Check a vignette fine in Bulgaria online: how and where (2026)
Check free whether you have a vignette fine by number plate. The official BG TOLL portal, the €35.79 compensatory fee and the 2026 deadlines.
You drove on a motorway and you are not sure whether your vignette (the road-use permit for Bulgaria's paid road network) was valid? The cameras of the toll system read number plates around the clock, and many drivers only find out about a violation when they are stopped at a border check.
The good news: the check is free, takes two minutes and needs only the number plate. Here is how to check online whether you have a fine for a vignette, and what to do if you do.
❓How do I check whether I have a fine for a vignette?
Steps for the online check on the official portal
The official check is free and needs no registration. You do not need a qualified electronic signature (КЕП), a personal identification code (ПИК, the code issued by the National Revenue Agency) or an account, only the number plate of the vehicle.
Checking on check.bgtoll.bg
The official free portal of the National Toll Administration.
Choose the country and enter the number plate
The country of registration (Bulgaria and others) and the exact number plate of the vehicle.
See the result
The system shows the status of the vignette, toll obligations and any recorded violations or electronic penalty notices.
Alternative: at a road check
A violation can also come up during a check by a mobile team, at a fixed gantry or at a border crossing point (ГКПП).
Where else can I check: official versus commercial channels
Many websites come up in a search offering a check. Some of them are commercial platforms that steer you towards a paid service. Here is the difference.
| Channel | Free? | What it shows | Payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| check.bgtoll.bg (official) | Yes | Vignette, toll and violations by number plate | No, check only |
| bgtoll.bg / BG TOLL | Yes | Official information and electronic penalty notices | Yes, officially |
| tollpass.bg / vinetki.bg | Yes (check) | The check plus their own commercial services | Yes, through the platform |
| boleron.bg (aggregator) | Yes | Mainly traffic police fines and insurance | Redirects to services |
The official check on check.bgtoll.bg is free and needs no registration.
Ask Pravko and get an answer with citations from the law.
Compensatory fee or fine: what is the difference
If the toll system catches you without a valid vignette, the law gives you a choice. You can pay a compensatory fee, which is much lower than the full fine and releases you from administrative penal liability.
| Compensatory fee | Fine | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Roads Act (ЗП), Art. 10(2) | Road Traffic Act (ЗДвП), Art. 179(3) |
| Amount (car up to 3.5 t) | €35.79 (about BGN 70) | BGN 300 (€153.39) |
| When it applies | You pay voluntarily on the spot or within the deadline | If you do not pay the compensatory fee |
| Effect | Releases you from administrative penal liability | Administrative penalty |
The compensatory fee is the violator's right under Art. 10(2) of the Roads Act (ЗП).
The fee does not replace the vignette
The compensatory fee covers only the violation. It does not buy an e-vignette and gives you no right to keep driving on the paid network. The vignette must be bought separately so that you are in order from then on.
How much it costs: amounts and deadlines for 2026
For a car up to 3.5 t the compensatory fee is €35.79 (about BGN 70), while the full fine is BGN 300. The difference is significant, so checking and paying on time are worth it.
Car up to 3.5 tonnes
Compensatory fee
≈ BGN 70, Fees Tariff (Тарифа за таксите), Art. 26(1)
€35.79
Full fine, if you do not pay the fee(optional)
= €153.39, ЗДвП, Art. 179(3)
BGN 300
Total
€35.79
Fixed rate €1 = BGN 1.95583. The text of the Road Traffic Act (ЗДвП) is still in leva; the 2026 tariff is in euro.
For vehicles over 3.5 t the compensatory fees are higher and are set by Art. 26(2) of the Tariff (Art. 28 has been repealed). The fines are also heavier.
| Vehicle | Compensatory fee | Fine (ЗДвП) |
|---|---|---|
| Goods vehicle 3.5 to 12 t | €77.21 | BGN 1,800 (driver) / BGN 2,500 (owner) |
| Goods vehicle over 12 t, 2 to 3 axles | €213.72 | BGN 1,800 / BGN 2,500 |
| Goods vehicle over 12 t, 4+ axles | €301.15 | BGN 1,800 / BGN 2,500 |
| Passenger vehicle over 3.5 to 12 t | €29.65 | BGN 1,800 / BGN 2,500 |
| Passenger vehicle over 12 t | €36.81 | BGN 1,800 / BGN 2,500 |
Fines: ЗДвП Art. 179(3а) (driver, BGN 1,800 = €920.33), (3б) (owner, BGN 2,500 = €1,278.23), (3в) (illegible or covered plate, BGN 3,000 = €1,533.88).
14 days
from service of the statement of violation (АУАН) or of the electronic penalty notice
For an electronic penalty notice, cancellation is done with a written application to the chair of the management board of the Road Infrastructure Agency (АПИ). If the driver refuses to pay on the spot, a statement is drawn up and the fee is payable by bank transfer within the 14-day deadline.
Before you pay: important legal traps
Paying means accepting responsibility
By law, paying the compensatory fee means that you accept responsibility for the violation (ЗП, Art. 10(2)). In practice this closes off the possibility of challenging it. The fee is usually not refunded, but BG TOLL allows a refund when an error or correction is proven, so the non-refundability is not unconditional.
A cap of 3 fines a year for one vehicle
The law sets a cap: after three recorded violations for driving without a vignette with the same vehicle within one calendar year, further violations are not treated as administrative violations and no fine is imposed for them. Proceedings started for more than three violations are terminated. The rule applies to cars with a time-based (e-)vignette under Art. 10а(7) and (7а) of the Roads Act (ЗП).
Roads Act (ЗП)
Art. 10(2)
Official Bulgarian text
„… заплати компенсаторна такса … се освобождава от административнонаказателна отговорност“
Road Traffic Act (ЗДвП)
Art. 179(3д)
The cap is in Art. 179(3д) of the Road Traffic Act (ЗДвП), not in the Roads Act. Many sources wrongly cite it as paragraph (3б), which is in fact the BGN 2,500 fine for the owner of a vehicle over 3.5 t.
Official Bulgarian text
„При регистрирани три нарушения в рамките на една календарна година … не се счита за административно нарушение и за него не се налага глоба или имуществена санкция“
What you do NOT see in this check
The check covers only vignettes and tolls
The BG TOLL check shows only violations for vignettes and toll fees. It does not show traffic police (КАТ) fines (speeding, alcohol, compulsory third-party motor insurance), nor parking in a blue zone (those belong to the municipality).
The reason is that different authorities are involved: the National Toll Administration (BG TOLL) for vignettes, the КАТ “Road Police” for road fines and the municipality for parking.
For other kinds of fines, see our separate guides: checking obligations to the traffic police (КАТ), checking speeding fines and the vehicle tax calculator. The guide to the validity of the annual technical inspection is also useful.
Ask Pravko and get an answer with citations from the law.
⚠️ Important
Pravko provides legal information, but it does not replace advice from a lawyer. For important legal matters, consult a licensed lawyer.
