What you can't ship from Japan to Bulgaria
18 Japan Post import rules · verified · source: Japan Post
Short answer: Japan Post lists 7 item types that cannot be sent to Bulgaria and 11 that can be sent only under conditions. Separately, Japan Post applies 278 carrier-wide rules to every destination, covering dangerous goods and items banned from international mail — perfume, aerosols and lithium batteries among them. Rules last verified against Japan Post on September 1, 2026.
- Prohibited
- 7
- Conditional
- 11
- Carrier-wide rules
- 278
These are the destination rules Japan Post publishes for Bulgaria. They do not repeat the items Japan Post refuses to every country — those are on one shared page, linked below. A rule marked conditional allows the item only when the stated conditions hold; whether your product qualifies is what the ShipMate GO app works out before you book.
Chemicals
3 conditional
- Conditional
Chemical substances
Chemical substances cannot be sent to private individuals in Bulgaria. Shipment may be conditional on the recipient not being a private person.
Conditions and documents
- recipient is a private individual → prohibited
Source: Japan Post · HS chapter 28
- Conditional
Narcotics and related paraphernalia
Narcotics and any pipes or other instruments used to smoke or consume narcotics cannot be sent to private individuals in Bulgaria. Shipments to non-personal (e.g. institutional) addressees may be permitted under applicable conditions.
Conditions and documents
- Addressee is not a private individual → permitted
- Addressee is a private individual → prohibited
Source: Japan Post · HS chapter 29
- Conditional
Rose extract and oleum geranii
Rose extract and oleum geranii (geranium oil) cannot be sent to private individuals in Bulgaria. Shipments to non-personal (e.g. commercial or business) recipients may be permitted under applicable conditions.
Conditions and documents
- addressed to a private individual → prohibited
Source: Japan Post · HS chapter 33
Plants & animals
2 conditional
- Conditional
Live Animals
Live animals (such as pigeons) cannot be sent to private individuals in Bulgaria. Shipment to non-personal recipients may be possible under conditions.
Conditions and documents
- shipment addressed to a private individual → prohibited
Source: Japan Post · HS chapter 01
- Conditional
Plants and Plant Products
A wide range of plants and plant products — including plants for cultivation, bulbs, seeds for sowing, cut flowers, cut branches, fruits (excluding pineapple, coconut, durian, banana, and date palm), vegetables, timber, and bark — require a phytosanitary certificate; importation is not permitted without one. Plants (including seeds), bulbs, and other agricultural products and raw animal products are permitted only if they have undergone phytosanitary and veterinary inspection.
Conditions and documents
- Phytosanitary certificate is attached → Import permitted for plants for cultivation, bulbs, seeds for sowing, cut flowers, cut branches, fruits (excluding pineapple, coconut, durian, banana, and date palm), vegetables, timber, and bark
- No phytosanitary certificate → Import not permitted
- Plants (including seeds), bulbs, other agricultural products, and raw animal products have undergone phytosanitary and veterinary inspection → Import permitted
Documents: Phytosanitary certificate (植物検疫証明書); Phytosanitary inspection (植物検疫); Veterinary inspection (動物検疫)
Source: Japan Post · HS chapter 06
Currency & valuables
1 prohibited
- Prohibited
Valuables
Valuables are prohibited for shipment to Bulgaria via regular mail and parcel services. This includes coins, banknotes, currency, bearer securities, traveler's checks, platinum, gold, silver (worked or unworked), pearls, gemstones, and other precious items.
Source: Japan Post · HS chapter 71
Medicine & supplements
1 conditional
- Conditional
Pharmaceuticals / Medicines
Medicines not listed in the Bulgarian Ministry of Health pharmacopoeia are permitted only if authorization from the Ministry of Health has been obtained. Medicines that are listed in the pharmacopoeia are permitted without this restriction.
Conditions and documents
- Medicine is not listed in the Bulgarian Ministry of Health pharmacopoeia → Permitted only with authorization from the Ministry of Health (Ministère de la santé)
Documents: Authorization from the Bulgarian Ministry of Health (Ministère de la santé)
Source: Japan Post · HS chapter 30
Weapons
1 conditional
- Conditional
Bladed weapons (swords, blades, scabbards, etc.)
All bladed weapons — including sword and dagger blades and their scabbards — cannot be sent to private individuals in Bulgaria. Shipment is conditional based on the recipient.
Conditions and documents
- Recipient is a private individual → prohibited
Source: Japan Post · HS chapter 93
Other items
6 prohibited · 4 conditional
- Prohibited
Harmful documents and similar materials
Documents, printed matter, negatives, photographs, film, records, audio tapes, manuscripts, designs, music books, and similar materials whose content violates Bulgarian law or customs, or could cause political or economic harm to Bulgaria are prohibited. Such items will neither be delivered to the recipient nor returned to the sender.
Source: Japan Post · HS chapter 49
- Prohibited
Immoral or obscene articles
Items considered immoral or obscene are prohibited from shipment to Bulgaria via Regular, Parcel, and EMS services. This category includes weapons, ammunition, obscene or indecent materials, and religious articles associated with prohibited or unregistered groups or organizations.
- Prohibited
Items in sealed containers (contents not visible)
Items placed in sealed containers where the contents cannot be inspected or viewed are prohibited for shipment to Bulgaria. This applies across regular mail, parcel, and EMS shipping types.
- Prohibited
Musical Greeting Card
Musical greeting cards — cards that play a melody when opened — are prohibited from shipment to Bulgaria via Regular, Parcel, and EMS services.
Source: Japan Post · HS chapter 49
- Prohibited
Personal use goods (shipped by trading companies as gift parcels)
Parcels containing personal use items sent as gifts by trading/commercial companies to Bulgaria are prohibited, unless they qualify as one of the specified exceptions (permitted pharmaceuticals sent free of charge within a set period, items dispatched by carriers on behalf of overseas residents, or items sent by trading companies on behalf of Bulgarian-national professionals or envoys).
Details and exceptions
- Permitted pharmaceuticals sent free of charge and used within a specified period → permitted
- Dispatched by a carrier on behalf of a person residing abroad → permitted
- Dispatched by a trading company on behalf of a Bulgarian-national professional or envoy → permitted
- Prohibited
Used personal items (underwear, handkerchiefs, clothing, footwear, bedding, and similar goods)
Used underwear, handkerchiefs, clothing, footwear, bedding, and other similar secondhand personal items are prohibited from being sent to Bulgaria. Postal items found to contain such goods will be returned to the sender at the sender's expense.
Source: Japan Post · HS chapter 62
- Conditional
Commercial Samples
Commercial samples are subject to a conditional restriction for shipments to Bulgaria. They cannot be sent to individual (private) recipients.
Conditions and documents
- addressed to an individual (private) recipient → prohibited
Source: Japan Post · HS chapter 98
- Conditional
Goods of a productive or commercial nature
Goods of a productive or commercial nature cannot be sent to private individuals in Bulgaria. Shipments of such goods are subject to this restriction across regular mail, parcel, and EMS services.
Conditions and documents
- addressee is a private individual → prohibited
- Conditional
Postage stamps
Postage stamps (cancelled or uncancelled) and all philatelic items may be sent to individuals residing in Bulgaria, but the mailpiece must include a slip of paper bearing the recipient's name and address, and must be addressed to the destination country's philatelic society (Service philatelique postal). These conditions apply across regular mail, parcel, and EMS services.
Conditions and documents
- Sending postage stamps (cancelled or uncancelled) and all philatelic items to an individual residing in Bulgaria → A slip of paper bearing the recipient's name and address must be enclosed in the mailpiece, and the mailpiece must be addressed to the destination country's philatelic society (Service philatelique postal)
Documents: Slip of paper bearing the recipient's name and address, enclosed in the mailpiece
Source: Japan Post · HS chapter 97
- Conditional
Printed matter, negatives, photographs, film, records, recorded tapes, manuscripts, design drawings, music books, and similar items
Printed matter, negatives, photographs, film, records, recorded tapes, manuscripts, design drawings, music books, and similar items whose content violates the laws and customs of Bulgaria cannot be sent to private individuals. Items whose content does not violate Bulgarian laws and customs may be sent to private individuals, limited to one item per shipment, provided it is for personal use.
Conditions and documents
- Content violates the laws and customs of Bulgaria and addressed to a private individual → prohibited
- Content does not violate the laws and customs of Bulgaria, addressed to a private individual, limited to one item, and for personal use → permitted
Source: Japan Post · HS chapter 49
Applies to every destination, including Bulgaria
Japan Post applies 278 carrier-wide rules to every country on top of the rules above — outright bans on dangerous goods such as perfume, aerosols and lighters, and conditions on items such as lithium batteries.
Not sure about a specific item for Bulgaria?
This page lists Japan Post's rules. The ShipMate GO app checks your actual item against them, asks the one or two questions a conditional rule needs, and tells you the outcome before anything is charged. Sending a parcel from Japan? Booking is free and you pay once, after weighing. Shopping from abroad with Shop for Me? Anything that can't ship is dropped from your order before you pay for the goods.
Common questions
- What can't I ship from Japan to Bulgaria?
- Japan Post's import rules for Bulgaria prohibit 7 item types, including Musical Greeting Card; Valuables; Personal use goods (shipped by trading companies as gift parcels); Used personal items (underwear, handkerchiefs, clothing, footwear, bedding, and similar goods); Immoral or obscene articles; Items in sealed containers (contents not visible); Harmful documents and similar materials. On top of these, Japan Post refuses dangerous goods such as perfume, aerosols and loose lithium batteries to every destination.
- Which items can be shipped to Bulgaria only under conditions?
- 11 item types are allowed only when Japan Post's stated conditions are met — for example Live Animals; Chemical substances; Commercial Samples; Goods of a productive or commercial nature; Bladed weapons (swords, blades, scabbards, etc.); Rose extract and oleum geranii; Narcotics and related paraphernalia; Pharmaceuticals / Medicines; and 3 more. Whether a specific product qualifies depends on the item, which is what the ShipMate GO app checks before you book.
- Does an item that isn't listed here ship freely to Bulgaria?
- Not necessarily. This page lists the import rules Japan Post publishes for Bulgaria; an item that isn't named has no specific rule here, but it may still fall under Japan Post's carrier-wide bans or a general category such as food or medicine. Check the exact item in the ShipMate GO app, which reads these rules live and asks the follow-up questions a conditional rule needs.