Bulgaria Border Customs Crossings: What to Know

For most road freight between Turkey and Europe, the journey crosses into Bulgaria. This border is also an external border of the European Union, so EU customs and security rules apply on the Bulgarian side.

Turkey and Bulgaria have three land gates, all in the Thrace region.

The three gates

Turkish gate	Province (district)	Bulgarian side	Use
Kapıkule	Edirne	Kapitan Andreevo	Main road and rail gate; one of Europe’s busiest
Hamzabeyli	Edirne (Lalapaşa)	Lesovo	Major truck gate; relieves Kapıkule
Dereköy	Kırklareli	Malko Tarnovo	Passengers; light commercial vehicles up to 3.5 t since August 2026

Kapıkule–Kapitan Andreevo

Kapıkule, near Edirne, is Turkey’s main gate to Europe and one of the busiest land border crossings on the continent. It handles trucks, cars, and buses, and the railway between Turkey and Bulgaria crosses here too. A large share of Turkey’s road exports to the EU passes through this gate.

Hamzabeyli–Lesovo

Hamzabeyli, in the Lalapaşa district of Edirne, is the second main truck gate. Many heavy trucks use it to avoid the busiest lanes at Kapıkule.

Dereköy–Malko Tarnovo

Dereköy, in Kırklareli province, was long used mainly by passengers. On 1 August 2026, after an agreement between the Turkish and Bulgarian customs administrations, it opened to light commercial cargo vehicles with a maximum laden weight of up to 3.5 tonnes.

The aim is to move vans away from Kapıkule and Hamzabeyli, and so ease heavy truck traffic there. Crossings follow transit regime rules, and vehicles need valid transport licences and international permits. The first shipment through the gate was automotive parts bound for Germany.

What changed recently

• Bulgaria in Schengen (2025). Bulgaria became a full member of the Schengen area on 1 January 2025. Checks at Bulgaria’s internal EU borders were removed. The border with Turkey remains an external Schengen and EU border, with full customs and passport controls.
• Dereköy for vans (August 2026), as described above.

Preparing a truck for the EU border

1. Transit declaration. Most Turkish trucks enter the EU under transit and are cleared at a customs office inside the EU. There are two options:

• an NCTS (T1) transit declaration, available because Turkey has been part of the Common Transit Convention since 2012, or
• a TIR carnet.

2. Advance safety and security data. The EU requires an entry summary declaration (ENS) to be lodged before the truck arrives at the border. It is filed through the EU’s ICS2 system.

3. Commercial and transport papers. You need:

• commercial invoice and packing list
• CMR consignment note
• A.TR movement certificate for industrial goods under the Turkey–EU Customs Union, or EUR.1 where that applies, for example for some agricultural goods
• any licences or certificates your goods need

4. Driver and vehicle. Truck drivers need valid travel documents and visas, plus valid road transport permits for the countries on the route.

Practical tips

1. Avoid peak days. Queues at Kapıkule grow before holidays and in the summer season. Hamzabeyli can be a good alternative for heavy trucks.
2. File the ENS early. A missing or late ENS is a common reason trucks are held at the border.
3. Match every document. The invoice, packing list, CMR, and transit declaration must agree on weights, packages, and descriptions.
4. Consider Dereköy for small, urgent loads carried by van, if your shipment fits its rules.

At AntEX we prepare transit papers before the wheels turn, choose the right gate for each load, and follow every truck with continuous tracking.