Bulgaria extends New Year public holidays because of transition to euro
Bulgaria’s Cabinet agreed on November 19 that December 31 2025 and January 2 2026 will be public holidays, as a one-off event, Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova said.
This is necessary in connection with the need for technological changes that must be made within the financial and non-financial sectors, related to the introduction of the euro, Petkova said.
This leaves Monday December 29 and Tuesday December 30 as the last two working days of 2025. (Further details of public holidays during the Festive Season period are available at this link.)
January 1 is a statutory public holiday and the Cabinet decision means that the first working day of 2026 will be Monday January 5.
James Jolovski, secretary general of the Association of Banks in Bulgara, told Nova Televizia on November 19 that on the night of December 31 to January 1, there will be a short technological outage at ATMs for about two to three hours.
Jolovski gave an assurance that Bulgaria’s banking system is fully prepared for a smooth transition to the euro, and no preliminary actions are required from the public.
One of the most practical issues concerns the operation of ATMs at the time of the currency changeover.
Jolovski said that Bulgaria is implementing an improved approach compared to Croatia’s experience, as ATMs will be loaded simultaneously with levs and euros, located in separate cassettes.
However, there will be a short technological outage on the night of December 31 to January 1.
“This will take a short period of time, which is about two and a half hours, during which we will actually not be able to use our cards temporarily and we will not be able to use the ATMs,” he said.
After this period, in the early hours of January 1, ATMs will gradually begin to function and dispense only euro banknotes.
The main advice to the public is to remain calm and approach things calmly if they have large amounts of leva. There is no need to rush to exchange or spend the saved leva.
Throughout the month of January 2026, the public will be able to continue to pay with leva banknotes and coins at retail outlets.
For six months after January 1 (until the end of June 2026), commercial banks will exchange all leva banknotes and coins free of charge and without fees at the official fixed exchange rate.
People do not need to take any prior action regarding their bank accounts and cards. The process will be fully automated by the banks.
All leva accounts will be automatically and free of charge converted into euros. There is no need to open a new euro account. If a client already has an account in both leva and euro, after January 1, the client will have two euro accounts, and will have the opportunity to merge them free of charge.
There is no need to apply for new bank cards. Existing ones will continue to function normally.
All bank fees will be recalculated at the fixed rate, and according to the law, rounding will be in favour of the client.
As for whether there is a risk to the financial system, Jolovski said: “Categorically not. Banks have been preparing for this process since 2020-2021. Many tests have been done. The system is fully prepared.”
He said that in the first hours after the transition there may be a load on the system and temporary interruptions, but assured that there are no concerns or risks to stability.
For reliable official information on Bulgaria’s transition to the euro, the Association of Banks in Bulgaria has a Q and A, in English.
The official evroto.bg website has an English-language version, while the European Commission made available on July 8 a Q and A on Bulgaria’s changeover to the euro.
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