Bulgaria

• Labeling Requirements
• Required Documents
• Licensing
• Import Procedures
• Taxes/Tariffs
• Contacts

LABELING REQUIREMENTS

Labels must contain following obligatory information in Bulgarian:

• Product name (as given in the country of origin). In the instance where the name of the food product is not definitive enough by itself, an explanatory definition must be provided.
• Name and address of producer
• Name and address of importer
• Trade mark (if applicable)
• List of ingredients and supplements (when applicable)
• Date of packaging
• Expiration date using the expression "To be used before the date – (DATE OF EXPIRATION).  Please note that the expiration date must be marked as follows:
• for validity of 3 months and less - day and month
• for validity of more than 3 months and less than 18 months year - month and year
• for validity of more than 18 months - year
• Country of Origin
• Nominal volume
• Actual alcoholic content
• Registration number of the production lot

GM (Genetically Modified) Food Labeling:

GMO products or ingredients must be defined as “GMO” with their specific characteristics.  Bulgarian regulations require food products containing more than the threshold limit of 1 percent GMO product to be appropriately labeled.  It is the importer's obligation to submit an application and get permission from Bulgarian authorities to import products containing GMOs.

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REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

• Commercial invoice, issued by exporter
• Packing list
• Free sale document (attestation), issued by certified U.S. laboratory, as published in Bulgarian State Gazette
• Origin analysis certificate, issued by certified U.S. laboratory
• Quality and Health certificate issued by certified U.S. laboratory

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LICENSING

Permits are required for the importation of bulk alcoholic beverages only.  No import permits are required for bottled alcoholic beverages

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IMPORT PROCEDURES

Imported products should meet the requirements for production in the country of origin, which is proved by a “Testimonial and an Analysis Certificate” issued by the official authorities in the country of origin.

Wine-specific Import Requirements:

Third Country (i.e. U.S.) wines imported into the European Community must also be accompanied by a VI1 document until such wine is put into free circulation.

For more information on the VI1 document, please visit the “VI1 Forms for Exporting Wine to the European Union” section of our Export Documents page.

Further information on EU import regulations for wine can be also found on the Wine section of the U.S. Mission to the European Union website.

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TAXES/TARIFFS

For the most current tariffs and taxes applied to imported products for this country, please visit the Online Tariff Database provided by Tariffic at: http://www.tariffic.com/ITA/, and click on “On-The-Fly Tariffeed”.  Please ensure you have a 10-digit HS classification code in order to obtain tariff information.  Also see the Census Bureau’s Schedule B search function (http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/schedules/b/index.html), which allows you to classify your product according to United States export codes. Simply click "Search" and enter the keyword (i.e. beer) that best describes your product.

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CONTACTS

Most of the information in this guide was obtained from direct contact with various governmental organizations and embassies, as well as online sources.  The FAS Attaché reports at: http://www.fas.usda.gov/scriptsw/attacherep/default.asp served as the primary (online) sources used for this report.

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