Country Code: +359

International Call Prefix: 00

Trunk Prefix

Trunk prefix

A trunk prefix is the number to be dialed in a domestic telephone call, preceding any necessary area codes and subscriber numbers. When the number is called from overseas, the trunk prefix is omitted by the caller. In most countries, such as Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom, the trunk...

: 0
Telephone numbers in Bulgaria are under an open dialing plan, similar to those of Germany and Austria. Area codes should only dialed when necessary. Calling the same area and including an unnecessary area code will cause the call to be billed as if the call was to another area. Area codes are prepended with a trunk code of 0 when dialled domestically.

Fixed-line numbers

Domestic numbers are limited to eight digits in length. Area codes vary in length from one to five digits. Subscriber number lengths vary accordingly, from seven digits down to three digits. Sofia

Sofia

Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...

 lines on digital switches have seven-digit numbers, analog six; in Plovdiv

Plovdiv

Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...

, Varna

Varna

Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...

 and Ruse

Rousse

Ruse is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is situated in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, from the capital Sofia and from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast...

 both are six digits; and in most other province capitals lines on digital switches have six-digit numbers and analog five.

For a very long time, the state-owned Bulgarian Telecommunications Company (BTC) had a monopoly on fixed telephone networks. However, it ended when a special law was adopted. BTC was privatized in 2004 and competing operators appeared.

Larger areas, such as Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas, are subdivided into zones. Although one cannot further reduce the number of dialed digits, the number itself shows which zone it is located in. For example, in Sofia, numbers starting with 2, 82, 92 are located in the Western suburbs, 7, 87, 97 in the Eastern suburbs, and 98 in the central area.

In the recent decade there is an intensive process of replacing the old analog switches with modern digital ones. In areas where both analog and digital switchers are operating, a subscriber number shows by its first digit if it is connected to an analog or a digital switch. In some areas it is even possible to guess if a subscriber number was changed from analog to digital during its existence or was subscribed as digital initially. For example, in Blagoevgrad a number starting with 88 was subscribed as digital, and a number starting with a single 8 was analog before.

The first digit also shows if a particular subscriber number is operated by BTC or another operator.

The area codes are always cited with the trunk code. However, within the area, or when the Sofia code of (0)2 can be guessed from the context, it is omitted.

Mobile numbers

Until 20 July 2003 GSM networks used six-digit subscriber numbers in accordance with the limit of eight digits for the domestic part of a number. With the increase of subscribers (and an international requirement), all (except Vivacom, which started operations in 2006) acquired new access codes. On 20 July 2003, Mobiltel used three codes ((0)87, (0)88, (0)89) and Globul used two ((0)98 and (0)99). When these limits were also to be overwhelmed, seven-digit subscriber numbers and single access codes per operator were introduced. Mobikom had gone through a similar change in mid-90s (from (0)799 to (0)48).

This change provokes an error in citing mobile numbers, quite similar to that of erroneous UK telephone codes. The first digit of the subscriber number is most often cited as part of the access code, e.g. (0)887 XXXXXX, instead of the correct (0)88 7XXXXXX. This error remains for new subscriber numbers and even for Vivacom numbers which have never been six digits long. However, unlike the situation in UK, this error has no effect since a mobile number must always be dialled with the access code.

Dialing to a mobile network requires the access code together with the 0. Dialing from a mobile network requires either an area or access code with the trunk or international format ((0)YY YXXXXXX or +359 YY YXXXXXX). The latter becomes a normal practice, since most people use number lists of their handsets, more people use their phones in roaming and all four operators show the caller ID in international format.

Area codes

As in many countries, an area code is often written with the dialling code 0 prepended as if it were part of the area code itself.

17x Paging services (six digits, not active: 177: Link Paging, 178: Varna Page, 179: Mobipage)
2 Sofia
30x, 30xx and 30xxx Smolyan Province codes (301: Smolyan, 309: Pamporovo)
31x, 31xx and 31xxx Plovdiv Province codes
32 Plovdiv
33x and 33xx Plovdiv Province codes (331: Asenovgrad)
34 Pazardzhik
35x, 35xx and 35xxx Pazardzhik Province codes (350: Peshtera, 359: Velingrad)
36x, 36xx and 36xxx Kardzhali Province codes (361: Kardzhali)
37x, 37xx and 37xxx Haskovo Province codes (373: Harmanli, 379: Svilengrad)
38 Haskovo
39x and 39xx Haskovo Province codes (391: Dimitrovgrad)
41x, 41xx and 41xxx Stara Zagora Province codes (316: Chirpan)
42 Stara Zagora
430 Tetra mobile network
43x, 43xx and 43xxx Stara Zagora Province codes (431: Kazanlak)
44 Silven
45x and 45xx Sliven Province codes (453: Kotel, 457: Nova Zagora)
46 Yambol
47x, 47xx and 47xxx Yambol and Haskovo Provinces codes (470: Topolovgrad, 478: Elhovo)
48 NMT mobile network Mobikom (six digits)
51x, 51xx and 51xxx Varna Province codes (518: Provadiya, 519: Devnya)
52 Varna
53x, 53xx and 53xxx Shumen Province codes (537: Novi Pazar, 538: Veliki Preslav)
54 Shumen
55x, 55xx and 55xxx Burgas Province codes (550: South coast zone 1, 554: Nesebar)
56 Burgas
57x, 57xx and 57xxx Dobrich Province codes (570: Kavarna, 579: Balchik)
58 Dobrich
59x, 59xx and 59xxx Burgas Province codes (590: South coast zone 2, 596: Pomorie)
60x, 60xx and 60xxx Targovishte Province codes (601: Targovishte, 608: Popovo)
61x, 61xx and 61xxx Veliko Tarnovo Province codes (610: Pavlikeni, 618 Gorna Oryahovitza)
62 Veliko Tarnovo
63x, 63xx and 63xxx Veliko Tarnovo and Pleven Provinces codes (631: Svishtov)
64 Pleven
65x, 65xx and 65xxx Pleven Province codes (650: Levski, 658: Belene)
66 Gabrovo
67x, 67xx and 67xxx Gabrovo and Lovech Provinces codes (670: Troyan, 675: Sevlievo)
68 Lovech
69x, 69xx and 69xxx Lovech Province codes (697: Lukovit)
70x and 70xx Kyustendil Province codes (701: Dupnitsa)
71xx and 71xxx Sofia Province codes
72x Sofia Province codes (720: Etropole, 721: Kostinbrod, 722: Samokov)
73 Blagoevgrad
74x, 74xx and 74xxx Blagoevgrad Province codes (745: Petrich, 746: Sandanski, 749: Bansko)
75x, 75xx and 75xxx Blagoevgrad and Sofia Provinces codes (750: Borovets, 751: Gotse Delchev)
76 Pernik
77x, 77xx and 77xxx Pernik Province codes (777: Radomir)
78 Kyustendil
79xx Kyustendil Province codes
800 Toll free numbers (five digits)
81x, 81xx and 81xxx Ruse Province codes (817: Byala)
82 Ruse
83x, 83xx and 83xxx Razgrad Province codes (838: Kubrat)
84 Razgrad
85x, 85xx and 85xxx Silistra Province codes (855: Dulovo, 857: Tutrakan)
86 Silistra
87 GSM/UMTS mobile network Vivacom (seven digits)
88 GSM/UMTS mobile network MTel (seven digits)
89 GSM/UMTS mobile network Globul (seven digits)
900 Value added services (five digits)
91x, 91xx and 91xxx Vratsa Province codes (910: Mezdra, 915: Byala Slatina)
92 Vratsa
93x, 93xx and 93xxx Vidin Province codes (936: Belogradchik, 938: Kula)
94 Vidin
95x, 95xx and 95xxx Montana Province codes (953: Berkovitsa)
96 Montana
97x, 95xx and 95xxx Vratsa Province codes (971: Lom, 973: Kozloduy)
98 MVNOs on GSM/UMTS mobile network MTel (seven digits)
999 MAX Telecom (WiMAX network)

Short codes

112 general emergency call
120 wake up call
121 operator for long-distance calls within Bulgaria
123 operator for international calls
124 operator for international calls
125 operator for international calls
130 phone lines problems
143 emergency road service & road assistance
144 telephone information service
146 emergency road service & road assistance
147 area codes within Bulgaria
148 area codes within Bulgaria
149 area codes within Bulgaria
150 medical emergency
152 BTC local calls rates
153 BTC long-distance within Bulgaria calls rates
154 BTC international calls rates
157 BTC international calls rates
159 cultural events guide
160 fire
164 shipping information (in Bourgas and Varna)
165 traffic police
166 police
167 horoscope
168 National Radio schedule
169 horoscope
170 BTC assistance
171 theater schedule (by city)
172 currency exchange rates
173 tales for kids
174 trains time-table (by city)
175 weather forecast
176 BTC information
177 tales for kids
178 pharmacy information
179 currency exchange rates
180 time service
181 TV programs
182 tramp shipping information (in Bourgas and Varna)
183 ocean shipping information (in Bourgas and Varna)
184 tanker shipping information (in Bourgas and Varna)
185 line shipping information (in Bourgas and Varna)
186 BTC digital services information
187 send a telegram
188 TV programs
190 BTC rates guide
191 cinema schedule (by city)
192 TV programs
193 TV programs
194 TV programs
195 sport news
196 sport lottery results
197 international dialing codes
198 BTC terms of payment
199 automatic telephone information guide