It is disappointing that even though Bulgaria has joined the European Union, driving licences from other EU states are not automatically recognised as valid.
It is true that Bulgaria has individual recognition agreements with some EU countries, but the continuing discrepancies in treatment open the way for confusion and, where a foreigner is stopped driving with a licence that continues to be legally not valid, a possible opportunity for corruption. The authorities tell us that they are working on resolving the matter, and it is to be hoped that this is dealt with as soon as possible. It is not as if this is a matter as difficult and complex as a common security policy or a common agricultural policy; it is a matter of bringing into force the appropriate regulations and systems to end needless confusion and bureaucracy. That is, after all, meant to be one of the benefits of the existence of a European Union.
At the same time, resolving this issue should not be limited merely to the matter of mutual recognition of licences among Bulgarian and the countries of the EU. There are a number of other states whose citizens are reasonably well represented in this country, for example the United States. Bulgaria should recognise as valid licences issued in countries such as this. For a foreigner to obtain permanent residence or a work permit is a time-consuming matter, not without expense. Issues such as permanent residence or work permits are a sovereign matter for Bulgaria, and must be under proper control, for the sake of the strategic interests of the country. But where another country runs a proper system of testing candidates for driving licences, why should a licensed driver be required to be tested all over again? It seems a waste of time and money on compulsory lessons, which may be redundant, along with the hours lost to exams and the actual procedures for obtaining a local licence. Bulgaria needs to give serious and urgent consideration to expanding its list of countries with which it has mutual recognition agreements, for the sake of reducing wastes of time and opportunities for corruption.
A foreigner in this country for a long period of time should be required to undergo a driving test only if the foreigner has none at all.
At the same time, Bulgaria must be praised for being so accommodating as to provide the facility to do driving tests in languages other than the official one of this country. As this newspaper reports, driving tests in English may be expected to be available at some point reasonably soon. Depending on demand, tests may be made available in other foreign languages too. It seems that there may indeed be indeed, from candidate drivers that come here to save costs in their own countries. Either way, Bulgaria has done what few countries have done, which is to provide a bit of extra convenience to candidates who cannot cope with tests in this country’s official language.
