How to Get a Category CE Driving Licence in Bulgaria

A CE application in Bulgaria requires a medical certificate, a course, and two exams, plus three conditions for people trained elsewhere: documentary proof that you completed at least the first stage of secondary education, a psychological fitness certificate from a licensed laboratory, and a first aid certificate. Most CE candidates met them when they took category C, but an unrecognised school certificate or a doubtful psychological assessment can still stop an application at the last counter.

The licence document is the свидетелство за управление на моторно превозно средство, shortened to СУМПС and known in everyday speech as the шофьорска книжка. The heavy combination category is written CE, or with Cyrillic letters as СЕ, and the Bulgarian phrase you will see on school websites is категория CE.

A school trains you, ИААА examines you, the traffic police issue the card

Responsibility is split three ways. Providers deliver training under Ordinance No. 37 on driver training. There is no private-candidate route: the school registers you for the state exams, so you cannot simply book a CE test yourself.

The exams belong to the Executive Agency “Automobile Administration” (Изпълнителна агенция „Автомобилна администрация“), usually written as ИААА and presented in English as the Road Transport Administration. Its examiners conduct both the theory and practical tests under Ordinance No. 38 on driving licence examinations. The same agency oversees professional driver qualification and issues the card that carries Code 95.

The Ministry of Interior (МВР) issues the licence card. Applications go to the traffic police units within the Sofia Metropolitan Directorate of the Interior and the regional directorates of the interior. The rules are national, so only the office changes by region. For questions about exam dates and pass rules, contact your school or the regional ИААА office; for questions about the card, the state fee, and residence, contact the traffic police.

CE extends category C, so the route always runs through C.

Bulgaria uses the harmonised European categories. Category C covers goods vehicles with a maximum authorised mass (MAM) over 3,500 kg, designed to carry no more than eight passengers besides the driver, towing a trailer of up to 750 kg. CE is that same towing vehicle coupled to a trailer or semi-trailer with a MAM above 750 kg. This includes articulated lorries, where a tractor unit pulls a semi-trailer; drawbar combinations, where a rigid lorry pulls a separate trailer; and tankers, refrigerated trailers, car transporters, tippers, and low-loaders, provided the vehicles fall within the category definitions.

The smaller categories sit below it. C1 covers medium goods vehicles between 3,500 kg and 7,500 kg MAM, and C1E adds a heavier trailer to a C1 vehicle within that category’s combination limit. CE says nothing about buses or coaches, which need the D categories.

CE has no upper MAM limit for the combination, but that does not mean any weight is allowed. The licence defines which types of vehicle you may drive; what a combination may actually carry is set by road weight limits, axle loads, dimension rules, abnormal-load permits and the vehicle’s registration documents. Restriction codes printed on your card can also narrow what you can carry, so read the card rather than assume.

Ordinance No. 38 requires CE candidates to hold category C. CE is therefore an extension, and the realistic sequence is B, then C, then CE. Many schools run the C and CE courses back-to-back.

The one-year waiting period that some schools mention

Some Bulgarian driving schools, including Volan.bg, state that you must have held category C for a year before starting CE. We could not find that condition in the official texts we reviewed: Ordinance No. 38 requires you to hold C but sets no waiting period. We could not open the Road Traffic Act itself, so we cannot rule it out. If a school tells you to wait, ask it to name the legal provision before you accept the delay.

Why the minimum age depends on the qualification course you take

The standard minimum age for categories C and CE in Bulgaria is 21. That figure appears in the Road Traffic Act’s age provisions as reproduced by schools such as Autoshkola Bratoev and Borisov, and in the EU’s PRADO description of the Bulgarian licence model.

A lower age is tied to professional qualification rather than to the licence alone. Ordinance No. 41 on professional driver qualification sets out age and course combinations for drivers of C and CE vehicles: 18 for someone who has completed the full initial qualification of at least 280 hours, and 21 for someone who has taken the accelerated initial qualification of at least 140 hours.

This gets awkward in how schools describe it. Autoshkola Vasilevi says category C is possible from 18 with the professional document but CE only from 21, while another school advertises CE from 18. The sources available to us do not settle which reading is right. Anyone under 21 who intends to use the lower-age route should get the school and the regional ИААА office to confirm, before enrolling, exactly which course and certificate will be accepted for CE.

Ordinance No. 37 allows training to begin up to three months before you reach the required age, so a course can be under way before you are old enough, although the category itself cannot be issued until you meet the age.

The certificates Bulgaria wants before you sit in the cab

The Ministry of Interior’s page on the initial issue of a driving licence lists the conditions for every category. Besides passing the exams, you must usually be a resident of Bulgaria, hold no valid licence from another EU member state, meet the education threshold, be physically fit, have a first aid certificate, and have no unpaid Road Traffic Act fines. For CE, the category C requirement, the age rules, and a psychological fitness certificate come first.

Proof of schooling

An education threshold for a driving licence is unusual in Europe. The ministry asks for a copy of a document showing completion of at least the first stage of secondary education. Refugeelight.bg, an information service for refugees, describes this in practical terms as the tenth grade, and explains that the Regional Department of Education must recognise a school certificate from abroad for your address. A school cannot put you forward for the exams without it, so start recognition before paying for a course.

The medical card and its specialist examinations

Every applicant needs a physical fitness assessment card (карта за оценка на физическата годност). For lighter categories, a general practitioner can issue it. For C1, C, D1, D, and T, the ministry’s guidance on replacing a driving licence explains that the assessment includes compulsory examinations by specialist doctors covering vision, hearing, the nervous system, internal organs, and orthopaedic condition. The card can also come from the transport medical expert committees, known as ТОЛЕК, and the central committee. Ordinance No. 37 requires you to attach the medical card when you enrol with a training provider, so specialist appointments come first.

Psychological fitness, and an unsettled question about how long it lasts

Candidates for categories C, D, C1 and D1 must pass a psychological assessment under Ordinance No. 36 on psychological fitness. Licensed psychological laboratories carry it out, with further examination by ИААА where the case requires it. Since CE builds on C, most candidates went through this when they took C, and the school will check that their certificate is still valid.

That word “valid” is where the official material is untidy. The published text of Ordinance No. 36 gives the certificate a three-year validity. The Ministry of Transport later announced that the psychological fitness certificate for public transport drivers became open-ended, to be cancelled and reissued only in specified cases, such as losing all penalty points, certain suspensions, or alcohol-related bans. The announcement concerns public transport drivers; it does not spell out how it applies to someone who holds a C and is now applying for a CE. Ask the laboratory or school before enrolment whether they will accept an older certificate.

First aid

A first aid course is a condition of holding any Bulgarian licence. Refugeelight.bg notes that the Bulgarian Red Cross issues the certificate once the course is completed. Drivers with a CE add-on usually get it with their first licence and only need a copy for the file.

Usual residence is a licensing test, not an immigration status.

A Bulgarian licence is issued to people whose usual residence is in Bulgaria. Refugeelight.bg summarises the test as having lived in the country for more than 185 days in the last 12 months. When you apply, you sign a declaration covering your residence and your licensing status. If a representative submits it for you, the ministry asks for the signature on that declaration to be notarised.

This is a licensing concept only. A residence permit does not, by itself, entitle anyone to a CE licence, and a CE licence gives no right to work, no visa, no work permit, and no job. Those come through separate immigration and employment procedures handled by other authorities.

Choosing a school: the curriculum sets the hours, the school sets the price.

Ordinance No. 37 does not print a minimum number of CE hours in its main text; it refers to approved curricula instead. What schools publish is broadly consistent. Autoshkola Vasilevi in Sofia lists 16 practical driving hours in urban conditions and on a training ground, and Volan.bg describes 7 theory hours plus 16 practical hours on a training ground and in heavy city traffic. These reflect one school’s structure and another’s, not national figures.

The theory element concentrates on trailers and coupling. Practical lessons usually cover pre-trip checks of the tractor, trailer, lights, tyres, brakes and load security; coupling and uncoupling a semi-trailer or drawbar trailer; reversing and manoeuvring on a closed training ground; and driving in town, on roads outside built-up areas and, where available, on motorways.

When comparing providers, ask whether the school is authorised for C and CE and whether it trains on an articulated unit, a drawbar combination or both; how many hours the price includes and what an extra lesson costs; whether exam charges and retakes are included; whether it also runs the professional qualification courses; and which languages it teaches in.

Two ИААА exams, with a one-year clock between them

Theory

The theory test is taken on a computer under ИААА supervision. The agency’s exam methodology describes a 15-question CE paper. It groups the topics into types of towing vehicles and trailers, coupling systems and safety devices, daily checks and maintenance, and safety rules. ИААА publishes exam information for drivers, including access to the official question bank.

The pass standard is described in two ways. Autoshkola Vasilevi gives a 30-minute limit and a maximum of 4 penalty points, while the methodology expresses the threshold as a points score. The two do not line up exactly. Ask your school which rule the exam software applies on the day.

Passing theory starts a clock. Under Ordinance No. 38, if more than one year passes after passing the theory without passing the practical exam, you must retake the theory.

Practical

An ИААА examiner conducts the practical test. Ordinance No. 38 places it on a training ground and on public roads, and for the heavy categories, CE included, it also covers driving outside built-up areas. Vehicle checks, coupling, and manoeuvres are assessed along with the on-road drive, so a rushed walk-round check counts against you, as do mistakes on the road.

Failure has a specific consequence in Bulgaria. Ordinance No. 38 requires additional training hours with your school before you take the exam. A failed practical therefore costs extra lessons and a new exam charge, which is why a school’s retake terms matter as much as its headline price.

Language

The official exam rules assume exams are held in Bulgarian. Refugeelight.bg states that exams are available in Bulgarian and English, but we did not find that confirmed on an ИААА page. A candidate who needs the CE theory in English should get the school and the regional ИААА office to confirm it is offered at the relevant exam location, and should not assume an interpreter will be allowed.

Getting CE onto the card at the traffic police

After passing both exams, apply to the Ministry of Interior for a new card showing CE. The ministry’s list of documents for issuing a licence is:

1. a valid identity card or passport;
2. the physical fitness assessment card;
3. a copy of the first aid course certificate;
4. the declaration on residence and licensing status;
5. a copy of the education document showing at least first-stage secondary education;
6. proof of payment of the state fee;
7. a notarised power of attorney if a representative applies on your behalf.

Originals must be shown for checking. Because CE is being added to an existing licence, bring the current card too; the school provides the evidence that you passed the exams. The ministry states a processing time of up to 30 days for the standard service and up to 10 days for the express service.

Fees in transition: leva on official pages, euro at the counter

The ministry charges a state fee by age band: a standard fee for applicants under 58, a reduced fee from 58 to 70, no fee over 70, and a reduced fee for people with a permanent disability of 50 per cent or more. The control coupon is charged separately, and the express service costs double. The complication is currency. Theministry’ss English service page still shows the amounts in Bulgarian leva. At the same time, Bulgaria now uses the euro, and the private legal information site Pravko.bg reports that the fees are now set in euros, giving €14 for the standard service for applicants under 58. We have not quoted the leva figures, which appear outdated.

ИААА charges separately for exams under the fee tariff that applies to the agency. Its exam page lists figures in leva for practical exams in the heavy categories, but the page appears to be an archive, so your school can confirm the current charge.

Training is priced commercially and varies by city, vehicle, school and what the package includes. Autoshkola Vasilevi in Sofia lists €1,000 for its CE course, with exam charges of €70 per exam on top. Volan.bg advertises a promotional €850 for a C, CE or D course in Sofia, again with exam fees charged separately. Neither is a national average. A realistic budget adds the medical and psychological assessments, the state fee and a margin for a practical retake.

Code 95 is a second qualification from a different agency.

A CE licence allows you to drive the vehicle. Driving it commercially to carry goods also requires the professional qualification set by the EU Driver CPC Directive, which Bulgaria implements through Ordinance No. 41. Certain non-commercial and special uses are exempt, so anyone whose driving is not ordinary haulage should check whether an exemption covers them.

Initial qualification: 280 or 140 hours

Ordinance No. 41 offers two routes. The full initial qualification runs to at least 280 hours, including at least 20 hours of individual driving, and is the one linked to the lower age of 18 for C and CE. The accelerated initial qualification requires at least 140 hours, including at least 10 hours of individual driving, and is linked to age 21.

You must attend at least 85 per cent of a module before you may sit its exam. The ordinance describes the theory exam as 60 multiple-choice questions and 20 open questions in 120 minutes, followed by case studies:s, two scenarios with at least four questions each, in a further 120 minutes. To pass, you need more than 50 correct multiple-choice answers, at least 15 correct open answers, and at least 660 per cent in these studies.

The card, the five-year cycle and periodic training

The qualification is recorded on a driver qualification card (карта за квалификация на водача) issued by ИААА and showing the EU code 95. The card is valid for five years. To keep it, a driver completes 35 hours of periodic training every five years, with at least five hours of practical driving and road safety as a mandatory theme. The training provider Rulan publishes example prices of €300 for its accelerated initial qualification course and €150 for periodic training, noting that these are VAT-exempt supplies; other centres set their own prices.

One point we could not resolve: Rulan’s page mentions submitting a certificate to the traffic police, which could mean code 95 is also entered on the licence card in some cases. Ordinance No. 41 describes the ИААА card, and this article follows that version.

Drivers who obtained C or CE before the Driver CPC rules first applied may hold acquired rights that exempt them from initial qualification. They are not exempt from periodic training, and ИААА can confirm their status.

Two documents, two renewal dates

The licence and the qualification card expire on separate cycles. They are renewed by separate bodies: the CE entitlement through the Ministry of Interior, the qualification card through ИААА after periodic training. Both run for five years but need not start on the same day, and a lapse in either ends your right to drive a lorry commercially even if the other is current.

Exchanging a foreign licence through the Interior Ministry

EU, EEA and Swiss licences

Bulgaria recognises licences issued by EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. A holder who becomes resident can exchange the licence through the ministry’s foreign licence exchange service and does not need to provide an education certificate or a psychological fitness certificate. Recognition covers the licence categories; it does not settle the professional qualification. A driver with code 95 from another member state should check with ИААА how it is recorded and when it expires before working in Bulgaria.

Licences from outside the EU

For non-EU licences, the ministry exchanges those from states that are party to the Convention on Road Traffic and whose licences meet the requirements of its Annex 6, and from states with a bilateral agreement with Bulgaria on mutual recognition. Here the extra Bulgarian conditions return: to exchange C1, C, D1, D or T, a non-EU holder must provide a psychological fitness certificate, and non-EU holders also need an education certificate. The exchange is open only to people resident in Bulgaria, and suspended, withdrawn, or restricted licences are refused. Each case is checked individually, so a foreign CE does not automatically become a Bulgarian one.

How long a new resident may keep driving on a non-EU licence is less clear. Angloinfo, an expatriate information site, says one year, after which the licence must be exchanged or the Bulgarian tests taken, and that a legalised Bulgarian translation or an International Driving Permit must accompany the foreign licence. We could not confirm the one year on an official page. The permit itself is only a companion to a national licence; it is not a licence and adds no categories.

Renewal every five years, with a fresh medical

A standard Bulgarian licence lasts ten years, but the ministry states that categories C, D, E and T are valid for five years, and a medical condition can shorten the period further. Each renewal requires a new physical fitness assessment, including specialist examinations for heavy categories, and Pravko.bg notes that a psychological fitness certificate is also required when renewing C and D categories. Renewal is a Ministry of Interior matter and does not affect the driver qualification card, which follows its own cycle through ИААА.

What the CE entry on the card does not cover

Three further requirements come up in CE work, and none are part of the licence. A driver card is needed for vehicles fitted with a digital or smart tachograph; it records driving and rest time and is applied for separately. Carrying dangerous goods requires an ADR certificate, obtained through its own training and examination, which is why tanker and chemical work normally requires ADR on top of CE and code 95. EU rules on driving time, breaks and rest apply to most goods vehicles over 3,500 kg and are enforced through roadside checks and tachograph data. We did not verify which Bulgarian bodies issue driver cards and ADR certificates.

A new EU directive has been adopted but is not yet Bulgarian law.

A newly adopted Directive on driving licences will replace the current EU Driving Licence Directive. The European Parliament Research Service summary gives member states about three years to transpose it, with the new rules applying a year after that. Changes include a minimum age of 18 for lorry categories linked to professional qualification, an option for member states to allow accompanied lorry driving from 17 on their own territory, a five-year renewal for lorry and bus categories, and a digital EU driving licence.

Bulgaria already links a lower age to the full qualification course and renews heavy categories every five years. We found no evidence that Bulgaria had transposed the directive when this was written, so the Road Traffic Act and the ordinances described above remain the rules that apply.

An order of work that avoids the usual delays

Most hold-ups come from paperwork a school needs before it will enrol you, so the order matters:

1. Check that your category C card is current and that you have no unpaid Road Traffic Act fines.
2. If you completed school abroad, start recognition with the Regional Department of Education for your address.
3. Book the specialist medical examinations for the physical fitness assessment card.
4. Confirm that your psychological fitness certificate will be accepted.
5. Choose an authorised school and get its price and retake terms in writing.
6. Decide between the full and accelerated initial qualification.
7. Pass the theory and then the practical within a year, and apply to the traffic police with the documents listed above.

Some points in this article rest on secondary sources because the primary text was not available to us. We could not read the Road Traffic Act directly, and the CE theory pass rule, the English-language exam option, the validity of the psychological certificate, the one-year C requirement and current euro fees are not confirmed on official pages. For exams and Code 95, the regional ИААА office has the final word; for the licence, fee, and residence, the traffic police unit of your regional directorate of the interior has the final word.

Drivers with both the CE entry and the qualification card can register in the FastDriver.eu driver section and browse current lorry driver vacancies. The site is a job portal that connects drivers with employers; it issues no licences, approves no qualifications and cannot provide a job, visa or work permit.

Official sources

• Ministry of Interior: initial issue of a driving licence
• Ministry of Interior: replacing a driving licence
• Ministry of Interior: exchanging a foreign licence
• Executive Agency “Automobile Administration”: driver exams
• Ordinance No. 37 on driver training
• Ordinance No. 38 on driving licence examinations
• Ordinance No. 41 on professional driver qualification
• Ordinance No. 36 on psychological fitness
• EUR-Lex: the new EU Directive on driving licences