# How is legalization charged?
Source: https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/faq/document-legalization/how-is-legalization-charged/
How the cost of document legalization is calculated
Legalization does not have one universal fixed price. The total combines the public or consular fee for each required authentication, the service coordination fee and, where relevant, translation, notarization and delivery.
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## What makes up the final price?
The final price normally has two principal components: the fee charged by the public authority, consular office or embassy and the fee for coordinating the service. The first follows an official tariff; the second covers intake, document checks, filing and collection under the applicable procedure.
Translation, certification of the translator’s signature, notarization, copies and delivery may be added when needed. They are not automatically part of every legalization, so the total follows the document’s actual route rather than a single package price for every case.
## How is the public or consular fee determined?
Each competent authority applies its own tariff. A fee may cover one apostille, one authentication, one document, one copy or a defined number of pages. For example, the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice publishes a fixed apostille fee for court and notarial acts in its [official service description](https://justice.government.bg/home/index/7fafeee0-4d6d-445e-8353-b18bd1c796d2) .
For consular legalization, the tariff may also depend on the service type and selected processing time. Current figures cannot be transferred mechanically from one authority to another because the same word “certification” can refer to different administrative acts.
## When can one document generate more than one fee?
A document may pass through several consecutive authentications. Depending on its issuer and destination, the route may include prior certification by a competent department, an apostille or consular legalization, followed by a separate certification of the translation.
Every fee should correspond to an actual step. The number of authorities follows the applicable international regime, document type and receiving institution rather than a preferred package. The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs [official guidance](https://new.mfa.bg/bg/5688) distinguishes an apostille, a legal-assistance treaty and full legalization.
## Does the number of pages matter?
There is no universal rule that pages are always charged or never charged in legalization. Some administrative services use a fixed fee for an authentication, while other tariffs distinguish the first and subsequent pages, copies or separate attachments.
Translation is priced separately from the public authentication, and its cost may depend on volume, language and text complexity. A multi-page document may therefore carry one administrative fee but a larger translation volume, or fall under a tariff that also accounts for pages.
## How does the deadline affect the price?
Some authorities offer standard, fast and express processing at different fees, while others have only one service time. A shorter deadline may raise both the official fee and the coordination fee where accelerated filing and collection are required.
The time for one authentication is not necessarily the time for the whole document. When several authorities are involved, the total includes every stage, translation and delivery. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists its options in the current [fees and processing-times notice](https://www.mfa.bg/upload/152523/%D0%98%D0%BD%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F%20%D0%B7%D0%B0%20%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%20%D0%B8%20%D1%81%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B5%20%D0%B7%D0%B0%20%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B5%20%D0%B8%20%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B5%20%D0%BD%D0%B0%20%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BA%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B826.pdf) .
## How are an apostille and consular legalization charged?
An apostille is issued by the authority competent for the relevant type of public document. Its fee covers authentication of that act and does not automatically include translation, certification of the translation or recognition of the document’s content by a foreign institution.
Consular legalization may involve more offices and fees charged by a foreign embassy or consulate. The representation sets the amount and currency, so the cost of a document intended for a country outside the Hague Apostille regime cannot be derived from a Bulgarian tariff alone.
## Why is the document type alone not enough for an exact price?
Two birth certificates may follow different routes when they were issued in different countries or will be presented to different institutions. A legal-assistance treaty may remove the apostille requirement, while another destination requires an apostille or consecutive consular legalization.
An exact calculation uses the issuer, countries of issue and use, purpose, number of originals or copies, language and deadline. This keeps the public authentication separate from translation and any additional services.
## How does La Fit Trans present the price?
La Fit Trans separates the official administrative fee from the company’s coordination fee. Translation, notarization, an additional authority or delivery appear as separate components when applicable, making the composition of the total transparent.
Current [legalisation prices](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/legalization-prices/) depend on the authority and procedure. The final estimate is based on the actual document and its intended use because tariffs, processing times and consular requirements may change.
## Question topics
- [Document Legalization 139](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/faq/document-legalization/)
- [Online translation and legalisation of documents 12](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/faq/online-translation-and-legalisation-of-documents/)
- [Offices for translation and legalization 5](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/faq/offices-for-translation-and-legalization/)
- [Translation and legalization orders 5](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/faq/translation-and-legalization-orders/)
- [Translation of documents 20](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/faq/translation-of-documents/)
- [Specialized translations 2](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/faq/specialized-translations/)
- [Quality process management 5](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/faq/quality-process-management/)
- [Interpreting 10](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/faq/interpreting/)
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### [How is a statement of claim translated and legalised for use abroad?](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/faq/document-legalization/legalisation-of-statement-of-claim-ministry-of-justice/)
A statement of claim sets out the facts, relief sought and evidential attachments by which court proceedings are commenced. When the document or a copy will be used in another country, the service may include...
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What does recognition of a foreign diploma mean? Recognition is the official written confirmation that secondary education completed at a foreign school or a school in the European Schools system corresponds to...
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## Support for your particular case
The La Fit Trans team relates the general information to the specific document, language and receiving institution. The quotation then covers the necessary translation and certification, with a clear understanding of the agreed result.
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