No. Uber does not currently operate in Bulgaria. The normal Uber app will not find a ride in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, or elsewhere in the country.
UberX operated in Sofia until 2015, when Uber suspended it after a Bulgarian competition ruling.
| Question | Current answer |
|---|---|
| Is Uber available? | No |
| Does an international Uber account help? | No, not for a Bulgarian ride |
| What was restricted? | The former UberX model offered in Bulgaria in 2015 |
| Best Sofia replacement | Yellow |
| Useful second app | TaxiMe |
| Sofia Airport arrival | Yellow offices and the official taxi process at both terminals |
Status checked on 25 August 2026.
Is Uber available in any Bulgarian city?
No current Uber market is documented. Bulgaria is absent from Uber's live country and city directory, while the 2015 suspension remains the company's last Bulgaria-specific ride-service notice.
That means there is no hidden Uber service in Sofia and no airport-only product. A working Uber account from another country does not change that.
Use a local taxi app instead. In Sofia, the car dispatched by the local options below is a taxi rather than a private UberX-style vehicle.
Do not plan around Bolt passenger cars either. Bolt's current Sofia page lists food delivery, scooters and e-bikes as its available local services, but no passenger-ride category.
Is Uber banned or restricted in Bulgaria?
The accurate answer is narrower than a blanket claim that every Uber-style app is illegal.
On 30 June 2015, Bulgaria's Commission for Protection of Competition issued Decision 540. It found violations by Uber and Rasier and ordered the offering of UberX in the form described in the decision to stop. A three-judge panel of Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court later rejected the companies' appeals, focusing on the unfair advantage over operators providing licensed taxi transport.
Uber then suspended UberX in Sofia on 6 October 2015. Those sources establish why that service stopped. They do not prove that Bulgaria permanently forbids every possible taxi-booking product bearing the Uber name. The current user-facing fact is that Uber has not returned under a licensed local model.
Can I use Uber at Sofia Airport?
No. There is no Uber pickup at Sofia Airport.
The clearest arrival option is Yellow, the airport's contracted taxi partner. Sofia Airport's current transport page directs passengers to Yellow's main taxi ranks or its arrivals offices in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Use the desk or the signed airport taxi process, then verify the company and car before leaving.
Do not accept a ride from someone soliciting inside the terminal. If you order through an app, match the vehicle and registration shown on screen. Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026, so keep a small amount of euro cash as a fallback even when you intend to pay by card.
What should I use instead of Uber?
- Yellow: The first app to install for Sofia and the official airport partner. Yellow's current app terms support a registered card, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and cash. An in-car card terminal can be unavailable or faulty, so select in-app payment or carry cash.
- TaxiMe: A Sofia taxi app for a second quote or when Yellow has no car. Its current passenger policy confirms taxi booking and both cash and in-app card payment.
- A known licensed dispatcher: Useful outside Sofia, for a scheduled departure, or when neither app confirms a car. Ask your accommodation or venue to call an established company.
Do not assume an app request is booked until a driver accepts. For a flight, leave enough time to switch to the official airport taxi channel or a prearranged transfer.
Bottom line
Uber is not available in Bulgaria. The 2015 decision stopped the former UberX implementation, and no current Uber ride service has replaced it. In Sofia, use Yellow first, TaxiMe as a second app, and the official Yellow airport desks after landing. Bento's Bulgaria ride-hailing guide covers the wider city-specific taxi options.