The official currency is the Lev (BGN), which is divided into 100 stotinki. Bulgaria has strict currency regulations. If you enter Bulgaria with cash of any currency amounting to the equivalent of BGN 8,000 or more, you must declare it to customs officials. Foreign currency may be exchanged in banks, hotels, or at one of the numerous bureaux de change; however, due to a common practice of misleading rates of exchange it is better to go to banks to change money. A receipt called a bordereaux is issued when exchanging currency, indicating the amount that will be given, and it must be kept until departure. Major international credit cards are increasingly becoming accepted by tourist hotels, upmarket shops,and restaurants, travel agents and car rental agents, but Bulgaria is still largely a cash economy. There are ATMs in the main cities and at Black Sea resorts.
