000 leva can be exchanged immediately, while larger sums require prior notice. In banks, exchanging amounts exceeding 5,000 euros necessitates a declaration of the origin of funds. After this six-month period, banks and post offices may charge fees or discontinue the service.

The Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), however, will continue exchanging leva for euros indefinitely and without fees. This ensures that even years later, citizens can convert leva at the official, fixed rate of 1 euro = 1.95583 leva. Standard rounding rules to two decimal places apply to all calculations.

Exchange offices are no longer allowed to convert leva into euros. While until January they could exchange levs for any currency, from February 1 onwards they can only trade euros for other currencies, such as the Turkish lira.

The shift to the euro does not change the value of savings, income, or liabilities. All salaries, pensions, and social benefits are now paid in euros, with rounding done in favor of recipients. Bank cards, subscriptions, automatic payments, and online services continue to function as before, now operating in euros.