Topical Information

The State Gazette, issue 16 of 10 February 2026, published the Law Amending and Supplementing the Road Traffic Act, introducing significant changes to the legal framework governing individual electric vehicles (IEVs). The National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB) sent a letter to municipal mayors and council chairs summarizing the adopted amendments, which directly affect municipal operations and IEV owners.

Key Highlights of the Amendments:

• The State Agency for Road Safety will create and maintain a unified electronic register of IEVs, containing:

  • Owner information:

    • Natural persons: name, personal identification number or foreign ID, permanent address

    • Legal entities: company ID, headquarters, and registered office address

  • Vehicle information: factory or serial number, make, model, nominal continuous power, maximum design speed, curb weight, region and municipality of registration, registration number, technical inspection protocol number and date

• Registration of IEVs is submitted to the mayor of the municipality corresponding to the owner’s permanent address. Entry into the register or refusal is made by the mayor. The conditions and procedure for IEV registration will be defined by a Council of Ministers’ ordinance.

• § 4 of the law repeals § 104 of the previous amendment to the Road Traffic Act (State Gazette, issue 64/2025), which required municipal councils to adopt regulations within four months for the registration of IEVs.

Implementation Deadlines:

• The Council of Ministers must adopt the ordinance on registration conditions and procedures within three months of the law entering into force.

• The Chairperson of the State Road Safety Agency must establish the register within five months.

• IEV owners must complete registration at their municipalities by 1 July 2026.

Municipal Council Regulations:

Following these changes, municipal ordinances under Art. 80a(4) of the Road Traffic Act may only regulate:

• Lower maximum speeds than those set by national law, and additional usage restrictions for IEVs.

• Rules for designating mandatory IEV parking zones, including maximum capacity and conditions for their allocation and use.

Ordinances that previously regulated IEV registration, issued under Art. 80a(4), lose their legal basis and must no longer be applied from the date the new amendments take effect.

Recommendations for Municipalities:

Municipalities are advised to prepare draft amendments to their existing ordinances under Art. 80a(4) to remove provisions regulating:

• Registration conditions and procedures for IEVs

• Fees for registration, registration stickers, certificates, and license plates

• Incomplete or pending registration proceedings