The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has released for public discussion large-scale changes to the regulation on the registration of motor vehicles, which introduce strict requirements for fire extinguishers and put an end to endless transit plates, reports "24 hours". The new rules oblige all drivers to switch to certified powder devices and aim to stop the mass abuse of unregistered old cars.
The changes define very precise parameters for the mandatory equipment in vehicles, which was missing until now. For passenger cars, only a powder fire extinguisher with a quantity of extinguishing agent of no less than 1 kilogram is now categorically required. For minibuses and vans, the norm is raised to 2 kilograms, and for trucks over 12 tons - to 3 kilograms. The strictest rules are for heavy-duty TIRs, which must have two separate devices - one of 6 kilograms and an additional one of 2 kilograms.
These devices are still the most widespread on the market, but due to the lack of specifics in the law, water, foam or carbon dioxide devices were widely allowed. The popular cheap spray bottles are also finally declared invalid by the Traffic Police. The regulation also introduces a requirement for the devices to have a valid compliance sticker, which will be certified every year during the annual technical inspection (GTP).
Another key reform concerns the limitation of transit plates, which can now be issued a maximum of three times for the same vehicle. Until now, the lack of such a limit allowed them to be issued indefinitely.
“This proposal eliminates abuses, as it circumvents the need for permanent registration of the vehicle“, the Ministry of Interior stated in the reasons for the project. The practice was widely used with old cars that would have difficulty passing a legal technical inspection.
An ex officio termination of the registration of inherited cars is also introduced if the new owners do not fulfill their obligation to transfer them to their own name. At the same time, the Ministry of Interior is facilitating transactions on the secondary market by completely removing the requirement to enter the engine number in the documents, treating the unit simply as a spare part.
Experts report a serious delay in the regulatory framework, since the legal basis for these changes was adopted back in 2024, but their detailing took two years.
After Bulgaria became a full member of the eurozone in early 2026, the financial sanctions for a missing or malfunctioning fire extinguisher on the road, which varied by law, are now equal to about 25 to 76 euros. For comparison, in neighboring Greece, control is even stricter - there the requirement for passenger cars is a minimum of 2 kilograms of powder extinguisher, and the fine for its absence is fixed at 80 euros.