Shooting in Bulgaria

Bulgaria the home of “Orpheus” and the “Thracian Kings”, the center of the Ancient World and 5000 years of history.

Why here

Bulgaria is now one of Europe’s most attractive destinations for Film productions, traveling and holidays.

When it comes to choosing your next Film location, several factors will make it a preferred shooting destination:

Highly experienced and motivated crews.
Scenic locations – A variety of wooded mountains up to 2895m high, crystal clear rivers and lakes, green fields in the Midlands extending to spectacular sandy beaches merging with idilic black sea views. All within a very short distance.
A wide variety of architecture ranging from the time of the Thracian kings ( 325 BC ) to very new urban and contemporary styles.
Four distinct seasons – White snowy winter, Fresh and blossomy spring, Warm sunny summer and rainy golden leaves of autumn you will never be without that special scene that makes your production stand out.
Low film production costs – as much as 30% lower than the Central European countries and significantly below those of the western part of the Continent, US and Canada.
We also guarantee local VAT refund and 10% flat rate for personal and corporate income Tax.
Short direct flights from most European capitals.
Member of the EU with rapidly growing economy and improving infrastructure.
Good transportation services and wide choice of excellent accommodation possibilities.
High level of safety and friendly attitude of people.
A predominant number of people speak fluent English and other languages.
1000′ds of extras and actors easy to hire.

General Information

National name: Republic of Bulgaria
Official language: Bulgarian
Alphabet: Cyrillic
Capital: Sofia
Area: 110,994 sq km/ 42,855sq mi
Population: 7.36 million
Time difference: GMT +1
Currency: Bulgarian Leva(BGN) http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/

Important phone numbers

International Telephone code: + 359 ( city code) + phone number
Police: 166
Medical emergency: 150
Fire service: 160
Road assistance: 146

Holidays-non working days

January 1 - New Year
March 3 – National Liberation Day
May 1 - International Labor Day
Orthodox Easter – from Good Friday to the second day of Easter
May 6 – St George’s Day
May 24 – Day of the Bulgarian Education, Culture and Slav Letters
September 6 – Unification Day
September 22 - Independence Day
December 24-26 – Christmas

Visas: General Informations

Bulgaria and the European Union’s Common Visa Policy. Since 1 January 2007 the Republic of Bulgaria has been applying the European Union’s Common Visa Policy, subject to the terms of the Accession Treaty.

Visa-free regime for holders of Schengen visas for a stay of up to 90 days

Currently Bulgaria issues national visas only. Those visas do not give their holders the right to enter the Schengen area.

Many counries have visa waiver agreements for visits of up to three months. These are essentially tourist visas suitable for tasks such as location scouting.

Work Visas

Cast and crew who do not hold Bulgarian or European Union passports require a work permit which is easy to obtain.

How to obtain

For up date information on visa requirements, please visit the web site of The Diplomatic Mission of Bulgaria in your country : http://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-of/bulgaria,

or the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria : http://www.mfa.government.bg/en/pages/109/index.html

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria -
Sofia 1113, Bulgaria
2 Aleksandar Zhendov Str.,
Tel.: +359 2 948 2999