Yes, you can smoke at Bulgarian airports after security: Sofia has a free smoking area by Gates B1–B4 and a smoking terrace in the paid Primeclass Lounge, both in Terminal 2; Burgas has open-air spaces and terraces in its departure lounge; and Varna has an open-air terrace. Bulgarian law bans smoking in enclosed public places and lets airports set up separate smoking rooms.
Bulgaria Airports Compared: Before and After Security
Before security, you can always smoke outside: at a designated smoking area where there is one, or outside the airport property, beyond the terminal kerb and car parks. After security, Yes means there is a smoking area past security and a dash means none is listed. Each airport’s page has the details.
| Airport | Before security | After security |
|---|---|---|
| Burgas (BOJ) | Yes | Yes |
| Sofia (SOF) | Yes | Yes |
| Varna (VAR) | Yes | Yes |
How Bulgarian Airport Smoking Works
Bulgaria’s Health Act (Article 56, in its present form since 1 June 2012) bans smoking in enclosed public places and, as an exception, allows separate smoking rooms in airport buildings: closed off by airtight walls and tightly closing doors, clearly marked, ventilated and closed to under-18s. Smoking where it is banned costs 300 to 500 leva, or 500 to 1,000 leva for a repeat offence, and a company that allows it faces 3,000 to 5,000 leva, or 5,000 to 10,000 leva for a repeat. A 2025 amendment to the Tobacco Products Act bans the sale of disposable e-cigarettes; it took effect after the EU notification period ended on 28 January 2026, with three months for shops to sell declared stock, and it bans neither possession nor use. So:
- Sofia (SOF): after security in Terminal 2, a free smoking area by Gates B1–B4 and the Primeclass Lounge terrace; ask staff whether the Aspire Business Lounge’s smoking area is still open
- Burgas (BOJ): open-air spaces and terraces in the departure lounge after security, and outside in front of Terminal 2
- Varna (VAR): an open-air terrace in the departure lounge after security, and outside the terminal building
- E-cigarettes: Burgas and Varna apply their smoking rules to them; Sofia publishes no vaping rule, so ask staff
Sofia Airport (SOF)
Sofia Airport (SOF) has, after security in Terminal 2, a free smoking area of 155 m² by Gates B1–B4, which a reader described on 25 July 2026 as half open and used for vapes as well as cigarettes, and a smoking area on the terrace of the paid Primeclass Lounge (Level 2, €60 on site). The Aspire Business Lounge on Level 0 has a designated smoking area, so ask staff whether it is still open. The airport lists no smoking area in Terminal 1 after security or outside either terminal.
Burgas (BOJ) and Varna (VAR)
Burgas Airport (BOJ) has open-air spaces and terraces in the departure lounge after security, and smoking outside in front of Terminal 2 before security. Varna Airport (VAR) has an open-air terrace in the departure lounge after security, and smoking outside the terminal building before security. Both airports apply their smoking rules to e-cigarettes.
Tips for Smokers at Bulgarian Airports
- At Sofia, the free smoking area by Gates B1–B4 is in Terminal 2 and needs no lounge access
- Lounge users in Sofia’s Terminal 2 also have the Primeclass Lounge terrace
- At Burgas and Varna, the open-air spaces in the departure lounge are the after-security option
- Disposable e-cigarettes are no longer on sale in Bulgaria; where an airport publishes no vaping rule, ask staff