Bulgaria
The Bulgarian definition of a producer
Batteries EPR in Bulgaria starts with a registration form that forces a choice most other streams skip. When you file in НИСО, the form splits portable, automotive and industrial batteries into separate categories.
You must declare your compliance route up front.
That means a producer picks between joining a recovery organisation (организация по оползотворяване) or meeting the duty individually with a product fee (продуктова такса) at registration, not later.
The national rulebook is the 2012 ordinance (ПМС 351/2012), in force since 2013. The EU Battery Regulation (2023/1542) applies its EPR chapter directly since 18 August 2025, but alignment of the national ordinance with the regulation has not been confirmed on an official source.
Who carries the battery obligation in Bulgaria
The duty falls on the first business to place a battery on the Bulgarian market. There is no volume threshold.
- You manufacture batteries in Bulgaria and sell them domestically.
- You import batteries or battery-containing devices into Bulgaria.
- You sell batteries into Bulgaria from another EU state, optionally through an authorised representative under ЗУО чл. 14а.
Watch the overlap with electronics too. A battery built into a device also makes you a WEEE electronics producer in Bulgaria, so the two schemes run in parallel.
The compliance route you pick at the door in Bulgaria
Bulgaria makes you choose your compliance model at registration, not afterwards. You either join a recovery organisation and pay its tariff, or declare individual compliance and pay a product fee.
That choice goes onto the registration form itself and determines how you meet the targets going forward.
Where battery producers register
Registration runs through НИСО, maintained by ExEA (ИАОС). You file the registration form (Приложение № 37) electronically with a qualified electronic signature (КЕП) within one month of starting the activity.
- Obtain a qualified electronic signature (КЕП).
- Log in to НИСО and open Приложение № 37.
- Select the battery category (portable, automotive or industrial) and declare your compliance route.
- Submit the form. ExEA publishes your entry in the public register.
The public register data is published on the ИАОС site. A foreign producer established in another EU state may appoint an authorised representative under ЗУО чл. 14а, though this is optional rather than a blanket requirement.
The cost picture in Bulgaria
The fee structure has three layers.
The first is the register itself. НИСО charges no registration fee.
The second is the compliance cost. Join a recovery organisation and pay its tariff, or comply individually and pay the product fee (продуктова такса). No official per-unit amount was grounded on a public source.
The third layer is the EU one. The Battery Regulation requires ecological criteria to be reflected in contributions, which means fee modulation will shape what producers pay.
The money funds the collection and treatment of waste batteries through the recovery organisations or the producer's own compliance system.
After registration comes the reporting
Reporting is annual. You file through НИСО for the preceding calendar year, signed with a КЕП, by 31 March of the following year.
That cadence covers the annual waste report under Наредба № 1/2014. The separate placed-on-market producer reporting may follow a different calendar set by the battery ordinance.
Bulgaria's battery pipeline
Two clocks run at once. The national register and fee are in place today, and the EU Battery Regulation adds the next set of dates.
From 18 February 2027 portable batteries must be removable and replaceable by the user, and EV, LMT and industrial batteries above 2 kWh get a digital battery passport.
The collection targets are dated too: 63 percent for portables by end 2027, 73 percent by end 2030. LMT batteries must hit 51 percent by end 2028 and 61 percent by end 2031.
Enforcement runs through ЗУО administrative sanctions. The wider picture across all streams sits on EPR in Bulgaria.
Frequently asked questions about batteries EPR in Bulgaria
The questions battery sellers ask most about the Bulgarian rules.
What does batteries EPR mean in Bulgaria?
Bulgaria requires every battery producer to register in НИСО and either join a recovery organisation or pay a product fee. The national rules have run since 2013.
The EU Battery Regulation applies its EPR chapter directly since 18 August 2025 but has not changed the national registration process.
Do foreign or online sellers need an authorised representative in Bulgaria?
An authorised representative is available under ЗУО чл. 14а for producers established in another EU state, but it is optional rather than a blanket requirement. Whether a non-EU distance seller must appoint one has not been confirmed.
When are battery reports due in Bulgaria?
The annual НИСО report for the preceding calendar year is due by 31 March. The placed-on-market producer reporting calendar may differ by ordinance.
What changes next for batteries EPR in Bulgaria?
The Battery Regulation adds removability and passport rules from February 2027 and collection targets through 2031. Bulgaria's alignment of the national ordinance with the regulation is pending.
