Certification and legalization of documents

In addition to translation, our integrated service includes all necessary certifications and/or legalization of your document at all state institutions and embassies in Bulgaria.

• Certification of a document is to certify an original or certified copy of the document in various government institutions and certification of legalized documents in consular offices of foreign countries in the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as the translator’s signature at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Legalization of a document is to lay down Apostille. Legalization of certified documents issued in the Republic of Bulgaria is carried out by Directorate "Consular Relations" at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education and Science

The terms for legalization of documents vary from 1 to 14 working days depending on the documents, the longer being the term for documents issued by educational institutions.

Documents to be served abroad shall be issued in accordance with bilateral treaties between countries and the "Rules of legalization, certification and translation of documents and other papers" of Directorate "Consular Relations" at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Our Service:

• We translate your document on our letterhead as an authorized agency, with seal and signature of a sworn translator.
• We submit your document for legal and administrative layout to the relevant entity (we authenticate the original document or a notarized copy in the ministries whose stamps required by Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
• We pay all required state fees on the spot or via bank transfer
• We attach the certified document to the translation. We certify this set of documents in the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• We deliver your document back to our office or to your preferred address you, if you are unable to visit our offices.

Important Information

• Whenever a document is issued by a country which is not party to the Hague Convention* or under a Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance**, full legalization includes certification by the Bulgarian consulate in the country issuing the document, or the certification by the Bulgarian consulate responsible for the country concerned.
• Documents issued by other countries are translated in Bulgaria by a company that has a contract with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs certifies the translator’s signature.

​* * The Hague Convention - mutual recognition of documents certified with APOSTILLE of the countries that ratified the Convention

** Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance - mutual recognition of public documents.

Below are set out the requirements for documents most often legalized for and from abroad. If you are not sure that your documents comply with the requirements or have a special case, a timely consultation (free of charge) with us will save you a lot of inconvenience, loss of time and money.

Requirements for documents subject to translation and legalization for use abroad:

• Certificate of birth, marriage, marital status, kinship, permanent address, certificate of death - must be duplicates (not originals or certified copies), or in rare cases, copies certified by the issuing municipality, bearing aa wet rectangular stamp for abroad. The documents must bear the rectangular stamp of the issuing municipality, certifying the authenticity of the signature and stamp laid thereupon.
• Matriculation certificate - must be completed with the faculty, major, year of enrolment, duration, the target degree of studies and for what purpose and where you will serve it; Certificate for transfer from a primary or secondary school - must be signed not only by the class tutor, but by the schoolmaster.
• High school diploma, college diploma, diploma of higher education, appendix to university diploma, academic transcript, diploma for post-graduate qualification (including those issued by medical educational establishments) - we advise you to bring us the original, which will then be returned to you. If you bring is a copy, it must bear a visible seal of the school and the signature of the schoolmaster or the rector and dean. For academic transcripts - must meet the same requirements as for certificates of matriculation.
• Certificate of conviction - must bear two signatures - of a judge and a registrar and a seal of the relevant court; judgment for company registration, certificate of good standing - must bear the signature of a judge (court chairman) and a fresh seal (not notarized copies); power of attorney or declaration – signatures of the authorising person or the declarant must be notarized.
• Medical certificate for employment abroad - must have completed all your data specified at the beginning of the document. You must have passed all examinations, including Wassermann, AIDS and psychiatrist, since there is a possibility for the document to be legalized without them (which happens very rarely), it might have problems when entering the respective country; child immunization passport (child health records book is not subject to legalization) - must have completed all immunizations made to date and the GP must have signed and stamped each page.
• Bank statement - if issued by your bank, explain that you need it for translation and legalization for use abroad and have it signed by two authorized persons who have submitted specimen signatures to BNB.

Dear Customers, when you are issued the relevant documents, you should check the correctness of data therein to avoid any mistakes, since we cannot make any changes to documents, or change them while translating.

To be valid in Bulgaria and to be served to the Bulgarian institutions, documents of Bulgarian citizens issued by another state should be further formatted in a specific way, which depends on whether the country is party to the Hague Convention, whether between that country and the Republic of Bulgaria there is an enforced and valid contract for legal aid or that the country does not fall into either of the first two groups.

Translation and legalization of documents certifying education/studies

• high education diplomas,
• university diplomas,
• academic transcripts,
• letters of assurance, reference letters, certificates,
• certificates of qualification
• certificates of re-qualification,
• certificates for completion of class
• certificates of pupil transfer
• certificates for completed educational stage
• certificates for exam passed in general education subject not included in the secondary education diploma
• certificates of completed primary education and other documents certifying education/studies

Translation Agency Jezabel offers an integrated service for translation and legalization of documents abroad and the Republic of Bulgaria with the aim of applying for secondary and higher education, extension and alignment of education, job applications, etc.

In order to be legalized in the Republic of Bulgaria, documents issued by foreign institutions must bear the appropriate certification by the State issuing the document. Legalization is not required for documents issued by the countries with which Bulgaria has entered into a Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance, namely their documents are exempt from legalization;

Documents are translated in a translation agency in the Republic of Bulgaria, which has a contract with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but translation made abroad is not recognized.

Whenever the document is issued by a state that is party to The Hague Convention or a Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs certifies the signature of the translator.

Whenever the document is issued by a state which is not party to The Hague Convention or a Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall certify both the translator’s signature and the document.

For information on prices, please, see section "Prices"