While being led by our ambition to support our clients in the present situation, as well as ensure for them stability, comfort and certainty, with effect from 13.05.2020 UBB starts offering interest-free consumer loans for natural persons under the Programme for guaranteeing interest-free loans in protection of people, deprived of the opportunity to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a concluded agreement with the Bulgarian Development Bank.

This Programme aims at supporting individuals, impacted by the economic consequences from the COVID-19 pandemic, who are either employed or self-employed persons, meeting the criteria further below.

As regards persons, employed under labour contracts:

• They should have discontinued their paid labour for their employer and should be on an unpaid leave as a result from the pandemic, as the initial date of the unpaid leave should be after 08.03.2020;
• They should be parties to employment relations during the last 6 months, prior to their going on an unpaid leave;
• They should not be receiving remuneration under other employment relations;
• They should have worked at least five business days in the month of March, if this is the month when they were sent on an unpaid leave.

As regards self-employed persons:

• They should have suspended their activity as self-employed persons and/or they should be sustaining at least 20% drop in their income for the first quarter of 2020, as compared to their income for the first quarter of 2019, as a result of the pandemic;
• They should not be receiving remuneration under other legal relations.

Applicants should have paid their social security contributions and should be able to resume their activity (get back to the same work after termination of the unpaid leave).

Applicants should neither use, nor should they have applied for using another loan under the Programme, unless this loan is in amount smaller than BGN 4500 and has been granted by UBB.

Alongside using the loan, the applicants cannot benefit from another pandemic-related measure for natural persons provided by the state.

Parameters of the interest-free loans:

• Amount: Up to BGN 4500, through conclusion of a loan agreement/s with UBB, with single drawdown or in tranches /maximum tranche amount being BGN 1500/ after obtaining a Confirmation from the Bulgarian Development Bank that the loan has been included in the Guaranteed Portfolio.
• Currency: Bulgarian leva (BGN)
• Repayment period: up to 5 years (60 months)
• Annual interest rate on the standard principal 0 (zero)%
• Penalty interest rate on the past due principal 10 (ten)% per annum
• No collateral
• No fees and commissions in line with the loan disbursement
• Option to select a grace period of minimum 6 months up to maximum 24 months, after the expiry of which the loan repayment shall start

Option to select a loan repayment manner:

• Equal monthly installments
• Bullet installment at the end of the loan tenor

Loan purpose: Current needs

As a borrower under the loan you shall use the provided funds only for your individual needs as a natural person, however not for the economic activity, performed by you.

Programme period:

You can apply for a loan under the Programme by 31.12.2020 (incl.)

A Loan Agreement under the Programme may be concluded by 11.01.2021 (incl.), as the deadline for drawdown of loan funds is 31.01.2021 (incl.) 

Applicant’s List of Documents:

• Loan application (as per a sample format of the BDB)
• Declaration of Consent
• Valid identity document – ID card or passport

As regards persons under employment relations:

• Copy of a labour contract or another document containing data about the employer and the concluded labour contract
• Certificate or another document indicating that the person is on an unpaid leave

As regards self-employed persons:

• Document for registration of the individual as a self-employed person
• Declaration for the suspended activity of the self-employed persons and/or documents certifying at least 20% drop in the income of the self-employed persons in the first quarter of 2020 as compared to the first quarter of 2019;

Channels, via which you can inform us of your wish to obtain a loan under the Programme:

• Via the official webpage of UBB, by filling out the Request for Financing (sample form) at the bottom of this section. A filled-out form in advance will facilitate the quicker processing of your request, after which a Contact Center official will call the client to further discuss the loan request details.
• Through UBB’s Client Contact Centre at the dedicated hotline *6777 - on business days from 8:30 h. until 17:30 h.
• To the following email address: contact_center@ubb.bg
• At any UBB branch.

Small and medium-sized enterprises and the corporate clients, as well as micro clients of the Bank, which businesses are directly impacted by the introduced state of emergency and the imposed measures in line with the spread of Covid-19, may refer to their client relationship officials at the Bank for discussing their needs and capabilities in order to overcome the adverse impact on their business. A standard deferred payment scheme for up to 6 months will also apply to business customers.

In line with the recommendations of the National Operational Headquarters and of the Ministry of Health, with effect from 30.03.2020 until the end of the state of emergency period:

•  UBB branches will operate Monday to Friday from 08:30 h. until 17:00 h.

Upon visiting a branch of the Bank we kindly ask you to comply with the requirements of the Ministry of Health and to bear in mind the following measures, applied by UBB and aimed at your safety:

• Keep a distance of 2 meters from the other clients and from the branch employees. Wait for your turn in front of the branch, if there are already two other clients, who are being serviced inside.
• All our employees are servicing clients with protective masks and gloves and are using disinfection materials.
• Where possible, in certain branches teller desks operate on “every other one” principle.
• At all branches of UBB disinfection is being made by a professional company, according to an approved schedule.

UBB clients can effect remotely main banking transactions 24/7, without visiting a branch of the Bank:

• Fund transfers in Bulgarian leva and foreign currency
  Balance inquiry and statements of UBB accounts and credit cards
• Fund transfers to the State Budget
• Pending payables inquiry and utility bill payment
• More information about UBB Mobile is available here.
• More information about UBB Online is available here.

All our clients, inquiring general information about credit and payment products and services, offered by the Bank, can use the free-of-charge remote video consultation service with an UBB employee - UBB Video Meeting.

This service gives you the needed flexibility for a virtual video call with a UBB employee, who is going to consult you in real time regarding additional queries, questions and info on the Bank’s credit products.

Should you need additional assistance UBB Contact Centre staff is available for you at 0700 117 17 for the services, listed here.