Doing Business in Kardzhali

The Kardzhali Economy

The Institute for Market Economics groups Kardzhali with Momchilgrad, Chernoochene and Dzhebel in the Kardzhali economic centre, the smallest in Bulgaria, with BGN 1.45 billion of output in 2021. Its value added grew by 106% over the decade, third after the centres around the capital and Plovdiv, and Kardzhali accounts for 75% of the local economy.³

Source: Institute for Market Economics: Kardzhali economic centre³

Export revenue reached BGN 775 million in 2021, almost all of it from manufacturing. By 2024, export revenue made up 33.33% of company sales in Kardzhali Province.^3,7

Industry and Employers

A few large companies dominate the centre: Teklas Bulgaria, which makes rubber products for the automotive industry and employs almost 3,000 people, the Kardzhali general hospital, the GORUBSO mining company and Kyashif, a maker of hydraulic cylinders.³

On 1 October 2026, VESS Modules opened a fully automated photovoltaic module factory in Kardzhali, with a €15 million investment, 200 jobs and an annual capacity of 1 gigawatt. The company plans to expand capacity in Kardzhali to 3 gigawatts and to train young workers in electronics and robotics.^4,5

Investment and the Industrial Zone

Foreign investment in the Kardzhali centre reached €167 million by the end of 2021, €1,802 per person, and €164 million of it is in Kardzhali. By 2024, foreign investment in Kardzhali Province reached €2,168 per person.^3,7

The Kardzhali Industrial Zone, a project of the National Company Industrial Zones, lies on flat land on a former airport in the immediate vicinity of the city, next to the railway and the Ruse–Makaza national road. It has two plots, of 81.9 and 12.4 decares, with electricity, telecommunications, water and sewerage nearby.⁶

Workforce and Salaries

• 24,300 people were employed on labour or service contracts in the economic centre in 2021, 19,000 of them in Kardzhali, and the core draws 1,300 commuters a day from its periphery.
• The Kardzhali centre had the highest net migration rate of all economic centres in Bulgaria, 23 per 1,000 residents, in the Institute for Market Economics study.
• Unemployment in Kardzhali Province averaged 9.29% in 2025, and 67.8% of residents aged 20–64 were employed.
• 26.4% of the province’s residents aged 25–64 have a university degree.
• The average gross salary in Kardzhali Province was €1,008 a month in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Source: Institute for Market Economics: Kardzhali economic centre; Institute for Market Economics: Regional Profiles, Kardzhali Province; Ministry of Labour and Social Policy: Labour market bulletin, fourth quarter of 2025^3,7,2

Transport

Kardzhali lies on the Ruse–Makaza national road and is connected to the railway network. Motorways and first-class roads made up 11.2% of the road network of Kardzhali Province in 2025.^6,7

Registering a Company in Kardzhali

Bulgaria has one national Commercial Register, so a company based in Kardzhali can be filed online from anywhere with a qualified electronic signature, or on paper at the Registry Agency’s Kardzhali office. After registration, the company deals with the Kardzhali office of the National Revenue Agency for tax and VAT, and with Kardzhali Municipality for local taxes and fees.^8,9

Source: Registry Agency: Commercial Register contacts; Council of Ministers IISDA: National Revenue Agency offices; Kardzhali Municipality; Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Regional chambers^8,9,10,11

The full steps, documents, fees and timings are in the guide to registering a company in Bulgaria.