The "bonus-malus" system, tied to the mandatory "Motor Third Party Liability" insurance, is officially entering its implementation phase, the Financial Supervision Commission (FSC) reports. The regulator clarifies that as of August 25, 2026, significant amendments to the sector's regulatory framework have been published and are coming into effect. This involves changes to Ordinance No. 49 of October 16, 2014, on mandatory insurance and Ordinance No. 54 of December 30, 2016, on the Guarantee Fund registers, adopted jointly by the FSC, the Minister of Interior, and the Minister of Transport and Communications.
The purpose of these legislative steps is to ensure precise risk assessment in insurance. To achieve this, insurance companies are required to upgrade their internal information systems to effectively apply the new model. The "bonus-malus" system is built upon the claims history of each driver over the last 5 years. This information will be centrally certified by the Guarantee Fund, allowing insurers to prepare fairer premiums—with discounts for drivers with a clean record and higher rates for those who have caused accidents. Insurers will have access to data regarding: the date and location of the event, country, type of event, damaged object or person, as well as information on recourse claims.
For the mechanism to function correctly, strict reporting requirements are being introduced: insurers are obliged to record every claim in the Guarantee Fund's register in real time, simultaneously with its registration in their own systems. The regulatory framework establishes the right to automatic electronic access to the Information Center of the Guarantee Fund, strictly prohibiting the requirement of paper certificates. The procedure for accessing data is detailed through an internal electronic administrative service, which retrieves information via VIN, license plate number, and owner identifier.
To prevent the "erasing" of history through fictitious transfers of ownership, the system is designed so that the claims history follows the actual user of the vehicle. In parallel, every driver gains the right to request a centralized insurance claims certificate based on the template introduced by European Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/1855. This document will contain additional information regarding: the location of the traffic accident; the type of damage caused; data on claims filed with the Guarantee Fund for uninsured vehicles, as well as data on the perpetrator, owner, user, and the regular driver. The document will be authenticated with a unique QR code for verification, allowing access to the certificate on the Guarantee Fund's website, where an archive will be kept for one year. Applications can be submitted electronically using a qualified electronic signature (QES), via the National Revenue Agency's (NRA) Personal Identification Code (PIC), or in paper format at the offices of insurers.
With a view to combating insurance fraud in the Republic of Bulgaria, insurers offering "Motor Third Party Liability" and "Casco" insurance are being granted broad access to data from traffic accident registers, including information about the perpetrator, data on contributory negligence, details from the driver's license, and photographs. In addition to this, free and open public access to a number of key registers of the Guarantee Fund is provided, including:
- Register of "Motor Third Party Liability" insurers.
- Register of claims settlement representatives.
- Register of carriers performing public transport of passengers in the Republic of Bulgaria.
- Register of insurers offering mandatory "Passenger Accident" insurance.
In the event of an objective impossibility or a technical failure in the Guarantee Fund's systems, the FSC has provided an alternative mechanism that allows insurers to continue their work so that the process of issuing policies is not blocked. Nikolay Stanchev, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Bulgarian Insurers, noted earlier this month that after the system adaptation is complete, it is entirely realistic for the model to be fully operational by the beginning of 2027. All amendments aim for transparency and a high level of consumer protection, with an emphasis on precise real-time risk management.