From today until the end of February, Eesti Pank will join other central banks of the euro area in exchanging Bulgarian lev banknotes for euros at the central rate with no charge to offer support for Bulgaria as it joins the euro area.

On 1 January 2026 Bulgaria joined the euro area and from that date the euro was adopted in place of the Bulgarian lev at the exchange rate of 1 euro = 1.95583 BGN (Bulgarian levs). Eesti Pank will exchange levs at the central exchange rate and with no service fee in the museum of Eesti Pank during its opening hours. The daily limit per person and per transaction is 2000 Bulgarian levs. Bulgarian coins will not be exchanged in Eesti Pank.

“The central banks of the euro area allow people to exchange the national currencies of new members for euros for two months after the new members join, at no cost and at the central rate. Estonia was given the same sort of support when we joined the euro area and so were Latvia, Lithuania and Croatia. From March it will only be possible to exchange levs at the central rate in Bulgaria”, said Rait Roosve, Head of the Cash and Infrastructure Department at Eesti Pank.

Bulgarian lev banknotes and coins can be exchanged for euros with no charge in Bulgaria at the commercial banks, some post offices, and the Bulgarian central bank. Levs can be exchanged at no cost in commercial banks and certain post offices until 30 June 2026. The commercial banks and post offices will continue to provide the exchange service after that date and until at least 31 December 2026, but there will be a fee for it. The Bulgarian central bank will exchange Bulgarian lev notes and coins for euros without any limit of time and with no charge. It will do this at its head office in Sofia, and in the regional offices of Cash Service Company AD in Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas, Varna and Pleven.

The Bulgarian lev and the euro will circulate in parallel and can both be used for payment for a month until 1 February to smooth the transition, but from 1 February 2026 the euro will be the only legal tender in Bulgaria. For more see the website of the European Central Bank.

Estonian kroon notes and coins can still be exchanged in the Eesti Pank museum. The exchange rate is 1 euro = 15.6466 kroons and there is no charge for the service.

The Eesti Pank Museum is open from Tuesdays to Fridays 12-17 and on Saturdays at 11-16.

Additional information:
Shop of the museum of Eesti Pank: 668 0650
Eesti Pank information line: 668 0719