apartment Bulgaria, Bulgarian home, living in Bulgaria
English speakers living in Bulgaria used to be almost cut off from the world. Back then, staying in touch meant an occasional expensive phone call home on a crackling line from the dingy local post office. Not any more. From traditional villas to modern apartments, Bulgarian homes are getting connected to the internet, to cables and to satellites. Even the tried and trusted modes of communciation: post, newspapers, tv and radio have improved dramatically.
Living in a Bulgarian home - landline telephone
If you are buying a new-build or off-plan villa or apartment in Bulgaria, your phone line will probably be installed when you move in. If it is not, or if your Bulgarian home is not newly built, you will need to apply to the Bulgarian telecoms giant, BTC, who have an office in most major towns. You will need to show your residence permit and other ID, usually a passport. Installation takes about one month and costs 25 GBP
The international dialling code for Bulgaria is +359
Living in Bulgaria - mobile phones
If you are visiting Bulgaria, rather than actually living in Bulgaria, you can continue to use your UK mobile by fitting a Bulgarian SIM card but you might need to have your handset unlocked.
Many Brits who are resident in their Bulgaria home prefer to use a Bulgarian mobile. Three companies operate mobile services: Globul, MobilTel and Vivatel. Competition is strong so if you are living in Bulgaria on a permanent basis, shop around.
Living in Bulgaria - public telephone services
Both national and international calls can be made from public telephones and nearly all post offices, using either phone cards or tokens bought from post offices. There are two public phone operators: Betkom and Bulfon. Their phones are blue and orange respectively. Most Brits with a Bulgarian home carry a card for each company.
Living in Bulgaria - postal services
Bulgaria´s postal service is becoming more efficient. However, the delivery of post - especially to a newly built Bulgarian home - remains a bit hit and miss so many expats open a post box in the local post office. This costs about 17 GBP/year.
Properly formatted addresses on envelopes helps delivery reliability; the format is usually displayed in post offices and you should explain it to family and friends when giving them the address of your new villa or apartment in Bulgaria.
Living in Bulgaria - internet access
Most buyers of a newly built villa or apartment in Bulgaria will find a cable internet service has been installed. In other property it may be necessary to arrange installation. The ease and cost of this depends on the location of your new Bulgarian home.
BTC offers a range of residential packages and is gradually rolling out its full offer across the country. Dial-up services are available to almost everyone living in Bulgaria, but broadband provision is still limited to larger population areas. However, some Bulgarian homeowners in villages can get broadband connections through smaller providers at an installation cost of about 500 GBP. Larger providers include Geobiz and EuroIntegra.
For those living in a Bulgarian home without internet access, most major cities have internet cafes. The charge is usually about 0.15GBP for 15 minutes. Bulgarian internet domains end with the code ´bg´.
Living in Bulgaria - the press
Brits with a Bulgarian home are able to keep up to date with world affairs and local news through three English language daily newspapers: Dnevnik, Standart and The Sofia Echo. There are also three online news agencies publishing in English: Bulgarian News Agency BTA, Novinite and Focus
There are at least 130 stations to choose from. Two of the national broadcasters are BNR and Darik Radio.
All Bulgarian homes should be able to pick up Bulgarian National Television´s Kanel 1. Three commercial stations also broadcast -- BTV, Nova TV and 7 DNI - and depending on where you are living in Bulgaria, you may find a regional TV channel. In addition, most newly built villas and apartments in Bulgaria come with cable tv and/or satellite tv.
