Sir
I WOULD like to do two things in this letter. Firstly, to share with others a warning to be aware of overstaying the (supposed) three month stay with a foreign registered car (in my case a UK-registered vehicle), and also to ask who the hell is running customs at Sofia Airport (and if Crown Agents have anything to do with keeping this ridiculous rule about foreign registered cars).
Last week I was due to celebrate our wedding anniversary in Venice. We had booked tickets to fly from Sofia via Rome. I duly turned up at the airport to go through the process of putting my car in the customs car park - which is obligatory for owners of foreign registered cars who wish to leave the country without the vehicle. I had had some engine trouble the day before and decided to turn up well before the flight to ensure there were no delays.
The process has been designed to ensure it is as confusing and slow as possible, but having been through it several times, I found my way through the unmarked maze at the arrivals lounge, this being the starting point. Opening the appropriate door, I found four customs officers. Two were seated playing backgammon, one was standing watching and the other having a cigarette. He asked me what I wanted. I said I was there to put my car in customs, and having produced all the necessary documents (passport, car ownership, insurance, etc) was told that since the car had been in the country for longer than three months, I could not put the car in customs car park. " But we have a plane to catch this afternoon," I explained. "Tough," was the answer. I pleaded for some compassion, or at least some advice on what to do (was I stuck in Bulgaria for life?). I was told to go across to another building at the airport (i.e. "Go away, we haven't finished playing our game"). Of course, having gone across to the other building, I was sent straight back again to the first door and told to ask for the supervisor, Mr Kunchev. I was told by the backgammon boys that Mr Kunchev was not here, and no one knew when he would be here (which seemed to please them no end). We thus went back again the other building and explained Mr Kunchev's absence, only to be sent back again to the backgammon suite.
Although it was now 12, I was beginning to get a bit concerned when I was advised by these fairly rude customs people that I should either (a) leave the country before flying (i.e. drive to the Serbian border and back in the next four hours), or (b) go to the Central Customs Office in Sofia - a place I have known people to enter and not emerge for days when dealing with car import matters.
I decided to go for Serbia. Jumping in the car with my wife we headed out of the airport car park and sped up the motorway slip road to Tsarigard Shosse 7km. The car proceeded about 300m before making a horrendous noise, spewing black smoke, and looking like it was about to collapse. We pulled over, locked the car, and decided the only option left was the Bermuda Triangle of the Central Customs Office. By this time, neither of us was in holiday mood. So we grabbed a taxi, and off we headed into downtown Sofia at about 1pm, inching our way through traffic. We finally made it to the Central Customs Office. Luckily the young man there was both helpful and friendly and agreed to listen to our tale of woe. He said that the place to sort this out was at the airport, in the very room where the backgammon was being played ! He smiled and wished us luck. By this time we had that familiar " I am in Alice in Wonderland/Bulgaria" as we got back into a taxi and set off through the slow traffic toward Sofia airport.(Did Lewis Carroll ever holiday in the Balkans I wonder? Does the Head of Customs occupy a large Mushroom and smoke confiscated drugs all day ? Do his Monday morning team meetings resemeble a Mad Hatter's Tea Party ? Now it was all making sense.)
So, back to the backgammon tournament. We entered the room and it seemed as if the elusive Mr Kunchev had arrived. After several grunts he simply said. "Ok I'll stamp your passport and you can put your car in customs car park here and fly today".
MY MIND SCREAMED " WHY THE HELL DIDNT ONE OF YOUR MATES SAY THIS FIVE HOURS AGO." But I was too tired, and just wanted out. We dashed up the road, phoned breakdown service, got our car towed into Customs Car Park. But unfortunately it was too late. We had of course missed the flight.
As usual, Jamadvice did an excellent service in rescheduling all our flights for the next day, even getting a refund on the flights we missed. But the fun had gone out of it and the next day we did not travel.
Now I have lived here for seven years and love the place. This is not a Foreigner-bashing-Bulgaria story. I spend most of my time promoting Bulgaria as a place to work, visit and do business. The problem here is with state officials who treat both foreigners and Bulgarians alike with complete disdain and forget they are meant to be providing a public service - and that my small company, which pays taxes, contributes towards their salary. This place needs a bit of Thatcher-style awakening, that the state is the servant of the people, and not the other way round.
This view is not based on this one incident, but on several I have experienced and on even more stories from friends and colleagues. If anything, Bulgarians will tell you that they get even worse treatment from officialdom than foreigners.
Isn't it about time this changed ? One opinion is to sack every customs officer over 35 and place them with young graduates. I am sure they would do a better job and present a better image.

Best Regards

Andy Anderson
Director
Stara Planina Properties