Suicide Hotlines and Crisis Lines in Bulgaria

A helpline is a place to talk to someone when you are struggling, before or instead of a crisis. The lines on this page are answered by psychologists, trained volunteers or counsellors, depending on the service. If you are not in Bulgaria, the worldwide list is organised by country.

What you share is kept private in almost all cases; if a counsellor believes a life is in immediate danger, they may arrange urgent help. The child helpline goes further: where there is evidence of risk to a child, it notifies the child-protection authorities. What each service costs is set out beside it below, because some of these numbers are free and for others no cost is published.

TherapyRoute is a directory. We do not answer calls or messages ourselves, so please use the numbers below rather than contacting us if you need someone now.

CRISIS LINES, SUICIDE HOTLINES, AND HELPLINES IN BULGARIA

Each number below was checked in August 2026 at the operating organisation's own website, or at a Bulgarian government page that publishes the service.

Notice an error or a missing service? Please tell us so we can correct it.

The emergency number 112, and what it does and does not do

Национална телефонна линия за деца 116 111, the National Child Helpline

Фондация „Асоциация Анимус", the national hotline for people affected by violence

Алианс за защита от насилие, основано на пола, 0800 11 977

Асоциация „Деметра" crisis line, 0700 40 150

Център „Вселена", for people affected by sexual violence

National information line for drugs, alcohol and gambling

While you are waiting to be answered

If you are worried about someone else

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The emergency number 112, and what it does and does not do

Bulgaria runs a single emergency number for ambulance, police and fire. It is operated by the Ministry of Interior's Directorate "National System 112".

The Ministry's own page says: „Телефонът се избира без код. Услугата 112 е денонощна и безплатна", that is, the number is dialled without a code, and the service is round-the-clock and free.

The same page warns that „Телефон 112 не е информационен телефон", 112 is not an information line and does not serve non-urgent calls. If you are in danger, call it. If you want to talk, use the lines below.

Tel: 112

Hours: round-the-clock, in the Ministry's own words.

Cost: free, in the Ministry's own words.

Национална телефонна линия за деца 116 111, the National Child Helpline

The Национална телефонна линия за деца 116 111 (National Child Helpline 116 111) is run by the Държавна агенция за закрила на детето (State Agency for Child Protection). It is for children, young people and their families, and it has been part of Child Helpline International since June 2021.

The operators who answer are trained psychologists. In the organisation's own words, they are ready "24 hours a day, 7 days a week, anonymously and entirely free of charge" to listen, support, advise and refer callers on any matter that concerns them. The site describes the line as „безплатно и анонимно за цялата страна", free and anonymous for the whole country.

Know before you call: the site states that where there is evidence of risk to a child, the child-protection authorities are notified immediately.

Tel: 116 111

Chat: www.116111.bg

Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The chat runs daily from 08:00 to 20:00.

Cost: free, in the organisation's own words.

Languages: the site is published in Bulgarian, English and Ukrainian. Which languages calls are answered in is not published.

Фондация „Асоциация Анимус", the national hotline for people affected by violence

Фондация „Асоциация Анимус" (Animus Association Foundation) runs the Национална гореща телефонна линия за пострадали от насилие, the national hotline for people affected by domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking, and for their relatives. The line has run since 1 October 1997 and is staffed by trained volunteers.

The organisation describes it as a 24-hour service. Its consultants listen and give emotional support, help with decision-making, and refer people to other services. In a crisis after a recent incident of violence, they draw up a safety plan and refer the caller to a crisis centre or another suitable service. Consultations are described by the organisation as anonymous and confidential.

Tel: 0800 1 86 76, as the Ministry of Interior prints it, or 0800 18 676, as the Prosecutor's Office prints it. These are the same digits. Both bodies describe this number as free and round-the-clock.

Tel: 02/981 76 86, the number printed on the organisation's own hotline page. Its cost is not published. From outside Bulgaria the organisation prints it as ++359 2 981 76 86.

Hours: a 24-hour service, in the organisation's own words.

Cost: the 0800 number is free, per the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor's Office. The cost of the 02 number is not published.

Алианс за защита от насилие, основано на пола, 0800 11 977

Сдружение „Алианс за защита от насилие, основано на пола" (Alliance for Protection from Gender-Based Violence) is an alliance of specialist organisations working across a number of Bulgarian cities. The Social Assistance Agency describes its line as „националната денонощна специализирана телефонна линия", the national round-the-clock specialised telephone line, for professional support in cases of domestic and gender-based violence.

One thing to know: the Alliance's own website does not publish this number. We list it because two Bulgarian government bodies do, the Prosecutor's Office and the Social Assistance Agency, and the Prosecutor's Office describes it as free and round-the-clock.

Tel: 0800 11 977

Hours: round-the-clock, per both government sources.

Cost: free, per the Prosecutor's Office.

Асоциация „Деметра" crisis line, 0700 40 150

Асоциация „Деметра" (Demetra Association) runs the Психологична денонощна линия за обслужване при кризи, a round-the-clock psychological crisis line, presented on its front page as its hotline for people affected by domestic violence. The organisation says the line gives immediate access to a crisis counsellor.

Demetra is based in Burgas and does not describe this line as national, so we list it after the national services. It is included because a psychological crisis line answered at any hour is scarce in Bulgaria, whatever its home city.

Tel: 0700 40 150

Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week, in the organisation's own words.

Cost: not published. 0700 numbers in Bulgaria are not free by default, and the organisation does not describe this one as free, so a call may be charged.

Център „Вселена", for people affected by sexual violence

The Център за подкрепа на жертви на сексуално насилие „Вселена" (Vselena Centre for Support of Victims of Sexual Violence) is a Demetra service. It runs a free 24-hour emergency support line for people who have experienced sexual violence.

In the centre's own words, it is a place where a person can speak confidentially about what happened and receive care and support from experienced professionals. Like Demetra's crisis line, it is based in Burgas and is not described as national.

Tel: 0800 18 017

Hours: round-the-clock emergency support, in the centre's own words.

Cost: free, in the centre's own words.

National information line for drugs, alcohol and gambling

The Национална информационна линия за наркотиците, алкохола и хазарта (National Information Line for Drugs, Alcohol and Gambling) is maintained by Асоциация за рехабилитация на зависими „Солидарност". It is staffed by psychologists and a social-work associate, for people affected by drugs, alcohol or gambling and for their families. It is the Bulgarian member of FESAT, the European federation of drug information lines.

In the organisation's own words, anyone can call, chat or email "without risk of their identity being revealed and without fear of judgement". This is an information and support line rather than a crisis line, and it keeps office hours, so do not wait for it to open if you are in danger.

Tel: 0888-99-18-66, also printed on the same site as 0888-991-866.

Chat: dchat.drugsinfo-bg.org

Hours: phone and chat are staffed from 10:00 to 17:00 every working day.

Cost: not published.

While you are waiting to be answered

Some of these lines keep office hours, and a line that is open can still be busy. If you are waiting, try to stay with someone you trust, or ask someone to sit with you until the call connects.

If you have anything near you that you could use to harm yourself, put it somewhere harder to reach, or ask someone else to hold it for you. Distance and time both help.

If waiting is not possible, dial 112 or go to a hospital emergency department. You do not need an appointment and you do not need to explain yourself well.

If you are worried about someone else

Ask them directly. Asking someone whether they are thinking of suicide does not put the idea there, and it often comes as a relief to be asked plainly.

Listen more than you advise. You do not need the right words, and you are not expected to fix anything.

If they are willing, offer to sit with them while they call one of the numbers above, or to make the call together. If they are in immediate danger, treat it as you would any medical emergency.

Supporting someone through this is heavy, and it is reasonable to want support of your own. The lines above are open to you too, within the scope each one states.

For services in other countries, see the list of helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide.

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