site.btaUPDATED National Revenue Agency Steps Up Euro-Price Checks With 286 Violation Reports

The National Revenue Agency (NRA) filed 286 administrative violation reports and issued 67 penalty decrees worth more than BGN 360,000 for breaches of the Law on the Introduction of the Euro in the Republic of Bulgaria, Operational Activities Department head Vladislav Iliev said in Sofia on Sunday.

He made the statement during a joint inspection by the NRA and the Commission for Consumer Protection (CCP) at a pharmacy in Sofia’s Lyulin district, following a complaint about a price increase for colic drops.

Iliev added that further penalty decrees and additional violation reports were yet to follow, as the figures were still being updated. He said inspectors had carried out more than 4,500 inspections so far, mainly at grocery stores, pharmacies, gyms, paid car parks and other retail establishments. Since the beginning of the year, the NRA has also received more than 2,000 complaints from members of the public.

Regarding the specific inspection, Iliev said the complaint concerns an increase in the price of a particular type of colic drops, from BGN 26 in December to BGN 34.79 currently. The inspection will determine the prices during the different periods, and if the increase is confirmed, the retailer will be required to provide explanations, supporting documents, and an economic justification.

After the documents are submitted, the NRA will conduct an analysis to determine whether any increase is attributable to objective economic factors and whether it is justified. If the increase is deemed unjustified, inspectors will prepare an infringement report and issue a penalty decision.

Iliev stated that, under the Law on the Introduction of the Euro, the vendor has five working days after the inspection to submit the required documents. Fines for a first offence range from BGN 5,000 to BGN 100,000, and for a repeat offence from BGN 10,000 to BGN 200,000.

After Bulgaria introduced the euro on January 1, 2026, the National Revenue Agency (NRA) and the Commission for Consumer Protection intensified nationwide price monitoring and joint inspections to prevent unjustified price increases during the changeover, alongside checks for compliance with mandatory dual pricing and receipt requirements (prices shown first in euros and then in leva).

Vendors suspected of “rounding up” or raising prices are required to submit supporting documents within the statutory deadline and to demonstrate that any increase is based on objective economic factors; non-compliance leads to administrative proceedings and fines.

The Euro Coordination Centre, which provides weekly briefings on enforcement, has reported that early checks found violations in a single-digit share of inspected outlets, with control efforts increasingly directed at consumer-facing services such as hairdressers and paid car parks, where price rounding is more likely.

The lev and the euro circulate in parallel through January 31, after which the euro becomes the sole legal tender.