Telephone numbers in Bulgaria


Telephone numbers in Bulgaria are under an open dialing plan, similar to those of Germany and Austria. Area codes should only be dialed when necessary. Area codes are prefixed with a trunk code of 0 when dialled domestically.
For example, to call a number in Sofia, dial:
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 lines on digital switches have seven-digit numbers, those on analog switches had six; in Plovdiv, Varna and Ruse both are six digits; and in most other province capitals lines on digital switches have six-digit numbers and analog had five.
For a very long time, the state-owned Bulgarian Telecommunications Company had a monopoly on fixed telephone networks. However, this 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 has been 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 2 can be guessed from the context, it is omitted. As of 2012, "old" numbers in Sofia could still be dialed from within the capital without the city code; however, "new" numbers invariably require the 02 city code.

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, all acquired new access codes. On 20 July 2003, Mobiltel used three codes 87, 88, and Globul used two 98 and . When these limits were also to be overwhelmed, seven-digit subscriber numbers and single access codes per operator were introduced, hence M-tel reverted to 088 only, while Globul took the old M-tel code 089 , and the rest were freed up. 799 to .
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. 887 XXX XXX, instead of the correct 88 7XXX XXX. This error remains for new subscriber numbers even for Vivacom. 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. 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.
The number 088 8888 888 was linked to three deaths in the early 2000s, leading M-tel to permanently remove the number from service.

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.
CodeArea or service
17xPaging services
2Sofia
30xSmolyan Province codes
30xxSmolyan Province codes
30xxxSmolyan Province codes
31xPlovdiv Province codes
31xxPlovdiv Province codes
31xxxPlovdiv Province codes
32Plovdiv
33xPlovdiv Province codes
33xxPlovdiv Province codes
34Pazardzhik
35xPazardzhik Province codes
35xx
35xxx
36xKardzhali Province codes
36xxKardzhali Province codes
36xxxKardzhali Province codes
37xHaskovo Province codes
37xxHaskovo Province codes
37xxxHaskovo Province codes
38Haskovo
39xHaskovo Province codes
39xxHaskovo Province codes
41xStara Zagora Province codes
41xxStara Zagora Province codes
41xxxStara Zagora Province codes
42Stara Zagora
430Tetra mobile network
43xStara Zagora Province codes
43xxStara Zagora Province codes
43xxxStara Zagora Province codes
44Silven
45xSliven Province codes
45xxSliven Province codes
46Yambol
47xYambol and Haskovo Provinces codes
47xxYambol and Haskovo Provinces codes
47xxxYambol and Haskovo Provinces codes
48NMT mobile network Mobikom, disused
51xVarna Province codes
51xxVarna Province codes
51xxxVarna Province codes
52Varna
53xShumen Province codes
53xxShumen Province codes
53xxxShumen Province codes
54Shumen
55xBurgas Province codes
55xxBurgas Province codes
55xxxBurgas Province codes
56Burgas
57xDobrich Province codes
57xxDobrich Province codes
57xxxDobrich Province codes
58Dobrich
59xBurgas Province codes
59xxBurgas Province codes
59xxxBurgas Province codes
60xTargovishte Province codes
60xxTargovishte Province codes
60xxxTargovishte Province codes
61xVeliko Tarnovo Province codes
61xxVeliko Tarnovo Province codes
61xxxVeliko Tarnovo Province codes
62Veliko Tarnovo
63xVeliko Tarnovo and Pleven Provinces codes
63xxVeliko Tarnovo and Pleven Provinces codes
63xxxVeliko Tarnovo and Pleven Provinces codes
64Pleven
65xPleven Province codes
65xxPleven Province codes
65xxxPleven Province codes
66Gabrovo
67xGabrovo and Lovech Provinces codes
67xxGabrovo and Lovech Provinces codes
67xxxGabrovo and Lovech Provinces codes
68Lovech
69xLovech Province codes
69xxLovech Province codes
69xxxLovech Province codes
700Local rate numbers
70xKyustendil Province codes
70xxKyustendil Province codes
71xxSofia Province codes
71xxSofia Province codes
72xSofia Province codes
73Blagoevgrad
74xBlagoevgrad Province codes
74xxBlagoevgrad Province codes
75xxxBlagoevgrad Province codes
75xBlagoevgrad and Sofia Provinces codes
75xxBlagoevgrad and Sofia Provinces codes
75xxxBlagoevgrad and Sofia Provinces codes
76Pernik
77xPernik Province codes
77xxPernik Province codes
77xxxPernik Province codes
78Kyustendil
79xxKyustendil Province codes
799NMT mobile network Mobikom, disused, replaced by 048
800Toll free numbers
81xRuse Province codes
81xxRuse Province codes
81xxxRuse Province codes
82Ruse
84Razgrad
86Silistra
87GSM/UMTS mobile network Vivacom *
88GSM/UMTS mobile network MTel
89GSM/UMTS mobile network Telenor *
90xValue added services
91xVratsa Province codes
91xxVratsa Province codes
91xxxVratsa Province codes
92Vratsa
93xVidin Province codes
93xxVidin Province codes
93xxxVidin Province codes
94Vidin
95xMontana Province codes
95xxMontana Province codes
95xxxMontana Province codes
96Montana
97xVratsa and Montana Province codes
97xxVratsa and Montana Province codes
97xxxVratsa and Montana Province codes
98MVNOs on GSM/UMTS mobile network MTel †
999LTE/WiMAX network MAX Telecom †


* Until 2003, the codes 089 and 087 were used by M-Tel
† Until 2003, the codes 098 and 099 were used by Telenor – see [|above].

Short codes