Bulgaria · +359 A real Bulgaria number. Rented for one code.

Bulgarian mobile numbers begin with 087, 088, 089, 098 or 099 at home. From abroad the 0 disappears and +359 goes in front, so 088 123 4567 becomes +359 88 123 4567. Bulgarian marketplaces and delivery apps confirm new accounts by SMS to that shape, and a rented number takes the code without a Bulgarian SIM.

Three networks run Bulgarian mobiles: A1, Vivacom and Yettel, which was Telenor until 2022. A number from their ranges reads as Bulgarian mobile to a service that looks it up.

From 088 to +359 88

A Bulgarian mobile number is ten digits at home, a three-digit prefix followed by seven digits. Forms with a +359 picker want the nine digits after the 0. Entering +359 together with the 0 produces a number one digit too long, which most forms reject.

Landlines use area codes such as 02 for Sofia, 032 for Plovdiv and 052 for Varna. Some regional codes also start with 09, so a number beginning 09 is mobile only when it starts 098 or 099.

Classifieds, delivery and customer chat

OLX runs one of Bulgaria's largest classifieds sites and ties seller accounts to a phone number. Glovo delivers food in Sofia and other cities and signs users up by SMS.

A shop that sells to Bulgarian buyers usually wants Viber or WhatsApp on a local number, and Viber in particular is widely used in Bulgaria. A rented number registers either account, which then stays on your device after the code. Developers testing a Bulgarian-language sign-up use a local number to see the SMS as a customer would, often in Cyrillic when the service localises by country.

Accounts that need more than a code

Bulgarian banks and payment apps check identity against an ID card. A rented number is for apps and marketplaces that only want an SMS code, and it should stay out of anything that asks for ID. Delivery and classifieds apps usually ask for nothing beyond the code, and those are the accounts a rented number suits.

Before the window closes, add a recovery email to the account. If the SMS never comes, the activation cancels and the full price goes back to your balance.