Road signs in Bulgaria

Road signs in the Republic of Bulgaria were introduced by the Road Traffic Act and are regulated by:

Regulations for the implementation of the Road Traffic Act, adopted by a Decree of the Council of Ministers;^[1]^[2]
Ordinance No. 18 of July 23, 2001 on road signaling with traffic signs, issued by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works.^[3]

Both normative documents are harmonized with the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals (1968), which was ratified by Bulgaria on December 28, 1978 (This Convention was not published in the State Gazette).^[4] Bulgaria made two declarations upon signature, one reservation upon ratification and one declaration upon ratification. One reservation made upon ratification is regarding transliteration into Latin characters solely to indicate the terminal points of international routes passing through Bulgaria and places of interest to international tourism. This is due to the fact that the Cyrillic script is used in the writing system of the Bulgarian language, the official language of Bulgaria.

Road signs in Bulgaria use the SNV typeface, which is also used in neighboring countries in the Balkans such as Romania, Serbia and North Macedonia. Inscriptions on road signs are usually written in both Bulgarian and English (Cyrillic and Latin scripts respectively), including settlement names.

Today there are some differences between the two documents regarding road signs. The latest changes in Ordinance No. 18 were promulgated in the State Gazette No. 13, dated February 14, 2020. These changes are not reflected in the Regulations for the Implementation of the Road Traffic Act.

Warning signs edit

A1
Right curve
A2
Left curve
A3
Double curve, first at right
A4
Double curve, first at left
A5
Steep downhill
A6
Steep uphill
A7
Road narrows — two-sided
A8
Road narrows - on the right
A9
Road narrows - on the left
A10
Opening bridge
A11
Unprotected quayside or riverbank
A12
Uneven road
A13
Speed bump
A14
Dangerous roadside
A15
Slippery road
A16
Loose chippings
A17
Falling rocks
A18
Pedestrian crossing
A19
Children area
A20
Cyclists
A21
Domesticated animals
A22
Wild animals
A23
Roadworks
A24
Traffic lights
A25
Crossroads without priority (give way to the vehicles coming from the right)
A26
Intersection with a secondary road
A27
Secondary road junction on the right
A28
Secondary road junction on the left
A29
Roundabout ahead
A30
Two - way traffic
A31
Trams
A32
Level crossing with barriers ahead
A33
Level crossing without barriers ahead
A34.1
Single track level crossing
A34.2
Multitrack level crossing
A35.1
Distance to the road-railway crossing
A35.2
Distance to the road-railway crossing
A35.3
Distance to the road-railway crossing
A36
Low-flying aircraft
A37
Crosswinds
A38
Tunnel
A39
Other hazards
A40
Accident-prone road area
A41
Traffic jam
A42
Fog
A43
A traffic accident has occurred

Priority signs edit

B1
Give way
B2
Stop
B3
Priority road
B4
End of priority road
B5
Give way to vehicles coming from the opposite direction
B6
Priority over vehicles in opposite direction

Prohibitory signs edit

V1
No entry
V2
Road closed to all traffic
V3
No motor vehicles
V4
No trucks/heavy goods vehicles
V5
No trucks/heavy goods vehicles pulling trailers
V6
No trailers
V7
No tractors
V8
No motorcycles
V9
No bicycles
V10
No horse-drawn vehicles
V11
No handcarts
V12
No pedestrians
V13
No vehicles carrying dangerous goods
V14
No trucks and motorbikes
V15
Width limit (2.5 metres)
V16
Height limit (3.5 metres)
V17
Length limit (12 metres)
V18
Weight limit (9.5 tonnes)
V19
Weight limit per axle
V20
No traffic allowed without indicated minimum distance between vehicles
V21
No right turn
V22
No left turn
V23
No U-turn
V24
No overtaking
V25
No overtaking by trucks/heavy goods vehicles
V26
Speed limit (50 km/h)
V26
Speed limit (60 km/h)
V26
Speed limit (80 km/h)
V27
Do not block
V28
No parking
V29
Stop for customs
V30
No sound signals
V31
End of no overtaking zone
V32
End of no overtaking by trucks/heavy goods vehicles zone
V33
End of speed limit (50 km/h)
V34
End of all restrictions

Mandatory signs edit

G1
Keep straight
G2
Turn right ahead
G3
Turn left ahead
G4
Turn right or go straight ahead
G5
Turn left or go straight ahead
G6
Turn left or right ahead
G7
Turn right before the sign
G8
Turn left before the sign
G9
Keep right
G10
Keep left
G11
Keep left or right
G12
Roundabout
G13
Exclusive bus or trolleybus lane
G14
Bicycle lane
G15
Pedestrian lane
G16
Segregated pedestrian and bicycle path
G17
Minimum speed limit (30 km/h)
G17
Minimum speed limit (50 km/h)
G18
End of minimum speed limit (30 km/h)
G18
End of minimum speed limit (50 km/h)
G19
Snow chains compulsory
G20
Vehicles carrying hazardous goods should turn left

Special regulations signs edit

Д1
Number of lanes and traffic directions
Д2
Additional road lane for slow-moving road vehicles
Д2
Additional road lane for slow-moving road vehicles
Д2
Additional road lane for slow-moving road vehicles
Д3
Pre-compilation indicator
Д4
One-way traffic
Д5
Motorway
Д6
End of motorway
Д7
Limited-access highway (option 1)
Д7
Limited-access highway (option 2)
Д8
End of limited-access highway (option 1)
Д8
End of limited-access highway (option 2)
Д9
Entrance to tunnel (option 1)
Д9
Entrance to tunnel (option 2)
Д10
End of tunnel (option 1)
Д10
End of tunnel (option 2)
Д11
Entrance to built-up area
Д12
End of built-up area
Д13
No parking zone
Д14
End of no parking zone
Д15
Entrance to residential area zone
Д16
End of residential area zone
Д17
Pedestrian zone
Д18
Hospital
Д19
Parking
Д20
Paid parking
Д21
Disabled people parking
Д22
Bus stop
Д23
Trolleybus stop
Д24
Tram stop
Д25
Vignette road
Д25
Vignette and toll road
Д25
Toll road

Indication signs edit

Е1
Medical center
Е2
A hospital with an emergency department
Е3
Police
Е4
Telephone
E5
Technical service station
E6
Car wash
Е7.1
Gas station
Е7.2
Gas station
Е7.3
Gas station that also offers unleaded gasoline
E8
Tourist information point
E9
Hotel or motel
E10
Restaurant
E11
Café
E12
Camping site
E13
Caravan site
E14
Camping and caravan site
E15
Youth hostel
E16
Picnic site
E17
Starting point for walks
E18
Drinking water
Е19
Toilet
Е20
Taxi stand
Е21
Pedestrian onderpass
Е22
National speed limits (used at border crossings with other countries)
Е24
Control with automated technical means or systems
Е25
Charging station for electric vehicles

Information signs edit

Ж1
Preliminary route guide sign
Ж2
Route guide sign with destinations used on highways
Ж2
Route guide sign with destinations used on roads
Ж2
Route guide sign with destinations used inside cities
Ж4
Alternative way of driving in connection with the prohibition on turning left
Ж5
Truck route
Ж9
U-turn permitted
Ж10
Destinations sign with distances used on highways
Ж10
Destinations sign with distances used on roads
Ж12
Entry to no through road
Ж13
Dead end
Ж14
Indicating the number and direction of traffic lanes
Ж16
Traffic redirected on adjacent carriageway (temporary sign, usually placed during the roadworks)
Ж18
Emergency escape lane for runaway vehicles
Ж19
50 km/h advisory speed
Ж20/Ж21
Highway route number sign

Additional plates edit

Т1
Above sign effective in 1300 metres
Т2
Sign area effective
Т3
Plate indicating beginning of stopping or parking prohibition
Т8
Stop ahead in 50 metres (placed below the give way sign to warn of a stop sign ahead)
Т13
Diagram of priority road direction
T14.2
Road conditions (rainfall)
T15
Working days
T16
Saturdays, Sundays and holidays
T17
Text plate
T18.1
Plate indicating that unattended vehicle will be towed-away at the expense of the vehicle owner
T18.2
Placement of restrictive measures