Bulgaria's transition to the euro is now well into its second half, and for most people the hardest part, finding a place to swap old lev banknotes for euros, just got a little more complicated. As of July 1, 2026, the free exchange window that existed at commercial banks and post offices has officially closed, but the story does not end there.
What Changed on July 1
June 30, 2026 was the last day that both commercial banks and Bulgarian Post offered lev-to-euro exchanges at no charge, according to Varna24. From July 1, Darik News reports that Bulgarian Post introduced a tiered fee structure: exchanging up to 1,000 leva costs 6 euros; amounts between 1,000.01 and 3,000 leva carry a fee of 7.20 euros; between 3,000.01 and 6,000 leva the fee is 8.80 euros; and amounts from 6,000.01 up to 10,000 leva cost 10 euros. That is a meaningful charge for anyone sitting on a modest pile of old notes they forgot to swap earlier.
Western context: Bulgaria adopted the euro on January 1, 2026, replacing the lev at the fixed rate of 1.95583 leva per euro, making it the 21st eurozone member.
The Good News: Some Banks Are Keeping It Free
Not everyone is reaching for the fee schedule. Dnevnik reports that a portion of commercial banks have chosen to continue offering the exchange service free of charge, at least for now. Under Bulgarian law, banks and post offices are required to provide the lev-to-euro exchange service through the end of 2026, but the legislation does not mandate that the service remain free after the initial period, Petel notes. Any institution that does introduce a fee is required to announce it in advance, so customers are not caught off guard at the counter.
The broader picture is encouraging. Google News sources indicate that over 94 percent of Bulgaria's lev cash in circulation had already been converted to euros within the first six months of the transition, a remarkably smooth rollout by any eurozone standard.
