In Bulgaria, the national currency is the Bulgarian lev, denoted as BGN. One Bulgarian lev can be decomposed into 100 stotinki, which are small coins of Bulgaria. In monetary circulation, one can see banknotes in denominations of one, two, five, ten, twenty, fifty and one hundred Bulgarian leva and coins in denominations of one, two, five, ten, twenty and fifty stotinki.
What is depicted on the Bulgarian banknotes?
The front part of the denomination in denomination of one Bulgarian lion is represented by the image of the Bulgarian St. John of Rylsky. The reverse side of this bill demonstrates the Rila Monastery.
On a banknote of two Bulgarian levs on one side is a portrait of the monk and historian Paisius Hilendrasky, and on the other, the coat of arms of Bulgaria.
The banknote of five Bulgarian levs is decorated with a portrait of Ivan Milev, depicted on the front side, and fragments of his paintings on the reverse side.
The front side of the denomination of ten Bulgarian levs shows the image of the astronomer Peter Beron. The flip side of this bill is represented by an illustration of his scientific works and a telescope.
The image of revolutionary Stefan Stambolov is applied to the facade of a twenty-lev bill. On the back of this bill is an image of the building of the National Assembly of Bulgaria and individual parts of bridges.
The bill in denomination of fifty leva has an image on the front side, represented by a portrait of the poet Pencho Slaveykov. Fragments of his poems are presented on the back of this bill.
The public figure Aleko Konstantinov is depicted on a bill with a face value of one hundred leva, in particular, on its facade. The reverse side of this bill depicts his book.
Turning to history, you can find out that the national currency of Bulgaria has been introduced into monetary circulation since 1999.
Bulgarian lev is impossible to fake
Banknotes of the national currency of Bulgaria are well protected from counterfeiting, in particular, there is a watermark represented by the emblem of the country or the abbreviation of the national bank. There is also a protective strip with microtext, which is applied along the edge of the banknote, along its entire length. An additional element of protection is the presence of a polymer strip.
The demand for the currency of Bulgaria
The Bulgarian currency occupies one of the leading positions in terms of exchange rate stability in the foreign exchange market. Earlier, the Bulgarian lev was pegged to the French franc, and then the euro was treated. The Bulgarian lev to the euro is quoted as 1: 1,95583. Banknotes and coins are issued by the Central Bank of Bulgaria.
In Bulgaria there are no quotas for the import and export of foreign currency of other countries, but the import of more than 1,500 US dollars must be declared. The national currency - the Bulgarian lev - is under the ban on import and export.
The main source of replenishment of the budget is the export of raw materials. The average annual inflation rate is about 12.2%. Bulgarian levs are freely convertible, as a result of which they are always in demand around the world.
How is the Bulgarian lev quoted against the ruble?
The Bulgarian lev against the ruble, according to today's average data, in particular, on 08.10.14, is quoted at a ratio of 1: 24.61 when making a purchase and 1: 25.75 when selling.
According to the latest data, it is rather difficult to find exchange offices accepting Russian rubles. If there are any, then exchanging Russian rubles there is very unprofitable.
Mostly tourists take with them euros or US dollars, which are easy to exchange or pay them for certain services and purchases. Along with cash, credit cards of well-known payment systems such as Cirrus or Maestro, JCB or Visa, MasterCard, or American Express can be used. The use of plastic cards in Bulgaria is not as widespread as in Western Europe, but they are still accepted in large hotels, car rental companies, some restaurants and shops in large cities.
Are Bulgarian leva available for purchase?
It is reasonable to wonder where to buy the Bulgarian lion. You can always buy the national currency of Bulgaria at local banks. Even on weekends, most of these facilities are open to operations.
According to many tourists and professional experts, buying a Bulgarian lev at banks is more profitable than at some exchange points. It is possible that such exchangers charge significant fees.
A pleasant surprise is the fact that foreign tourists in Bulgaria are entitled to a VAT refund of 20% in accordance with the "tax free" system if a purchase worth more than 1000 leva was made within one store. A return will be possible upon departure from Bulgaria through the return point at the airport.
How not to stumble on exchange scammers?
Many tourists, pursuing the goal of a more profitable purchase of Bulgarian currency, fall for scammers, usually standing near exchange offices or being their employees, who may provide knowingly false information.
There are three rules that can help a tourist not to lose money during an exchange, namely:
- It is recommended that you carefully study the information board near the exchange office. Carefully look at it from all sides and check for a second, hidden, where the reliable course is indicated.
- Before the exchange procedure, you should ask the exchange office employee to indicate on paper the amount of Bulgarian leva that can be purchased, for example, for $ 100 .
- It is worth remembering that advertising unreasonably high exchange rates is a clear sign of fraud.
To avoid this situation, it’s still worth buying the Bulgarian lev at the branches of the national bank, in addition, the official currency exchange rate is always more profitable than at the hotel. You can learn about the current rate of buying and selling Bulgarian lev in the operating room of each local bank, without delays or other problems. At the same time, employees of such institutions will always advise the client about the availability of favorable conditions for the exchange of Bulgarian currency.