Admission to the OSCE: 25 June 1973

OSCE Chairmanship in 2004

Policing overview: Bulgarian police services are part of the main structural units of the Ministry of Interior named Chief Directorates (CD). They are as follows: CD  "Criminal Police", CD "Security Police", CD "Border Police" and CD "Pre-Trial Proceedings".

1. Functions and missions
Chief Directorate "Criminal Police" is a national specialized operational and search structure of the Ministry of Interior responsible for counteraction to criminality. CD "Criminal Police" is tasked to:

• prevent and detect crimes;
• disclose crimes;
• counteract to criminal activities of groups, organizations or organized crime groups;
• search for suspects and accused persons who have evaded justice, as well as sentenced persons who have escaped from serving sentence, missing persons and others as stipulated by law;
• identification of persons;
• provide methodical guidance and control to territorial directorates with the Minim of Interior in carrying out the indicated activities.

 2. Structure and organization
CD  "Criminal Police" is divided into "Counteraction to general crirninality" and "Counteraction to organized and serious crimes" directorates.

1. Functions and missions
Chief Directorate "Security Police* is a national specialized security and control structure of the Ministry of Interior responsible for preserving the public order and counteraction to criminality. CD "Security Police" is tasked to:

• preserve the public order;
• organize and provide security for strategic and important sites;
• secure the safety of mass events;
• control over the road transport safety, the technical functioning of motor vehicles and the registration of motor vehicles, drivers and road accidents;
• provide administrative control upon foreign citizens residence in Republic of Bulgaria and convey aliens, subject to expulsion or coercive bringing to the border of the Republic of Bulgaria in compliance with the law or the international treaties, to which the Republic of Bulgaria is a party;
• allow and exercise control over the use generally dangerous means;
• allow and control over persons involved in security;
• issue Bulgarian identity papers and control their use and preservation;
• convey persons in the country and abroad;
• provide methodical guidance and control to territorial directorates with the Ministry of Interior in carrying out the indicated activities. 

2. Structure and organization
The following five directorates are included in the structure of the Chief Directorate "Security Police": "Security and Traffic Police", Transport Police", "Migration", "Gendarmerie" and "Bulgarian Identity Papers".  "Specialized unit for fight against terrorism" falls under the authority of the "Gendarmerie".

Chief Directorate "Border Police" is a national specialized guarding, operational and search structure of the Ministry of Interior to guard national borders. CD "Border Police" is tasked to:

• guard the national borders and control border regime observance, counteract to illegal migration and trafficking in human beings;
• control of border crossing persons and vehicles;
• admits and hands over violators of the entry and residence regime from/to other countries in compliance with the law and the international treaties, to which the Republic of Bulgaria is a party;
• set and maintain in order the border signs, mark the borderline of the national borders and bar destruction, shift or other acts related to the national borders;
• elaborate Iarge-scale maps and documentation concerning the national borders, create and maintain the geodesy and cartography fund;
• provide methodical guidance and control to territorial directorates with the Ministry of Interior in carrying out the indicated activities.

For the protection of the national borders and control of border regime observance Chief Directorate "Border Police" operates within the border area, in the zones of the border control checkpoints, international airports and seaports, inland waters, territoreal seas, adjacent zones, the continental shelf, the Bulgarian part of the Danube River and the other river and water basin border areas.

Chief Directorate "Pre-Trial Proceedings" is a national specialized structure of the Minim of Interior for crime investigations. Investigators shall investigate and provide methodical guidance for crime investigations. They also monitor the lawful conduction of the investigation and its finalization within the determined term as well as the execution of the Prosecutor's compulsory instructions.