Bulgaria will become the 21st member of the euro area on 1 January 2026, when it introduces the euro as its official currency. The decision to join the euro and set the exchange rate for the Bulgarian lev was approved by the Council of the European Union on 8 July 2025. After one month of dual circulation, when payments in Bulgaria can be made in levs and euros alike, the lev, the present currency, will be withdrawn from circulation. Euro banknotes and coins will become the sole legal tender on 1 February 2026.
The euro celebrated its 25th birthday last year, having initially been introduced as a virtual currency on 1 January 1999 in 11 EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. They were joined by Greece in 2001. Euro banknotes and coins entered into circulation in these 12 countries the following year.
Slovenia joined the euro area on 1 January 2007, as the first of the ten countries that joined the EU on 1 May 2004. It has since been followed by Malta, Cyprus, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and most recently by Croatia on 1 January 2023. Today the euro is used by 20 EU Member States and more than 347 million people, making it one of the largest European integration projects of all. In addition to economic stability, the euro symbolises the unity and integration of the European market, as it makes it easier to do business, makes prices more transparent, and strengthens the EU’s role in the global economy.
Bulgaria will become the 21st member of the euro area on 1 January 2026, when it introduces the euro as its official currency. Three designs will be used on the national side of its euro coins: (i) the 2-euro features Saint Paisius of Hilendar, a key figure of the Bulgarian national revival and author of Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya (Slavo-Bulgarian History), (ii) the 1-euro depicts Ivan of Rila, the patron saint of Bulgaria and founder of the Rila Monastery, and (iii) the cents feature a relief image of the Madara Horseman, an eighth-century rock carving and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The exchange rate between the two currencies has been set at 1.95583 Bulgarian lev to the euro. In Bulgaria it will be possible to exchange lev banknotes and coins free-of-charge for euros until 30 June 2026 (after that date exchanges can be made at least until 31 December 2026, with commission charged). There is no time limit on making exchanges at the Bulgarian central bank, free-of-charge and without restrictions. More information about the key milestones in Bulgaria joining the euro and the options for exchanging currency can be found on this link.
In line with the ECB’s established practice, Banka Slovenije will exchange lev banknotes commission-free between 1 January and 28 February 2026. It will not be possible to exchange coins or banknotes of older series (issued prior to 1999), which do not have the status of legal tender. The banknotes can be exchanged at the Banka Slovenije counters (the location and opening hours can be found on our website). The maximum sum that any individual can exchange on a single day is 2,000 Bulgarian lev (EUR 1,022.58). After the end of this period, it will no longer be possible to exchange Bulgarian lev at Banka Slovenije. Here it should be noted that as a matter of policy Slovenian banks do not exchange Bulgarian lev for euros.
Anyone who wants to exchange Bulgarian lev for euros from March onwards will be able to do so in Bulgaria, under the conditions set by the Bulgarian National Bank.