⚠ This article is aimed at online store owners and system administrators who use OpenCart with EUR as the main currency and sell on the Bulgarian market. After the EUR–BGN transition, clearly showing the BGN value next to the EUR price is practically a must-have for merchants.

Screenshot from a real online store of one of our partners (used with permission) – this is how the live EUR + BGN dual-currency display looks in production.

After the introduction of the euro, many stores switched to EUR as their main currency, but customers in Bulgaria still think in BGN. On the Bulgarian market it is becoming a de-facto standard to clearly show the BGN value next to the EUR price. Our OCMOD integration adds the BGN amount in brackets next to the EUR price – fast, clean and without conflicts with your theme or existing modules.

1) Why dual-currency display (EUR + BGN)?

Most customers in Bulgaria are used to thinking in BGN, even when the official currency is EUR. After the EUR transition, any online store selling to Bulgarian customers that shows only EUR prices forces the user to calculate: how much is this in BGN, is the price fair, are there hidden fees?

With dual-currency display:

• Your main price remains in EUR (as configured in the store)
• Right next to it, the BGN value appears automatically in brackets
• It uses the actual OpenCart currency rate, no manual calculation required
• The customer immediately sees the real price in BGN and gains more trust

2) How our OpenCart integration works

We use a lightweight OCMOD extension that adds logic to system/library/cart/currency.php. No database changes, no “hard-coded” prices and no theme conflicts.

The core logic:

• Check if the store’s default currency is EUR
• Check if the currently displayed currency is also EUR
• If the BGN currency is configured – we calculate the value in BGN
• We append it as a secondary formatted value in brackets, for example: €100.00 (195.58 лв.)

3) Technical example (OCMOD for EUR → BGN) Copy code

Sample excerpt from our OCMOD modification (simplified for demonstration):

<modification>
  <name>Multi-Currency Display (EUR main, BGN secondary)</name>
  <code>multicurrency_display</code>

  <file path="system/library/cart/currency.php">

    <!-- Add config so we know the default currency -->
    <operation>
      <search><![CDATA[private $currencies = array();]]></search>
      <add position="after"><![CDATA[
  private $config;
      ]]></add>
    </operation>

    <!-- Get config from registry -->
    <operation>
      <search><![CDATA[$this->language = $registry->get('language');]]></search>
      <add position="after"><![CDATA[
    if ($registry->has('config')) {
      $this->config = $registry->get('config');
    }
      ]]></add>
    </operation>

    <!-- Core logic: if store is in EUR, show BGN as secondary -->
    <operation>
      <search><![CDATA[return $string;]]></search>
      <add position="replace"><![CDATA[
    if ($format && isset($this->config)) {
      $default_currency = $this->config->get('config_currency');

      // If default is EUR and we format in EUR, show BGN in brackets
      if ($default_currency == 'EUR' && $currency == 'EUR' && isset($this->currencies['BGN'])) {
        $secondary_currency = 'BGN';
        $secondary_value    = $this->convert($amount, $currency, $secondary_currency);

        $sec_symbol_left   = $this->currencies[$secondary_currency]['symbol_left'];
        $sec_symbol_right  = $this->currencies[$secondary_currency]['symbol_right'];
        $sec_decimal_place = $this->currencies[$secondary_currency]['decimal_place'];

        $secondary_price = '';
        if ($sec_symbol_left)  {
          $secondary_price .= $sec_symbol_left;
        }

        $secondary_price .= number_format(
          round($secondary_value, (int)$sec_decimal_place),
          (int)$sec_decimal_place,
          $this->language->get('decimal_point'),
          $this->language->get('thousand_point')
        );

        if ($sec_symbol_right) {
          $secondary_price .= $sec_symbol_right;
        }

        return $string . ' (' . $secondary_price . ')';
      }
    }

    return $string;
      ]]></add>
    </operation>

  </file>
</modification>

4) Benefits for your OpenCart store

With the integration in place, you get:

• Better user experience – customers instantly see how much the product costs in BGN
• More trust – no more mental math or external converters
• No changes to products – admin prices remain in EUR
• No database changes – everything goes through OCMOD and the core currency logic
• Compatibility with themes like Journal3 and other custom themes

5) Setup, support and pricing

The integration is done remotely (Zoom / AnyDesk) and typically takes around 10–15 minutes, including live tests on your store. The solution is already implemented in real stores of our partners and has proven stable.

The service includes:

• Installation of the OCMOD extension
• Verification of currencies (EUR and BGN) and exchange rates
• Testing on product pages, category pages and cart
• Consultation on best practices for working with EUR and BGN

💶 Integration price: 50 EUR (one-time)

6) Frequently asked questions

• Do you change product prices in the OpenCart admin?
  No. All prices remain in EUR, exactly as you set them. The BGN value is calculated dynamically on display.
• Can BGN be the main currency and EUR the secondary one?
  Yes, the logic can be adapted – by default we do EUR → BGN, but we can configure BGN → EUR or other pairs.
• Will this break my theme (for example Journal3)?
  No. We work at the currency system level, not inside templates. The solution is compatible with Journal3 and most popular themes.
• Will reporting and invoicing data change?
  No. The modification affects only how prices are displayed, it does not change any records in the database.

Tip: keep your OpenCart currency rates up to date. Dual-currency display works best when EUR and BGN are synchronized with real-world values. For the Bulgarian market this is no longer a “nice to have”, but an expected standard.

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