# Legalization of municipal documents for countries outside the 1961 Hague Convention
Source: https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/faq/document-legalization/legalization-of-municipal-documents-for-countries-not-members-of-the-hague-convention-of-1961/
Translation and legalization of municipal documents outside the Hague Convention
Birth, marriage, inheritance, civil-status and address certificates issued by municipal authorities are prepared according to the country where they will be presented. La Fit Trans combines the translation with the applicable authentication and keeps the document and its attachments together as one file.
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The absence of a Hague apostille does not create one identical procedure for every country. Before consular legalization, it is necessary to establish whether Bulgaria and the destination country have an effective legal-assistance treaty that removes further authentication and what the receiving authority requires.
## What municipal documents are covered?
Municipal documents include certificates and certified copies of birth, marriage and death records, certificates of heirs, marital status, permanent or current address, and other records issued by a municipal authority. The type of record, issue date, signature, seal and attachments determine which form of the document may be accepted.
## How is the regime for the destination country determined?
The review covers the country’s status under the Hague Convention, any effective legal-assistance treaty and the rules of the receiving authority. A country outside the Convention may accept Bulgarian documents under a bilateral treaty without full legalization. Where no applicable treaty exists, the required consular legalization route is identified.
## How is a document issued by a Bulgarian municipality prepared?
The document must carry the complete particulars of the issuing municipality and legible signatures and seals. When a municipal document requires legalization, authentication by the mayor or an authorized municipal official is checked. An original, an official certified copy and a multilingual extract are not automatically treated alike, so the appropriate form follows the recipient’s requirements.
## How does consular legalization outside the apostille system work?
For a country that is not party to the Hague Convention and has no effective legal-assistance treaty with Bulgaria, the document passes through the applicable authentications in Bulgaria and before the relevant diplomatic or consular mission. The exact order depends on the destination country, the competent missions and their rules for the translation.
## How is a foreign municipal document prepared for use in Bulgaria?
A document from a non-Hague country without an applicable legal-assistance treaty normally requires authentication by the foreign ministry of the issuing country and by the Bulgarian diplomatic or consular mission. If direct diplomatic relations are absent, a mission in a third country may be involved. The document is then accompanied by a Bulgarian translation in the required form.
## What do the translation and certification include?
The translation covers the main text, names, dates, numbers, notes, seals and authentication statements. For civil-status records, the link between the original, extract and attachments is preserved, while differences in the spelling of names are handled carefully. Certification of the translation follows the document’s origin and the recipient’s requirement.
## What determines the price and turnaround time?
The quotation reflects the language pair, volume, type of municipal document, required authentications, number of authorities and delivery method. Consular processing times and fees vary by country and may change, so the price and schedule are confirmed after review of the document and its intended use.
## How does La Fit Trans assist?
La Fit Trans provides the translation, editorial review, certified copies and applicable administrative handling as clearly defined services. The client receives a quotation for the specific document and country, while originals and attachments remain tracked as one file until delivery online, by courier or through the selected office.
## 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/)
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- [Interpreting 10](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/faq/interpreting/)
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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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