Bulgaria country code +359 — call Bulgaria & get a number.
Bulgaria stepped into the eurozone on 1 January 2026, and a freshly minted EU member is a market worth reaching cleanly. Here's how to dial +359 the right way from the US, UK or anywhere in Europe — the trunk 0 you keep at home, the mobile prefixes, live time and weather, and the path to your own Bulgaria virtual number with MCM.
- 17,500+ Businesses
- 99.99% Uptime SLA
- 190+ Countries
- 4.8/5 on G2
Bulgaria at a glance
The numbers and facts you need before you dial.
What is the country code for Bulgaria?
Bulgaria's country code is +359. It goes in right after your exit code to reach any Bulgarian line from abroad. The one habit to unlearn: inside the country, numbers wear a leading trunk 0 — Sofia is 02, a mobile is 088 — but that 0 is strictly a domestic signpost. Calling internationally, you peel it off and dial +359 followed by whatever's left.
In E.164 international format a Bulgarian number is written +359 X XXX XXXX (landline) or +359 8X XXX XXXX (mobile). The "+" stands for your local international access code.
All four mean the same thing — they connect your call to Bulgaria.
How to call Bulgaria from anywhere
The sequence is exit code, then 359, then the national number with its leading 0 removed. Remember the 0 belongs to domestic dialing only — once you're crossing a border, +359 takes its place.
Full example: +359 02 XXX XXXX — drop the local leading 0 when calling from abroad.
Bulgaria phone number format explained
Bulgarian numbering bundles a trunk 0 (domestic only) with area codes that stretch from one digit up to three. Big cities get the short codes; smaller towns get longer ones. Mobiles run to nine national digits and open with an 8 or 9 group.
Landline
Domestically it's 0 + area code + subscriber, like 02 123 4567 in Sofia. Abroad that becomes +359 2 123 4567 with the 0 gone. Plovdiv shows the pattern for smaller cities — a longer 032 code.
Mobile
Nine digits, written 08X XXX XXXX at home (e.g., 088 123 4567). Internationally the 0 drops to give +359 88 123 4567. The active mobile groups are 87, 88 and 89 (with some 98/99 ranges).
Bulgaria area codes — major cities
Drop the local leading 0 when calling from abroad.
| City | Region | Area code |
|---|---|---|
| Sofia | Sofia-City | 02 |
| Plovdiv | Plovdiv | 032 |
| Varna | Varna | 052 |
| Burgas | Burgas | 056 |
| Ruse | Ruse | 082 |
| Stara Zagora | Stara Zagora | 042 |
| Pleven | Pleven | 064 |
| Sliven | Sliven | 044 |
| Dobrich | Dobrich | 058 |
| Shumen | Shumen | 054 |
| Pernik | Pernik | 076 |
| Veliko Tarnovo | Veliko Tarnovo | 062 |
Bulgaria mobile network prefixes
The prefix after +359 tells you which network issued the SIM — though number portability means it no longer guarantees the operator.
A1 Bulgaria
mobiles start with **088** (e.g., 088 123 4567; +359 88 123 4567). Formerly Mobiltel/M-Tel.
Yettel Bulgaria
mobiles start with **089** (e.g., 089 123 4567; +359 89 123 4567). Formerly Globul/Telenor.
Vivacom
mobiles start with **087** (e.g., 087 123 4567; +359 87 123 4567). The incumbent fixed-line operator's mobile arm.
Bulgaria time zone
Bulgaria keeps Eastern European Time (EET, UTC+2) through winter and springs forward to Eastern European Summer Time (EEST, UTC+3) from late March to late October — the same DST rhythm the rest of the EU follows.
Bulgarian offices run Monday to Friday, roughly 09:00–17:00 local. From the US East Coast that's a morning call; from the UK aim late morning into early afternoon; from Western Europe, with only an hour's gap, almost any working hour lands.
Open the interactive best-time-to-call plannerEmergency numbers in Bulgaria
Free to call from any Bulgaria phone, landline or mobile.
Common mistakes when calling Bulgaria
Almost every failed international call is a formatting issue, not a network issue.
**Leaving the trunk 0 on an international call
**Leaving the trunk 0 on an international call.** +359 02 ... or +359 088 ... is the classic slip. Strip the 0 first: +359 2 ... and +359 88 ...
**Dropping the 0 when you're inside Bulgaria.** Domestically the trunk 0 is mandatory
Sofia is 02, not 2.
**Forgetting premium 0900 lines still bill steeply
**Forgetting premium 0900 lines still bill steeply.** New euro pricing doesn't make them cheap; check the rate on any 0900 number before you dial.
**Reading the carrier off the prefix.** Number portability means an 088 line may have left A1 long ago
the prefix no longer names the operator.
**Trimming a three-digit area code to two
**Trimming a three-digit area code to two.** Sofia's 02 is the exception; most cities run three-digit codes like 032, 052 or 056. Keep them whole.
Tips to reduce the cost of calling Bulgaria
**Hand callers a local +359 line
**Hand callers a local +359 line.** A Bulgaria DID means customers dial a domestic number while you answer over the internet from anywhere.
**Terminate over VoIP
**Terminate over VoIP.** SIP/VoIP routing into Bulgaria comes in well under traditional per-minute PSTN rates.
**Drop roaming on the road
**Drop roaming on the road.** A VoIP app or local DID beats your carrier's roaming tariff every time.
**Group your EU numbers.** Holding Bulgaria with your other European DIDs on MCM earns sharper blended pricing
handy now that the country prices in euros.
Why businesses get a Bulgaria virtual number
Now on the euro and firmly inside the single market, Bulgaria has become an easier place for foreign firms to sell into and a magnet for outsourcing. A +359 number plants you there without the cost of a Sofia office.
**Higher answer rates
** A familiar local number gets picked up far more than an unknown +1 or +44.
**Lower trust friction
** A +359 caller ID reads as an established, reachable presence in a fellow EU market.
**Cheaper inbound
** Customers reach a domestic number and skip international charges.
**Centralized routing
** Send Bulgaria calls to whichever team and time zone suits you.
**Faster expansion
** Be present in Bulgaria within minutes — no local entity, no SIM cards.
**Real PSTN presence
** A true Bulgarian DID riding the national network, not a gray-route workaround.
Bulgaria virtual numbers with My Country Mobile
My Country Mobile carries Bulgaria virtual numbers on a carrier-grade global backbone engineered for uptime and scale. Provision +359 DIDs, route them wherever your team sits, and run the whole thing from one dashboard and API.
Local DIDs in major area codes — provisioned in minutes
Call forwarding to any mobile, landline, SIP endpoint, or softphone worldwide
HD voice with G.711, G.729, Opus & AMR-WB — auto-negotiated per call
Sub-150ms latency on major voice corridors via distributed PoPs
99.99% uptime SLA backed by geo-redundant infrastructure & sub-2s failover
WebRTC support for browser-based calling without softphone installs
REST APIs for provisioning, routing & call detail records (CDRs)
Built-in fraud protection with AI anomaly detection & STIR/SHAKEN
24/7 network monitoring and dedicated support
How to get your Bulgaria virtual number
Most businesses are live within hours, not days.
Select Bulgaria (+359) and choose an available local number — Sofia or beyond.
Pick a plan and clear the quick verification.
Route the line where it belongs — SIP, app, mobile or your call center.
Switch it on and start taking Bulgarian calls within minutes.
Other country dialing guides
More country codes worth bookmarking.
Get a Bulgaria virtual number with MCM
Pick up a +359 number, route it to your team anywhere, and sound Bulgarian from the first call. You can launch in minutes with My Country Mobile. -
Bulgaria +359 — FAQ
Did Bulgaria's country code change when it joined the euro?expand_more
No. Adopting the euro on 1 January 2026 changed the currency, not the phone system — the code is still +359 and numbers are unchanged.
Why do I drop the 0 calling Bulgaria but keep it at home?expand_more
The leading 0 is a domestic trunk prefix. Inside Bulgaria you dial it; from abroad +359 does that job, so you remove the 0 to avoid doubling up.
What's Sofia's area code, and why is it shorter than other cities'?expand_more
Sofia is 02 — a one-digit code because it's the capital. Most other cities use three-digit codes like Plovdiv's 032, so don't trim those down.
Can I tell which operator a Bulgarian mobile belongs to?expand_more
Not reliably. A1, Yettel and Vivacom historically used 088, 089 and 087, but number portability lets subscribers keep a prefix after switching networks.
How do I call Bulgaria from the US, UK or elsewhere in the EU?expand_more
From the US, 011 + 359 + the number without its 0. From the UK or the EU, 00 + 359 + the number without its 0.
What do Bulgarian mobile numbers look like?expand_more
Nine digits beginning 08 at home (087/088/089), written +359 8X XXX XXXX from abroad once the 0 is dropped.
Does Bulgaria change its clocks?expand_more
Yes — EET (UTC+2) in winter, shifting to EEST (UTC+3) from late March to late October, in step with the rest of the EU.
Can I run a Bulgarian number without a local company?expand_more
Yes. MCM issues +359 DIDs you can route anywhere, with no Bulgarian entity or SIM — set up in minutes.