Cookie Policy
1. Introduction
This Cookie Policy explains how Bulgaria For Business (“we”, “us”, “our”) uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website at www.bulgaria-for-business.com (the “Website”).
This policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, and protect personal data more broadly. Our Privacy Policy is available at www.bulgaria-for-business.com/privacy-policy.
By continuing to browse or use our Website after being shown our cookie consent banner, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Cookie Policy.
2. What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, smartphone, or other device when you visit a website. They are widely used by website owners to make their websites work efficiently, to provide functionality, and to provide reporting information.
Cookies set by the website owner (in this case, Bulgaria For Business) are called “first-party cookies”. Cookies set by parties other than the website owner are called “third-party cookies”. Third-party cookies enable third-party features or functionality to be provided on or through the website — for example, analytics, advertising, and social media features.
Types of cookies by duration
Session cookies are temporary cookies that are deleted from your device when you close your web browser. They are used to store information that you need for a single browsing session.
Persistent cookies remain on your device after you close your browser — until they expire or you delete them manually. They are used to remember your preferences across multiple visits.
Technologies similar to cookies
In addition to cookies, we may use other similar technologies on our Website, including:
- Web beacons (also known as pixel tags or clear GIFs) — transparent graphic images placed on web pages or in emails that are used to monitor behaviour and collect data.
- Local storage — a browser feature that stores data locally on your device, similar to cookies but with potentially larger storage capacity.
- Session storage — similar to local storage but data is cleared when the browser session ends.
3. What cookies we use and why
We use four categories of cookies on our Website. The table below explains each category, its purpose, the legal basis for its use, and its duration.
| Cookie type | Purpose and description | Legal basis | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary cookies | These cookies are essential for the website to function correctly. They enable core features such as page navigation, secure areas, and form submissions. The website cannot function properly without these cookies. These cookies do not collect personal information and cannot be disabled. | No consent required — essential for site function | Session / persistent |
| Functionality cookies | These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make — such as your language preference, cookie consent status, or region selection — and provide enhanced, personalised features. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these features may not function correctly. | Consent required | Up to 12 months |
| Analytics and performance cookies | These cookies collect information about how visitors use our website — which pages are most visited, how long visitors spend on each page, and whether any error messages are displayed. All information collected is aggregated and anonymous. We use this data to improve how our website works and to understand visitor behaviour. We may use Google Analytics or similar services for this purpose. | Consent required | Up to 26 months |
| Marketing and targeting cookies | These cookies are used to deliver advertisements more relevant to you and your interests. They may be used to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant ads on other websites. If you do not allow these cookies, you may see less targeted advertising across the web. | Consent required | Up to 12 months |
4. Specific cookies used on this Website
The table below lists the specific cookies currently in use on our Website as of the date of this policy. This list may be updated as we add or remove services and features. We will update this policy accordingly.
| Cookie name | Provider | Category | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Analytics / performance | 2 years | Registers a unique ID to generate statistical data on how you use the website. Used by Google Analytics. |
| _ga_[ID] | Google Analytics | Analytics / performance | 2 years | Used by Google Analytics to maintain session state. |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Analytics / performance | 24 hours | Registers a unique ID to generate statistical data on how you use the website. |
| _gat | Google Analytics | Analytics / performance | 1 minute | Used by Google Tag Manager to control the rate of requests made to a tag manager script. |
| cookieconsent_status | Bulgaria For Business | Strictly necessary | 1 year | Stores the user’s cookie consent preferences to avoid repeated consent requests on subsequent visits. |
| PHPSESSID / session | Bulgaria For Business | Strictly necessary | Session | Preserves user session state across page requests. Deleted when the browser is closed. |
| _fbp | Facebook / Meta | Marketing | 3 months | Used by Facebook to deliver advertising when the user is on Facebook or third-party platforms powered by Facebook advertising. Set only where Facebook integration is active. |
| _gcl_au | Google Ads | Marketing | 3 months | Used by Google AdSense to experiment with advertising efficiency across websites. Set only where Google Ads integration is active. |
Third-party cookies listed above (such as Google Analytics and Facebook) are set by those third parties’ scripts loaded on our website. Their use of data collected through these cookies is governed by their own privacy policies, which we do not control. Where consent is required for these cookies, they are only activated after you have provided consent through our cookie banner.
5. How we obtain your consent
In accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Bulgarian Personal Data Protection Act (Закон за защита на личните данни), and the EU ePrivacy Directive as implemented in Bulgarian law, we obtain your consent before placing any non-essential cookies on your device.
Cookie consent banner
When you first visit our Website, a cookie consent banner will be displayed. This banner:
- Informs you that we use cookies and similar technologies.
- Provides a brief description of the categories of cookies we use.
- Allows you to accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customise your preferences by category.
- Links to this Cookie Policy for full details.
Granular consent
Our cookie consent tool allows you to provide or withdraw consent separately for each non-essential cookie category — functionality, analytics, and marketing cookies. You may accept one category and reject another. Your consent choices are remembered for future visits through a strictly necessary cookie.
YOUR CONSENT IS FREELY GIVEN: We do not use “dark patterns” or misleading design to encourage you to accept all cookies. The “reject all” or “accept only essential” option is as prominent and accessible as the “accept all” option. Refusing non-essential cookies does not prevent you from using our Website or accessing our content.
6. Managing and withdrawing consent
Through our cookie consent tool
You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the cookie settings link in the footer of our Website, or by clearing your cookies and revisiting the site (which will re-display the consent banner). Your updated preferences will take effect immediately.
Through your browser settings
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically:
- See what cookies are stored on your device and delete them individually or all at once.
- Block third-party cookies.
- Block all cookies from all websites.
- Block cookies from specific websites.
- Be warned before a cookie is stored.
Instructions for managing cookies in common browsers are available at:
- Google Chrome: support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
- Mozilla Firefox: support.mozilla.org/kb/cookies-information-websites-store-on-your-computer
- Safari: support.apple.com/guide/safari/manage-cookies-sfri11471
- Microsoft Edge: support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/delete-cookies-in-microsoft-edge
IMPORTANT: Disabling or deleting certain cookies may affect the functionality of our Website. If you disable strictly necessary cookies through browser settings, some parts of the Website may not function correctly. Disabling analytics cookies means we cannot improve our website based on your visit data, but this does not affect your user experience.
Opting out of specific third-party cookies
You can opt out of specific third-party tracking tools directly:
- Google Analytics: install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on available at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
- Google Advertising: manage your Google ad preferences at adssettings.google.com.
- Facebook / Meta: manage your Facebook ad preferences at your Facebook account settings.
7. Legal basis for cookie use
Our use of cookies is based on the following legal grounds under the GDPR and Bulgarian data protection law:
Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR) — strictly necessary cookies
Strictly necessary cookies are placed on the basis of our legitimate interest in operating a functional website. These cookies are essential for the technical operation of the site and do not require consent under the ePrivacy Directive.
Consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR) — all other cookies
All non-essential cookies — including functionality, analytics, and marketing cookies — are placed only on the basis of your freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous consent, provided through our cookie consent tool.
You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal. Instructions for withdrawing consent are set out in Section 6 above.
8. International data transfers
Some of the third-party cookies set on our Website (in particular, Google Analytics cookies) may involve the transfer of your data to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) — including the United States. Google LLC participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, and data transfers to Google are covered by Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.
Where personal data is transferred outside the EEA in connection with cookies, such transfers are made in accordance with Chapter V of the GDPR and applicable Bulgarian data protection law. For more information on international data transfers in our wider data processing activities, please see our Privacy Policy.
9. Your rights in relation to cookies
In connection with the personal data processed through cookies, you have the following rights under GDPR and Bulgarian law:
- Right of access — you have the right to request confirmation of whether we process personal data about you through cookies, and to receive a copy of that data.
- Right to erasure — you may request deletion of personal data collected through non-essential cookies. You can also achieve this by withdrawing consent and clearing your browser cookies.
- Right to object — you have the right to object to processing of your personal data carried out on the basis of legitimate interests.
- Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw consent at any time. See Section 6 for how to do this.
- Right to lodge a complaint — you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Bulgarian Commission for Personal Data Protection (KZLD / КЗЛД) at www.cpdp.bg, or with another supervisory authority in your country of residence.
10. Data controller contact information
The data controller responsible for cookies and related personal data processing on this Website is:
| Organisation | Bulgaria For Business |
| Website | www.bulgaria-for-business.com |
| info@bulgaria-for-business.com | |
| Registered address | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Supervisory authority | Commission for Personal Data Protection (КЗЛД) — www.cpdp.bg |
11. Updates to this Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, applicable law, our business operations, or our cookie practices. When we make changes, we will update the version date at the top of this policy and, where changes are material, we may notify you through the website cookie banner or by other appropriate means.
We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically. Your continued use of our Website after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy to the extent permitted by applicable law.
12. Further information
For further information about cookies generally, including how to see what cookies have been set on your device and how to manage and delete them, you can visit the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website at ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/online/cookies, the European Data Protection Board website at edpb.europa.eu, or the Bulgarian Commission for Personal Data Protection at cpdp.bg.
If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us at privacy@bulgaria-for-business.com.
This Cookie Policy was last reviewed and updated in January 2025. It applies to the website www.bulgaria-for-business.com operated by Bulgaria For Business. This document does not constitute legal advice.