Is CBD legal in Bulgaria?

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A flag of Bulgaria, next to the chemical structure of CBD

Formal status

EU-wide, CBD is an unauthorised novel food. That's been the position since Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 took effect in January 2019, and no country in the Union has since granted authorisation.

Bulgaria has no national authorisation route either, and its own secondary legislation closes the door directly. The Ordinance on Food Supplements (Наредба за хранителните добавки), in force since 30 December 2021, was amended on 25 April 2025 so that Article 13(3) bars food supplements from containing novel foods that are not on the Union list under Regulation (EU) 2017/2470. Articles 13(4) and 12(1) separately bar substances and plants classified as narcotic. The prohibition works by category and never names CBD.

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BABH) stated in a 2024 enforcement context that cannabinoids are not permitted as ingredients in food, and that the abbreviation "CBD" should not appear on a food label at all.

A widely repeated claim that Bulgaria became the first EU country to permit free sale of CBD in 2019 should not be relied on. That story rested on a company-specific Free Sale Certificate which worked by treating the products as traditional rather than novel foods - a position Bulgarian authorities no longer sustain.

Separately from food law, cannabis sits in Schedule I of the Narcotic Substances and Precursors Control Act, with an exemption for industrial hemp below 0.2% THC by weight. CBD itself is not listed as a controlled substance in Bulgaria.

Do we sell here?

Yes, for now: Sleep spray, Sleep capsules.

Bulgaria's food supplements ordinance bars any novel food that isn't on the EU's authorised list, and CBD isn't on it - in Bulgaria or anywhere else in the EU. We keep selling here because no enforcement action has been directed at sellers shipping in from other EU countries the way we do. That's a monitored judgement, not a claim the position is risk-free. We review this regularly and will change where we ship if that picture changes.

Outlook

The direction is mildly adverse. The ordinance described above already bars the category, and in May 2026 the Customs Agency ran a two-week operation that intercepted over a thousand courier parcels ordered through online platforms, with officials stating that all parcels ordered online are inspected. That operation targeted narcotics concealed in vapes and confectionery, and no cannabinoid supplement was reported among the seizures - but the inbound screening capability it demonstrates did not visibly exist before.

Two things worth watching: whether Bulgarian authorities move from a category-level bar to guidance naming CBD supplements directly, and whether the parcel screening programme broadens beyond narcotics.

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Reporting that Bulgaria had become the first EU country to permit free sale of CBD is clarified: the Free Sale Certificate was company-specific, issued jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture and the food safety agency, and worked by classifying the products as traditional rather than novel foods.

NutraIngredients

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Parliament rejects a bill that would have permitted industrial hemp to be processed in Bulgaria in addition to being grown. The Customs Agency objected to a proposed 1% THC threshold below which hemp would not be treated as a narcotic. Cultivation remains lawful; domestic processing does not.

Cannabis Law Report

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A regional directorate of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency halts the sale of hemp-flavoured gums and energy drinks in a Sofia shop, recording THC content above the 0.2% threshold. An official states that cannabinoids are forbidden as ingredients in food and that the abbreviation "CBD" should not appear on a food label.

Tribune.bg

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An amendment promulgated in State Gazette ДВ бр. 35 takes effect, rewriting Article 13(3) of the Ordinance on Food Supplements (Наредба за хранителните добавки) to bar food supplements from containing novel foods that are not on the Union list under Regulation (EU) 2017/2470. Articles 13(4) and 12(1) of the same ordinance separately bar substances and plants classified as narcotic. The prohibition operates by category and does not name CBD.

Ordinance on Food Supplements, consolidated text

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The Customs Agency reports Operation Hydra: more than 1,000 courier parcels containing narcotics, ordered online via EU-based platforms, intercepted in under two weeks across express courier terminals. Officials state that all parcels ordered through online platforms are inspected. The seizures were narcotics concealed in vapes, sweets and baked goods; no cannabinoid supplement was reported among them.

National Customs Agency

Ingredients

Browse legality of our other ingredients in Bulgaria.