Amusement ride owners may have to shut down in October, because a new law demands checks from accredited inspection bodies — and none exist yet for these rides. That's the warning from Dimitar Bichev, head of Bulgaria's Association of Amusement Ride Owners.
The law, which sets general safety rules for high-risk amusement services, was published in Bulgaria's State Gazette on 10 February 2026 and took effect three days later. Operators already running rides have eight months to fall in line, putting the deadline in mid-October. The industry marks 2 October as the key date.
Type-A bodies accredited to the BDS EN ISO/IEC 17020 standard must check the rides, equipment and safety gear. They issue a certificate of compliance after a successful check, and operators must sign a written contract with one of these bodies. A ride without a certificate can be shut down.
The Bulgarian Accreditation Service's public register lists plenty of inspection bodies — but none of them cover checks on high-risk amusement rides under the new law.
No company has stepped forward to take on this inspection work during the transition period, and accreditation takes time, Bichev said. He said the rules for inspection bodies need full backing from secondary legislation — otherwise operators simply won't be able to meet the new requirements.
The law also requires operators to register, draw up a safety plan, keep a responsible person on site, run regular checks, and take out mandatory accident insurance for users. The rules don't cover every entertainment venue — only services seen as higher risk: certain amusement rides, air rides and water attractions.
Some of the rules needed to put the law into practice still aren't ready. On 18 September, the tourism ministry opened public consultation on a draft setting the minimum level of mandatory accident insurance, with comments open until 18 October. Draft regulations on the safety of high-risk amusement and water rides came out over the summer.
The new rules follow a string of serious accidents involving amusement rides. Bichev noted the industry has worked under regulations since 2013 that he considers good, and that accidents have been cut to a minimum, even if they can't be stopped completely.
He says checks need to be strict but workable, and that the state should find a way to make inspections happen — rather than forcing businesses to shut down just because they can't meet a legal requirement for reasons beyond their control.