UK and Bulgaria
What moves each way, the scams to watch for, and what to check before you trade.
Trade safely with Bulgaria
The scams, documents and rules that matter on this corridor. Written and reviewed by our team, and dated.
Corridor-specific scam patterns and rules are still being reviewed by our team and will appear here once published.
- Confirm the company exists in an official register and that its name matches the one on the invoice.
- Before paying into a new or changed bank account, phone the company on a number you already hold, not one from the invoice or email.
- Test the container number, ship number, ports and dates on the bill of lading with the Document checker.
- Be wary of paying in advance for goods you have not seen, or of fees demanded to release a shipment.
- Ask the carrier directly to confirm the shipment exists and where it is.
In 2025, the UK sold Bulgaria about $466.9 million of goods. The biggest products were bulldozers, graders, levellers, scrapers, ethyl alcohol, undenatured and motor cars and other motor vehicles, which together make up 19% of the total. The total has grown by about 3.1% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, apparatus based on the use of x-rays or of… is growing fastest, at about 342% a year.
In 2025, the UK bought about $1.1 billion of goods from Bulgaria. The biggest products were medicaments, bread, pastry, cakes, biscuits and sunflower seeds, which together make up 19% of the total. The total has been roughly flat since 2022. Among the leading products, bread, pastry, cakes, biscuits is growing fastest, at about 30% a year.
Trade by year
Total trade each year, as reported in the tables below. A missing bar means no report for that year, not zero trade.
View as a table
| Year | UK sells to Bulgaria | UK buys from Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $425.8m | $1.1bn |
| 2023 | $423.9m | $1bn |
| 2024 | $516.2m | $1bn |
| 2025 | $466.9m | $1.1bn |
What UK sells to Bulgaria
Ranked by value in 2025, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldozers, graders, levellers, scrapers, angledozers, mechanical shovels, excavators, shovel loaders, tamping… Product code 8429 · Machinery | $33.3m | 7.1% | +8.3% a year |
| Ethyl alcohol, undenatured (of an alcoholic strength by volume of less than 80% volume, spirits, liqueurs and… Product code 2208 · Beverages and spirits | $28.1m | 6.0% | +0.9% a year |
| Motor cars and other motor vehicles (principally designed for the transport of persons (other than those of he… Product code 8703 · Vehicles | $26.6m | 5.7% | +7.3% a year |
Biggest product groups: Machinery (22%), Vehicles (9%), Optical and medical instruments (7%), Beverages and spirits (7%), Electrical equipment (6%) .
What UK buys from Bulgaria
Ranked by value in 2025, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medicaments ((not goods of heading no. 3002, 3005 or 3006) consisting of mixed or unmixed products for therape… Product code 3004 · Pharmaceuticals | $75.9m | 7.2% | +25.5% a year |
| Bread, pastry, cakes, biscuits, other bakers' wares, whether or not containing cocoa (communion wafers, empty… Product code 1905 · Cereal and baked goods | $72.9m | 6.9% | +29.6% a year |
| Sunflower seeds (whether or not broken) Product code 1206 · Oil seeds and grains | $50.2m | 4.7% | -10.2% a year |
Biggest product groups: Electrical equipment (10%), Pharmaceuticals (7%), Cereal and baked goods (7%), Machinery (7%), Clothing (not knitted) (5%) .
Where the opportunities are
Products that are moving on this corridor. Only products of a meaningful size are listed. Treat these as leads to check, not promises: a fast rise can reverse.
Room to grow
Products that a market buys a lot of, where this corridor supplies only a small part. Shares are for the latest year both sides reported. A small share can also mean a hard market, so check the rules and the buyer first.
A free account shows the complete product lists, every fast-growing and new product, and the markets where this corridor supplies little. Accounts are checked by hand, so use your business email.
Create a free account Sign inHow to read these figures
Value is what was traded in the year, in US dollars. A big number means a big market, not necessarily an easy one to enter.
Share is that product's part of the total in the table above. A product with a large share is what this corridor already trades most of.
Growth is the average yearly change since the first year shown. A green figure means trade in that product is rising.
Product code is the international customs code (HS) for the product group. Your customs agent and the guide below will ask for it, and it decides the duty you pay.
These are totals reported by customs authorities, not prices or orders. Use them to see where demand exists, then check the rules and the company you plan to deal with.
Next steps
Some figures come from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) overseas trade statistics, with pounds converted to US dollars at the Bank of England's monthly average rate. The rest are what each country reported to the UN (Comtrade), in US dollars. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Imports are usually reported including freight and insurance, exports without, so the two sides of a corridor will not match exactly. Company counts are companies listed on ExporterIQ.