Bulgaria Sets New Business Trip Allowances Ahead of Euro Adoption

Bulgaria plans to adjust daily allowances for business trips ahead of the euro adoption on January 1, 2026. According to a Draft Decree from the Council of Ministers, submitted by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (MLSP), the new rates will be 22 euros per day for trips involving an overnight stay and 11 euros for single-day trips. The draft is now open for public consultation on Strategy.bg until December 4, 2025.

Currently, Article 19 of the Ordinance on Business Trips sets the daily allowance at 40 leva per day for overnight trips, with one-day trips receiving 50 percent of this sum. The Ministry noted that converting these amounts into euros using the official rate would result in a daily allowance of 20.45 euros, creating practical difficulties in paying half of this amount for single-day trips.

To simplify administration and reporting, the Ministry proposes rounding the allowances to 22 euros for overnight trips and 11 euros for single-day trips. The adjustment ensures that employee entitlements remain unaffected by the currency change and avoids the need for calculations in cents.

The new rules are expected to take effect on January 1, 2026, aligning Bulgaria’s business trip regulations with the upcoming euro adoption while maintaining clear and manageable allowances for employees.