Reasons To invest

1.Political and business stability

Bulgaria is a member of the European Union, NATO and WTO

The stability of the currency is supported by the currency board, pegging the Bulgarian lev to the euro at the level of 1.96

2.Low cost of doing business

• Bulgaria has the most favourable tax regime in Europe. Corporate income tax rate is 10%, the lowest in the EU. Personal income tax is 10 %, flat rate. Industries in high-unemployment areas are granted 0% tax rate
• There is a 2-year VAT exemption for imports of equipment for investment projects over €5 million, creating at least 50 jobs
• Depreciation time for computers and new manufacturing equipment is 2 years
• 5% withholding tax on dividends and liquidation quotas (0% for EU tax residents)
• Bulgaria has one of the most competitive costs of labor in Central and Eastern Europe
• Favorable office rents and low cost of utilities. Bulgarian cost of electricity for industrial users is 70% of the European average

3.Strategic location

• Located at the heart of the Balkans, Bulgaria is a strategic logistics hub. Ease of transportation of cargo is provided by
• Five Pan-European corridors ( IV, VII, VII, XI, X), which pass through the country

4.Access to markets

• Due to its location Bulgaria provides direct access to the following key markets:
• European Union – zero tariff market with population of 500 million
• CIS – still not well penetrated market with a high potential
• Turkey – zero tariff market of near 80 million population
• Middle East – a market with high purchasing power
• North African market

5.Human resources

• Work force is well educated, highly skilled and multilingual
• 62.2 % of the total population is in working age (appr. 4.6 million)
• 60 000 students annually graduate from 51 universities
• 98% of the high school students study a foreign language (usually English) and 73% study a second language (mainly German, French, Spanish, Russian)
• 94% of the schools have Internet access

6. Law on corporate income tax levying

• Bulgaria applies the lowest corporate income tax rate in EU – 10% (along with Cyprus).
• 0% in areas with high unemployment* – 35% higher than the country average, when the following conditions are fulfilled:
• the assets are located entirely within the administrative boundaries of the municipality with high unemployment

7. Law on income tax of physical persons

• Personal income tax – 10% flat rate
• Personal Income Tax Act (PITA) applies only to income accruing to resident and non-resident natural persons. The Act regulates the taxation of income accruing to natural persons, including income from activities in a sole-trader capacity. Income from dividends and liquidation shares, accruing to resident and non-resident natural persons, is also taxed according to the procedure established by this Act.

Sector Opportunities

1. Machine Building

• The sector has developed on the basis of an ecosystem of multinational and local firms
• A number of large international companies from the machine building sector have discovered Bulgaria as the best destination for their business in Eastern Europe – SKF, Montupet, IXETIC, Palfinger, Festo, Se Bordnetze, Yazaki, Lufthansa, Grammer, Witte and many others
• Many successful Bulgarian owned companies operate in the sector, offering competitive products worldwide – ZMM Sliven, Arsenal, M+S Hydraulic, Hydraulic Elements and Systems, Podemcrane, Sparky, Litex Motors, Bulyard, Shipyard Rousse, Madara and many others
• The combination of local and multinational companies is creating an unique environment where productivity, ingenuity and  innovation in manufacturing are thriving

2.IT sector in Bulgaria

• One of the few sectors in Bulgaria remained almost unaffected by the economic world crisis
• Generated 2.25% of GDP (2016) with 19 000 employees
• 70% of revenues are generated by export oriented software business (The study is based on data gathered from ~ 3000 companies whose revenues are generated mostly from software-related activities).

3.Business Process Outsourcing

• Stable growth forecasted for the outsourcing industry in Bulgaria
• The differentiation between ITO and BPO is gradually fading because of the growing complexity of the processes and overlapping of activities performed by the company.
• The outsourcing industry is becoming an increasingly important taxpayer.
• The sector is expected to contribute more and more to the national economy in the period 2016-2020

4.Chemistry

• Due to its favorable geographic location, Bulgaria exports chemical products to many markets across five continents.Many investors in the sector highlight the existence of natural raw materials as one of Bulgaria’s biggest advantages. The country has rich reserves and fields of salt, sand, clay, limestone, kaolin, in proximity to existing industrial areas and complexes.
• Bulgaria combines highly qualified professionals in the sector with competitive prices of labor and high relative labor productivity.
• Readily available facilities and huge unrealized/untapped potential in the sector open up vast opportunities for business development.
• The country has well-developed electricity and gas networks.

5.Balneology

Bulgaria provides:

• Excellent geographical, climatic and environmental conditions
• The unique combination of seaside, mountains and mineral water makes Bulgaria a suitable place for health promotion throughout the year
• Long-standing tradition in balneology and spa tourism
• Refurbished world-class medical and rehabilitation centres and hotels
• Highly qualified and experienced healthcare staff
• Relatively low cost of medical services
• Well-developed network of private cosmetic surgery and dental clinics

6. Electrical Engineering and Electronics sector 

• Sector for manufacture of electrical equipment covers about 4.1% of industrial production in the country and contributes about 4.3% of value added in industry. Production from enterprises in the sector is 19.9 billion Leva
• Sector for manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products covers about 1.2% of industrial production in the country and also contributes 2.4% of value added in industry. Production from enterprises in the sector is 0.6 billion Leva

7.Food and Agriculture

• Bulgaria provides an end-to-end solution to developing the Food&Agri sector
• Unique natural conditions for the cultivation of a wide variety of crops, fruits, and vegetables
• 50% of the country’s territory is farming land
• Ecologically clean and fertile soils
• Very high quality of organic products (ban on GMOs)
• Established local producers and a strong tradition in the sector
• Long-standing distribution channels in the former Eastern Bloc

8.Healthcare and Medical Tourism

• Bulgaria is among the countries combining low prices for medical services with experienced medical personnel and has the potential to become a destination of choice for the so-called health tourists.
• An increasing number of Europeans (and persons from non-member countries) are travelling across borders    to receive health treatment, to avoid waiting lists or to seek specialist treatment that may only be available abroad.

9.Logistics

• Bulgaria is ideally located to provide easy access to the markets in Europe, Russia, the CIS countires, Turkey and the Middle East As an EU-member Bulgaria applies favourable tariff and tax regulations
• Bulgaria applies the EU tariff arrangements covering a market of more than half of the world’s population, including EFTA, Russia, Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa
• Bilateral treaties for avoidance of double taxation with 68 countries, including all EU countries, Norway and Switzerland,  Russia and the CIS countries, Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa
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INVESTBULGARIA AGENCY

Tel.: ( +359 2 ) 985-5500

Fax: ( +359 2 ) 980-1320

E-mail: iba@investbg.government.bg