Bulgaria’s upcoming adoption of the euro

• Official adoption date: January 1, 2026.
• Legislative & economic preparedness: Bulgaria has successfully met EU economic criteria and received approval from EU institutions.
• Final political approval: The EU Parliament granted approval on 8 July 2025 for Bulgaria's accession to the Eurozone.
• Fixed exchange rate: The Bulgarian lev (BGN) will be exchanged at 1.95583 BGN per euro (€).
• Seamless transition: Banks, payment systems, and businesses will update their operations to ensure uninterrupted services.
• Pricing display in both currencies: For a period of 12 months following the euro’s introduction, the prices of goods and services in Bulgaria will be displayed in both BGN and EUR.
• Legal tender during transition: For one month after the euro adoption, BGN banknotes and coins will still be accepted as legal tender in Bulgaria, allowing a period of dual circulation for the lev and the euro.
• Currency cash exchange policy: Credit institutions will exchange BGN banknotes and coins for EUR free of charge for the first six months after the euro adoption. Afterwards, banks may apply a service fee for currency exchanges for another six months. Thereafter, only the Bulgarian National Bank will exchange BGN cash into EUR.

• Automatic conversion of BGN accounts: On the day of the euro adoption, your BGN accounts with ING will be automatically converted to EUR accounts, along with the balances. ING will complete this process overnight without changing the IBAN. There will be no charges or modifications to your pricing conditions. No action is required on your part. In case you would like to close the converted EUR account, you may request this free of charge within two months after the date of EUR adoption.
• Changes to payment transactions: Following the introduction of the euro, payment transactions in BGN will be suspended. You will no longer be able to send or receive payments in BGN - all electronic transfers will be processed in EUR.
• Tax and payroll payments: From the official euro adoption date, tax and payroll payments will also be conducted in EUR.

Now that the final adoption date is official, ING will start proactive communication with clients to keep you informed on how the euro adoption will affect your reporting and payments initiation, as well as all the specific products that you are using from ING.

Do you have questions? You can read the frequently asked questions below or contact your customer support team at ING Bank Sofia Branch.