Today is the last day in which the lev is the official means of payment in Bulgaria. The one-month period in which the euro and the lev are in circulation together expires at midnight and from tomorrow the official means of payment in our country remains the single European currency.
Until the end of June, commercial banks and some post offices are obliged to exchange levs for euros free of charge, and for larger quantities of coins, bank customers can be directed to certain branches with sorting equipment. The BNB will exchange levs for euros free of charge and indefinitely, and until the first days of March this is also possible in all other central banks of the eurozone.
As of January 30, leva banknotes and coins in circulation amounted to 7.7 billion leva, the BNB announced. This means that 75% of the cash in circulation in leva was withdrawn compared to the beginning of 2025. The trend coincides with that of most countries that have adopted the euro.
Bulgaria is now the 21st member of the eurozone, and on February 5 is the first meeting of the European Central Bank, in which Bulgarian Governor Dimitar Radev will participate as a full member.