Driving in Bulgaria without a vignette: compensatory charge and fines
What happens if you drive in Bulgaria without a valid vignette?
You are offered a compensatory charge of 46.50 euro first. Pay it within 14 days and you are free of administrative penalty; miss that deadline and the record takes effect as a fine of 153.39 euro, which is 300 leva.
The compensatory charge is a way out, not the penalty
For light vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes the compensatory charge is 46.50 euro (Road Infrastructure Agency, checked 1 September 2026). Paying it settles the matter, which is why it deserves more attention than the fine behind it.
A driver who pays within 14 days of the act being drawn up is released from administrative penal liability. The clock is short and it can start without you being stopped, because the notice may follow a camera reading rather than a roadside check.
Pay inside the 14 days by bank transfer as soon as a notice reaches you, rather than waiting to contest it.
Miss the deadline and it becomes a fine of 153.39 euro
A driver who uses the charged road network without paying the vignette fee is punished with a fine of 153.39 euro, the euro value of 300 leva (Road Infrastructure Agency, checked 1 September 2026). That is more than three times the compensatory charge.
Keep the payment reference. The charge and the fine are separate records, and the reference is what shows the first was settled.
A vehicle over 3.5 tonnes faces a much larger fine
Above 3.5 tonnes Bulgaria charges distance travelled rather than a vignette, and the fine for using the network without paying is 920.33 euro, or 1800 leva (Road Infrastructure Agency, checked 1 September 2026). No vignette, ours included, covers a vehicle on that system.
Arrange the distance toll through the Road Infrastructure Agency or a toll service provider before you set off if your vehicle or combination is over the limit.
Cover costs a small fraction of the charge
A 1-day e-vinetka costs a fraction of the 46.50 euro compensatory charge, so an uncovered day is expensive in a way no other part of the trip is. The Bulgarian e-vinetka prices page sets each period against our fee so you can see the gap before you travel.
Buy before you reach the first charged road rather than after, since a notice can be generated from a camera on the day you enter.