In Bulgaria at 00:00 o’clock today starts the vignette system for use of the republican roads. The first vignette was issued to a Romanian transporter at the Cross-Border Checkpoint Captain Andreevo at 00:05.

In Bulgaria at 00:00 o’clock today starts the vignette system for use of the republican roads. The first vignette was issued to a Romanian transporter at the Cross-Border Checkpoint Captain Andreevo at 00:05. The Director General of Road Charges and Licences Office to the Road Executive Agency /REA/, Ivailo Otashliiski, was at the cross border checkpoint this night as well as the duty computer experts who directed the start of the system in whole Bulgaria. By 11 a.m. over 300 vignettes were sold to Bulgarians and foreigners. In April drivers will be able at ease to buy vignettes as the bodies of the Control over Automobile Transport will only remind drivers that they must have a vignette and fines will be imposed as of 1 May 2004. The companies, which want to pay via bank transfer, can do it at Commercial Bank Biochim: Account No: 3010525500 BIN /Bank Identification Number/ 7302010001 Recipient: Road Charges and Licences Office Bank Biochim Branch Batenberg code 66084219 The vignette system in the Republic of Bulgaria is introduced at two stages. The decision for the gradual introduction is based on the wish for the vignette system to be incorporated as easy as possible without impeding neither local nor foreign users. From 1 April 2004 the vignette system concerns the heavy freight motor vehicles of more than two axles and lorries of two axles and buses, freight minibuses, and passenger vehicles of more than 8+1 seats, i.e. all except cars. As far as they are concerned, the system takes effect as of 1 January 2005. For all categories of vehicles will be applied the same vignettes: WEEKLY – valid for 7 consecutive days, including the day of the issuance. MONTHLY – valid until the same date of the next month, as this on which they are issued. If in the next month there is not such a date (e.g. 31st), the vignette will be valid until the last day of the next month. YEARLY – from 01.01 of the first year - 31.01 of the next year (13 months). For the first stage of service of the 1st and 2nd Category users, REA has provided 49 points for sale of vignettes in the country. In every district town, in the buildings of the District Road Offices, the respective point for sale of vignettes is set up, with separate convenient counters and rooms in accordance with the specific conditions. On the very buildings, as well as around the counters, there are mounted guiding and information signboards, which inform users about the prices of the different kinds of vignettes, the scope of the paid road network, and they also unambiguously make reference to the category of the vehicle the users want to buy vignette for. The working hours of those points – from 9.00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Besides in the district towns, vignettes will be bought at all cross border checkpoints /CBC/ in the country where the REA has set up its points. Unlike the points in the interior of the country, those at the CBC work round the clock, with no interruption and no day off. The first stage envisages the use of so-called “paper” vignettes, which will represent the certifying document, i.e. the charge for use of the road infrastructure has been paid. This document must be kept within the automobile for the period of use of the paid road network. The paid vignette contains all necessary attributes for exercising an effective control in regard to the loyal use of the paid sections. First of all, it includes the registration number of the automobile, for which the road charge is paid, the period of validity, as well as brief user instructions. All vignettes will be printed in real time on a specially manufactured paper in two copies. Besides number, each vignette will also contain a unique letter and numerical code, which will be the indicator whether it has been issued from the REA and will be sealed with a dry seal and a wet seal. When using the republican road network, drivers of 1st and 2nd Category vehicles will be obliged to submit to check their valid vignettes to the control bodies. When users pay up the vignettes, they will also be given separately the respective expenditure document for the paid sums. Those, who wish to transfer the respective charges via bank, can do this at every bank but in order to receive their vignettes they have to take the bank statement to one of the points for sale of vignettes and to present it and simultaneously declare the registration number of the automobile and the kind of the vignette they want. It is sufficient for companies to indicate their statistical and tax number, and natural persons – their ID No. During the second stage of the introduction of the system all categories of motor vehicles will use the so-called vignette stickers, which will be stuck on the front windshield. Then the users of the road network will have at their disposal a dense network of points for sale of vignettes. Foreign users will pay their vignette charges during their passage through the CBC by the end of 2006. The reason for this is rooted in the different levels of charges for Bulgarian and foreign vehicles by the end of 2006, as it is stipulated within the framework of the negotiations for EU accession. Up to this date the foreign vehicles will pay considerably higher charges than the Bulgarian users, as within this period charges will be gradually equalized, in order to become equal in 2007. From the beginning of 2007, foreign users will pay the same charges and will use the same wide distribution network in the country as well as the Bulgarian users. 550 leva will be the yearly vignette charge for freight vehicles of more than two axles. The monthly charge is 90 leva, and the weekly – 36 leva. The yearly vignette for passenger transport will cost 250 leva, the monthly – 45 leva, the weekly – 18 leva. In 2004, the price of the vignette until the end of the year will be 75 % of the yearly charge. In 2005, the yearly vignette for cars will cost 54 leva, the monthly - 10 leva, and the weekly - 4 leva. in 2004, the yearly vignette charge for freight vehicles with foreign registration costs 689 euro, the monthly - 124 euro, and the weekly - 49 euro. In 2004, the yearly vignette charge for passenger vehicles of 8+1 seats is 345 euro, the monthly is 61 euro, and the weekly - 25 еurо. As of 1 January 2005, the yearly vignette charge for cars of foreign registration and for passenger vehicles of 8 seats at the maximum will be 69 еurо. The monthly vignette will be 12 еurо, and the weekly - 5 еurо. PR & International Relations Directorate A list of points for sale of vignettes Information about the vignette system