Which dental procedures does NHIF cover in 2026?

An examination and a limited number of treatments

In Bulgaria, the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) basic package for adults in 2026 includes one comprehensive examination and up to three treatments: chemically cured composite fillings and/or permanent-tooth extractions with local anaesthetic. From 1 November 2026, a fourth treatment becomes available for the year, to be performed on or after that date. The examination is counted separately. Pregnancy entitles the patient to one additional comprehensive examination during the calendar year.

You need valid health-insurance entitlement and a dentist contracted by NHIF for the relevant care. Bring your valid health-insurance booklet and any supplement. You may change dentists, but your used allowance follows you between practices.

This guide concerns Bulgaria and was checked on 19 October 2026. The prices below apply from 1 September to 31 December 2026, under Article 105 of the dental framework contract. The allowance is a package of eligible services, not cash to spend on any treatment.

What you pay for an examination, filling or extraction

NHIF pays the provider. Your contribution for the procedure is separate from any statutory consultation fee.

For example, the contributions for three eligible fillings total 6.15 €. This may not be the whole bill: a consultation fee may apply unless you are exempt, and separately chosen services may carry the practice's private prices. Exemption from the consultation fee does not automatically remove treatment contributions.

The November change raises the year's total from three treatments to four. If you have already used three, one further eligible treatment becomes available; it does not add four more. Seek assessment for pain or other problems and discuss timing rather than delaying care solely because of this change.

When the price can be different

The filling allowance specifies chemically cured composite. If you choose another material or method, ask how it will be charged before agreeing. The contribution in the table is not the price of every type of filling.

Care outside the package or after the annual allowance is used may be privately payable. Adult root-canal treatment is not one of the three types of service listed above. Extraction of a retained milk tooth in an adult also falls outside the permanent-tooth extraction item.

Ask which procedure will be reported to NHIF, what your contribution covers and whether the quoted price includes private services. A receipt for private treatment in Bulgaria does not itself entitle you to reimbursement. In the ordinary arrangement, NHIF pays its contracted provider for eligible, reported care.

Children, X-rays and surgery have separate conditions

Children have an examination and up to four treatments, with contributions depending on the procedure. Our children's NHIF guide explains fillings, milk and permanent teeth, pulp treatment and imaging.

X-rays require a clinical indication, the appropriate diagnostic referral and a contracted imaging provider. An X-ray is not automatically included with every filling and does not count as one of the fillings or extractions in the annual allowance. Confirm the prescribed examination and where the referral is accepted.

A dentist may issue form MZ 119A for specialist surgical care. A deeply damaged or broken tooth has different conditions from a routine extraction. Impacted or partly impacted wisdom teeth must not automatically be treated as routine extractions: NHIF's answer of 2 October 2026 says their extraction is outside the outpatient dental package.

Possible hospital funding for jaw surgery depends on the diagnosis, indications and hospital contract. A referral or NHIF contract does not promise payment for every operation, device or additional expense. Ask the admitting hospital for a written explanation.

There is also a separate package for complete dentures for a fully toothless jaw. It does not fund any chosen implant or partial denture.

Check the proposed charges and the completed record

Before treatment, separate the NHIF procedure, your procedure contribution, the consultation fee and private services. If you do not yet know what treatment you need, establish the examination's price and terms first. Our guide to finding dental care explains how to check the dentist and their contract.

Afterwards, collect your booklet, payment document and care instructions. Compare the entries with what was done. Ask the practice for an itemised explanation of an unclear charge. For an unresolved dispute about an NHIF-reported procedure, contact the regional fund, identifying the date, practice and discrepancy, and keep copies of your documents.

For the distinction between electronic clinical records and NHIF payments, see dental documents and eZdrave.