My Experience of Bulgaria Never go to Bulgaria

@janemulberry

Spain's numbers weren't available or release.

In Austria, I know of a few cases that people are fighting to stay in the country because they haven't got there correct resistance card.

If someone (British) had committed a crime in Austria, news would have got around. So we are pretty sure these numbers (10) were down to not having the correct documents.

@janemulberry

Yes I heard the same I even saw them on Brit TV wailing, well no one told meee, and shouldn't the government let us know. They did I new a full year before it happened, It's just some people need someone to hold their hands, and can't figure things out for themselves. And if that chart is anything to do with the EU or any other government take it with a big pinch of salt.

@SimCityAT

"Pretty sure" well that's OK then. Sounds like the information the government would use and then call them the gospel truth, hoping no one questions it.

@Mutley

I'm always sceptical about Government statistics  too, but "Pretty sure" is probably good enough in this case. Ten Brits being expelled from Austria for not having done the correct paperwork over a two year period is hardly excessive numbers. I think @SimCityAT is correct that it would have made the news if there were more or if they were expelled for commiting deportable crimes.

Much as some would like it (those wailing on the TV you mentioned!), Brits don't have any special right to live wherever they choose.

Much as some would like it (those wailing on the TV you mentioned!), Brits don't have any special right to live wherever they choose.
   

    -@janemulberry

Unless they're on a Rubber Boat Cruise, with no documents and wanting to exercise their Yuman Right to enhanced economic prospects, of course.

It's funny how Austria (at least for the moment) has room for 150,000 assorted "refugees and asylum seekers"  but only 11,000 people seeking refuge from Brexit - that's probably fewer than are in Bulgaria, if we accept the figure adjusted for those who have "forgotten" to register their presence here...

@gwynj Fantastic reply!!!!! Well done for taking the time 👍👍👍

This is an older thread, but it seems to still get a bit of attention, but the controversial title helps. :-)

I've been here 2 months shy of 7 years, and I'm a Permanent Resident with a 10-year card that's (almost automatically) renewable indefinitely.

Sooooo...

My Experience of Bulgaria: Never LEAVE Bulgaria! :-)

I love this country more than my own (UK), and we have a great life here. I still have residence permits for Cyprus and Spain, but they're of almost zero practical value as I now spend most of my time here.

Bulgaria is much more expensive than it used to be, but EVERY country has experienced significant inflation over the last years. More expensive is NOT the same as expensive. Bulgaria is still the poorest EU country, with one of the lowest minimum wage, one of the lowest income tax rates. And the lowest cost of living, especially in relation to property (property tax, HOA, utility bills).

Please ignore the HATERS that post that Bulgarian properties are worthless junk, and that you can buy property cheaper elsewhere in the EU, and live better there on your income/pension. If you strictly compare like-for-like, it's simply not true.

Even if you're currently a prime physical specimen who hasn't visited your GP for 10 years, the health facilities in Bulgaria are simply (overall) OUTSTANDING!

There are multiple ways to get enrolled in the social security system and make your contributions to NHIF and the public health system. Either as an employee or self-employed, as a pensioner (with an S1), or (as we do) unemployed. The cheapest, unemployed, is a mere 20 euros per month. All get you free or nearly-free access to a GP and all health services at your local public hospital. And an EHIC for when you travel elsewhere in the EU.

In Bulgaria, you also have access to private care. Unlike all (or most) other EU countries, the private hospitals here are not separate (i.e. full price), but affiliated with the public system, and get reimbursed by it for your treatment. Hence, you can get high-quality, VIP treatment, immediately you want it. All for a minimal (private hospital) surcharge.

Bulgaria also has plenty of dentists, and it's easy to find one for your twice-annual check-ups. This too is very inexpensive.

If you have to (or want to) have private insurance, this too is cheaper than elsewhere in the EU. And even cheaper (for obvious reasons), if you're making your regular NHIF contributions, as above.

So far, I've barely NEEDED anything. But I enjoy the luxury of having a great GP (better than my UK ones) who I can see pretty much when I want (the wait time at his surgery is minimal), and who spends as much time as you need (not the 10 minutes appointment time that's standard in the UK). If he wants to check on something he writes a referral, points me at the correct place, and, without exception, it has been dealt with THAT SAME DAY (usually within 30 minutes).

I have a great dentist too (better than my UK ones) who routinely spends whatever time is needed, and doesn't delegate ANYTHING to a lowly hygienist.

Even if you don't NEED anything, the above factors make it easy and inexpensive for you to do sensible annual self-checks (consults/scans/blood tests).

In any case, prevention is always better than cure, and Bulgaria's good for your health. The low cost of living and the plentiful local markets (and garden produce) mean you can eat lots of fresh fruit and veggies, nice local cheeses, fresh fish and good quality meats. The low population and abundant green spaces mean you will always have the chance for some fresh air and daily (dog) walking.

@GuestPoster357

I don't know who you are, but this is absolutely not true! You've probably never traveled? Bulgaria is a culturally beautiful country; there's excellent food, cheese, etc., and certainly not from Aldi! Bulgaria is a very, very cheap country with low wages. The thing with dogs is exactly the same in the Balkan countries, Germany, and Portugal!

What you're writing here is wrong and cheap, with no culture or education!

I would never want to live in England! I'm from Switzerland and wouldn't have any problems here, and I certainly have higher standards than you!

@Trinidad58

You don't have to worry, they are no longer on the website, the post dates back to 20th November 2023 and if you can see from the comments it was explained to her that Bulgaria isn't an expensive country.

Just another Daily Fail-reading troll, I suspect...🙄

@SimCityAT

I needs to Tell the trugh

Unfortunately, there are a lot of cheap people here, and not the most intelligent. They blame the Bulgarians if they can't find work, or if they don't speak the language! They have little money and say it's expensive, which is the biggest joke. And they even write that Bulgarians never smile. They prefer to be serious, and when you get to know them, they smile too, but the stupid, always-and-forever smile of the Americans is horrible and artificial. Bulgaria is a beautiful, culturally interesting country with nice, helpful people. I think all those who constantly complain are in the wrong place! And I've had contact with people here who constantly talk about prices, which is really impossible.

I am happy here!

@Trinidad58

I think his point was, the original poster will not see what you wrote. If someone's name is GuestPoster, that means they are no longer a forum member.

@Trinidad58
I think his point was, the original poster will not see what you wrote. If someone's name is GuestPoster, that means they are no longer a forum member. - @janemulberry

Hey Jane

@Trinidad58 is now banned, they were indeed a troll.

Top moderation!

I don't like the constant tailgating here, seriously......the road is empty and the dude behind is trying to ride the slipstream.

Other than that its all good....

Have you had anyone overtaking with on coming traffic, last second dart in to avoid crash, then 50 metre up road is empty lol

@SimCityAT

A "troll"? How do you figure this?

She seems to be a retiree recently moved to Bulgaria, hence part of the target demographic for this forum, rather than any kind of controversy-seeking "troll". I mean, if you start kicking out harmless pensioners, we're gonna throw out half our board, no? :-)

As a newbie, she made a couple of common rookie errors here. She replied to years-old posts (as we do have lots of people leaving after a short period of activity), not realizing it was pretty much a waste of time (in terms of getting a reply). And she hit reply (hence including your @handle) when she was merely commenting on one of the old posts, not replying to yours. It seems a very obvious and harmless error. Surely you can't be offended by this?

Her English is not perfect either, which perhaps leads to more confusion. Maybe for a Swiss, this was unusual. But I figured she probably spoke French, German and/or Italian natively, so it's not entirely unexpected. And, again, as an expat forum it seems like we should extend some tolerance for the less-than-perfect English of our (many) non-Anglophone members. They can't all have the linguistic skills of Roger Federer.

More generally, as a regular poster here, I'm really curious how this new (relatively) member got banned. What was the offending post? And what published guidelines did it violate to merit a ban (rather than, say, a bit of moderation of the specifically offending post). I've certainly read worse comments that attracted no moderation. It strikes me that this level of petty and inconsistent moderation is no way to promote discussion on a community discussion forum.

@gwynj

The admin banned him, not me.

@SimCityAT

Bliney what the hell did Trinidad do?

Apart from the somewhat idiosyncratic use of English, I'd suggest that "Trinidad/Gabriela" has received a bum rap...Admin's a bit trigger-happy these days! 😎

It wasn't until last year that I found out there was a village dump in our village. Mind you I've not seen it yet and as I don't drive and we don't have a car at the moment I'm not likely to anytime soon. But I must admit I do enjoy living here .

It wasn't until last year that I found out there was a village dump in our village. Mind you I've not seen it yet and as I don't drive and we don't have a car at the moment I'm not likely to anytime soon. But I must admit I do enjoy living here .

The driving in Bulgaria is no worse than the UK. Try driving in Qatar!

@GuestPoster357

You seem to have a lot of anger about bulgaria.why did you go there,I think it's a beautiful country you just couldn't adapt

@steve533

Hello,

Please note that this member is no longer on the website. GuestPosters are deleted accounts.

Regards

Bhavna

In my view, in order to have a meaningful discussion regarding this topic, we must accept that no matter in which country one lives, there will always be positives and negatives. And that of course includes our native countries. There will always be things that we both like and dislike.

Here are my Top 3 things that I like about Bulgaria: spectacular nature; great architecture, both urban and rural; and Bulgarian folk music, dance, and language.

Affordable living and low prices used to be on that list as well, but unfortunately, like everywhere else in the world, prices have risen significantly over the last 5-7 years.

The things that I dislike are: bureaucracy in certain feilds that I find quite difficult to deal with; disregard for the environment, although luckily from a relatively small proportion of the local population; and extremely hot summers, if one does not live close to the seashore.

Would be interesting to compare notes and find out what are your Top 3 Things that you like and dislike.

A very balanced viewpoint! ALL countries have positives and negatives.

I think some people go to Bulgaria with unrealistic expectations, others may not have the adaptability to live in a very different culture.

My top 3 loves about the country would be:

1. friendly welcoming people. Our village is small and rural but a wonderful, peaceful place;

2. open spaces, room to move. I grew up in Australia and I find the UK far too crowded;

3. The traditional culture, music and dancing.

My biggest 3 challenges:

1. Learning the language. That's a personal failing, I have no gift at all for language learning and my accent is terrible;

2. Bureaucracy -- every country has it, but Bulgaria's seems far harder to navigate;

3. Poorly maintained infrastructure causing frequent electricity and water outages.

1. Most EXPENSIVE Country in Europe
Are you having a laugh?

You haven't travelled much.

You need to visit Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway. - @SimCityAT

I will repost this, the OP said it's the most expensive country in Europe. You can respect people's opinions, but they also need to be corrected when they are completely wrong.

National Average: Approximately CHF 1,220,000 (USD 1,380,872) for a single-family home in Switzerland. For that price, you can buy a large hotel in Bulgaria.

A very balanced viewpoint! ALL countries have positives and negatives.
I think some people go to Bulgaria with unrealistic expectations, others may not have the adaptability to live in a very different culture.

My top 3 loves about the country would be:
1. friendly welcoming people. Our village is small and rural but a wonderful, peaceful place;
2. open spaces, room to move. I grew up in Australia and I find the UK far too crowded;
3. The traditional culture, music and dancing.

My biggest 3 challenges:
1. Learning the language. That's a personal failing, I have no gift at all for language learning and my accent is terrible;
2. Bureaucracy -- every country has it, but Bulgaria's seems far harder to navigate;
3. Poorly maintained infrastructure causing frequent electricity and water outages. - @janemulberry

Your "3 loves" could apply to Greece or Romania, which have similar cultural/social characteristics and population densities only marginally higher than Bulgaria's.

The "Challenges" are likewise similar: I'm told that Greek is a "hard" language to learn (it isn't 😎), despite so many words in English ultimately deriving from Greek, and Greek bureaucracy is infinitely more convoluted (and rules and regulations are commonly invented on the spot 😡). The problems in BG when it comes to utilities are mainly down to the monopoly suppliers having no competition waiting in the wings to poach their punters when the juice/water doesn't flow as it's supposed to.  Amazingly, Greece performs better in that respect, but that is because there is no system of regional monopolies there, unlike in BG.  Here the "National Grid" is essentially owned and managed by the government, but the three regional monopolies manage the actual delivery of the electricity to the consumer.  Domestic users get Hobson's Choice when it comes to the supplier, but business customers get reduced tariffs because they are free to choose their supplier and negotiate the price and conditions (eg penalty clauses in case of interruptions).

I love this post .... It great that the first point of the very original message was..... the most expensive country in Europe 🤣🤣