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The entrance of Bulgaria to an area of euro and the Schengen Agreement has been discussed for a long time. In 2007 the country joined the EU, but did not become a member of the single currency and visa area, so many people, jokingly, call it “half Europe”. 
Some changes were outlined in 2020 when the country joined the exchange rate mechanism; this can be considered as preparation for the transition to a new currency. The fact caused a lot of debates and fears, including among real estate buyers who are worried about whether they should buy an apartment in Bulgaria today or it is better to wait. The specialists of the Apart Estate agency analyzed all aspects of the problem and are ready to answer the question.

The second wave of coronavirus headed Bulgaria at full force. The Government prolonged an emergency epidemiological situation till the 31st of January 2021 and quickly voted for new restrictions. New measures come into effect from 23.30 on the 27th of November and will be valid till the 21st of December 2020. These restrictions will affect all the spheres of life.  From Monday, November 30, all the students will be transferred to online education.

On September 1, Bulgaria presented new rules for visiting the country. Regulations are described in the Health Ministry order # RD-01-488/ 08/31/2020. They will be in effect till 09/30/2020. The present legal act describes in detail, citizens of which states can cross the Bulgarian borders without limitations in terms of pandemic. There are several categories of travelers who do not need to follow quarantine. Neither should they present coronavirus negative examination results. Among these happy people, there are: Persons keeping a permanent or long-term residence permit, or a valid visa D in Bulgaria; itizens and keepers of residence permits of the countries-members of the EU, their families as well as persons in de facto cohabitation. This relates to the Schengen Agreement’s states;

More than half of 2020 has passed by. For the Bulgarian real estate market, the year started with an increase; it promised growth of prices, sales, and more profitable deals. However, the pandemic and the introduction of first a state of emergency, and then an epidemiological emergency clearly demonstrated that plans and forecasts most often have nothing to do with reality. During the first two months of 2020, one could observe a high interest in apartments, houses, and townhouses in Bulgaria. Real estate in the Black sea and downhill ski resorts was in high demand. Most of the buyers were citizens of Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Ukraine, Israel, and Bulgaria. Flats in new buildings and in the secondary market turned out to be in equal demand.

The season 2020 in Bulgaria is not like others. Hotel and restaurant owners, real estate sellers will remember it for a long time. It is summer on the calendar, but there are fewer people on beaches than usual. Troubles are mainly caused with the restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone is keen to know when Bulgaria will open borders for tourists. One should not think that because of coronavirus pandemic, Bulgaria and its opportunities have become inaccessible. 
We would remind that earlier, on June 1, amid a decrease of the incident rate and the adoption of strict measures to ensure health security, the country opened its borders for a number of countries. From this date citizens of 28 EU member countries can visit Bulgarian cities freely without 14-day quarantine. Residents of 8 other European countries were allowed to come but subject to 2 weeks self-isolation. 

These days, the majority of countries announced self-isolation of people and quarantine. This violated the plans of those who planned to acquire property in Bulgaria. The borders are closed institutions work in a remote mode or half a day. The world seems to stay on one place. But there is no need to panic and reject the plans. Probably, quarantine is the best time to buy cheap apartment in Bulgaria.

In the beginning of June the Mayor of Burgas D. Nikolov announced that the local airport cancels and reschedules 150 flights from European countries originally scheduled for July. Such measures are associated with an increase of number of patients with coronavirus in the city. It is still unknown when it will be possible to fly to Burgas from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Israel and other countries. At the moment charter flights from Russia to Sofia are being organized on a regular basis. Charters can be used by people with a temporary or permanent residence permit in Bulgaria. It is announced that the external borders of the EU will be officially open on July 1.

In 2019 15 of 240 Bulgarian beaches received an iconic international Blue Flag.

It is an ecological label awarded to marinas and beaches for special efforts in protecting the environment. The coastline management must meet 32 requirements related to seawater quality, safety, environmental awareness, etc. The award comes from the Foundation for Environmental Education. It is a non-governmental organization with 47 members from Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, Oceania.

Updated:31.03.2022

IMPORTANT! As of April 2022 the ferry Burgas-Istanbul does not run! It is unknown when the ferry service between these cities will be established.

In 2019, the Burgas seaport management introduced a new opportunity to travel from Burgas to Istanbul. The two cities will be connected by sea now. A test trip has been organized for senior authorities and was approved.

The ferry will begin to cruise for one Black Sea coast to another on June 1, 2020. An additional stop is planned in the Turkish city Ignad, known for its amazingly beautiful beaches as long as 33 km.

At the end of the outgoing year there is a tradition for real estate agents to make forecasts for the next 12 months.

The reliable information on changes in prices and demand in 2020 will allow buyers to better plan purchase of an apartment in Bulgaria. The sellers can choose favorable conditions for sale.