Deadline for free lev-to-euro exchange expires

The deadline for exchanging levs into euros without fees or commissions at commercial banks and Bulgarian Posts branches in settlements without bank offices expires on 30 June 2026.

The exchange is carried out at the fixed rate of 1.95583 levs per euro. From 1 July, banks and post offices will be allowed to charge a fee for this service. The Bulgarian National Bank will continue to exchange levs for euros free of charge, with no deadline or limit on the amount.

• The euro is only currency, prices displayed in euro and leva until August

• The euro is now the official currency in Bulgaria

• The Bulgarian lev: A farewell to a national currency

The end of this transition period coincides with the busy summer travel season and raises another practical question: now that the euro has become Bulgaria’s currency, what do people do when travelling to countries outside the euro area? According to Tavex data, there is currently increased demand for the Turkish lira, Hungarian forint, Polish zloty, Czech koruna, Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, Serbian dinar, and Chinese yuan. Demand levels are similar to those recorded during the same period last year.

Edited by Ivo Ivanov

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov