Document legalization is needed when a document issued in one country must be used officially in another country. Legalization confirms the authenticity and validity of the document so it can be accepted by public or private institutions abroad. In many cases, a written translation into the official language of the receiving country is also required.
Depending on the issuing country, document legalization processes are divided into three main groups.
Document legalization for documents issued by a member state of the Hague Convention (Apostille)
The most common case is when the document is issued by a country that is a party to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Hague Convention). In this case, the issuing country certifies the authenticity of the document by affixing an apostille.
What is an apostille?
An apostille is a certificate with a seal/stamp that certifies the authenticity of the signature of the person who signed the document; the capacity in which the person acted; and the authenticity of the seal or stamp placed on the document. The apostille is drawn up in the official language of the country and is placed on the document itself or on an attached continuation as an integral part. It is often drawn up in the official language of the country and in English, with only the title always also appearing in French (Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961).
According to the Hague Convention, each member state designates the authorities which, in accordance with their official duties, are empowered to affix an apostille. Each designated authority keeps a register of the apostilles issued, indicating the serial number and date of affixing; the name of the person who signed the public document and the capacity in which that person acted.
Certification with an apostille of documents issued in Bulgaria
In the Republic of Bulgaria, the authorities affixing an apostille are the Regional Administrations, the Ministry of Justice, the National Centre for Information and Documentation, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The requirements for issuing a Bulgarian document so that it can be certified with an apostille depend on the type of document and the issuing authority. Several of the most common types of documents can be distinguished by the authorities that affix apostilles.
Certification with an apostille of documents from Regional Administrations
Document legalization (certification with an apostille) by the Regional Administrations is most commonly used for a birth certificate and a civil marriage certificate, which must be issued as a “duplicate” with a rectangular stamp certifying the signatures and seals on the document. Other commonly legalized documents of this type are a certificate of family status, spouse and children; certificate of permanent address; certificate of current address; certificate of marriage concluded by a Bulgarian citizen abroad; certificate of identity of a person with different names, etc., and are issued as an “original” with a rectangular stamp certifying the signatures and seals.
The legalization (certification) with an apostille by Regional Administrations can be checked at: http://apostille.gov.bg/
Certification with an apostille of documents from the Ministry of Justice
Document legalization (certification with an apostille) by the Ministry of Justice is affixed to documents issued by courts and those certified by a notary.
For documents issued by courts, the most commonly used abroad are criminal record certificates and court decisions. The requirement for issuing a criminal record certificate for a foreign country is that the country for which it is intended must be specified and that the signatures of the judge and court clerk must be affixed, which is the essential difference from a criminal record certificate issued for use in Bulgaria. For a court decision issued as a “copy”, it must bear the stamp “True to the original”, the date of entry into force must be indicated, and the signatures of the judge and secretary/clerk must be affixed. If the judge’s signature is not original, the name of the secretary/clerk must be written out.
For legalization of documents (certification with an apostille) that are certified by a notary, the issuance requirements are: the original with a notarial certification confirming the signatures affixed (e. g. power of attorney and declaration); as well as a copy certified by a notary, in which the certification confirms that a copy has been taken from the original (e. g. contract, articles of association, protocol).
The legalization (certification) with an apostille by the Ministry of Justice can be checked at: https://apostil.mjs.bg
Certification with an apostille of documents from the National Centre for Information and Documentation (NACID)
Document legalization (certification with an apostille) by NACID is carried out for all educational documents issued by Bulgarian educational institutions.
The National Centre for Information and Documentation (NACID) is the only authority in the Republic of Bulgaria that provides the legalization service (certification with an apostille) entirely online, in accordance with the Pilot Program for the Electronic Apostille (e-APP) of the Hague Conference on Private International Law and the National Notary Association of the United States of 10.03.2006.
The electronic apostille (e-apostille / e-apostille) has the same value and particulars, complying with the requirements of the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, as the paper apostille. The only difference between the paper and electronic apostille is in the seals and signatures affixed: in the electronic version they are an electronic signature and seal, while in the paper version they are affixed manually, but in both cases the legal force is the same. As for the validity of electronic apostilles, it is preserved just as with paper ones, i. e. it is unlimited.
The most common educational documents for pre-school, school and vocational education and training that can be submitted through the electronic apostille program are:
- Secondary education diploma, issued AFTER 01.01.2007;
- Annex to the secondary education diploma, issued AFTER 01.01.2007;
- Basic education certificate, issued AFTER 01.06.2009;
- Vocational qualification certificate, issued AFTER 01.06.2008;
- Annex to the vocational qualification certificate, issued AFTER 01.06.2008;
- Certificate of completion of the first stage of secondary education, issued AFTER 01.06.2020;
- Annex to the certificate of completion of the first stage of secondary education, issued AFTER 01.06.2020;
- Certificate of completion of the secondary stage, issued AFTER 01.01.2007;
- Annex to the certificate of completion of the secondary stage, issued AFTER 01.01.2007;
- Vocational qualification certificate, issued by a Vocational Training Centre AFTER 01.08.2016;
- Vocational training certificate, issued by a Vocational Training Centre AFTER 01.08.2016;
- Certificate of competence issued by a Vocational Training Centre AFTER 01.08.2016.
For educational documents issued by higher education institutions and scientific organizations that can be submitted through the electronic apostille program:
- Diploma for completed higher education qualification degree, issued AFTER 01.01.2012;
- Annex to the higher education diploma, issued AFTER 01.01.2012;
- Diploma for the educational and scientific degree “Doctor”, issued AFTER 01.01.2018;
- Annex to the diploma for an educational and scientific degree, issued AFTER 01.01.2018;
- Diploma for the scientific degree “Doctor of Sciences”, issued AFTER 01.01.2018;
- Certificate of recognized higher education acquired in foreign higher education institutions, issued AFTER 01.01.2010;
- Certificate of recognition of an educational and scientific/scientific degree acquired in a foreign higher education institution/scientific organization, issued AFTER 17.07.2018.
For educational documents issued before 01.01.2007, it is also possible to issue an electronic apostille, but the original document must be provided for reference.
The legalization (certification) with an apostille by NACID can be checked at: https://apostille.bg
Certification with an apostille of documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Document legalization (certification with an apostille) by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is affixed to documents issued by the Registry Agency (e. g. Certificate of current status of a company), the National Social Security Institute (e. g. Certificate of monthly pension amount), the National Revenue Agency (e. g. Certificate of the presence or absence of obligations), the General Directorate “National Police” (e. g. Certificate of possession of an identity document). Documents issued by these institutions and subject to legalization (certification with an apostille) must be issued on the institution’s form, indicate the country before which the document will be used, and bear a signature and seal.
The legalization (certification) with an apostille by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can be checked at: https://apostille.mfa.bg
In addition to legalization of the document (certification with an apostille) of a document issued by a Bulgarian authority, it must also be translated into the official language of the country in which it will be used, and the translation must be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Use of documents in Bulgaria issued by a foreign state member of the Hague Convention
For a document issued by a foreign state member of the Hague Convention, the document must be legalized (certified with an apostille) in the country that issued it. To be used in Bulgaria, it is also necessary to make a written translation into Bulgarian and have it certified before a notary by a sworn translator. In this way, the issued document can be used in Bulgaria.
Document legalization (certification with an apostille) is not required if the document is issued by a country that has bilateral agreements exempting documents from legalization and certification with the country in which the document will be used. The document still needs to be issued in accordance with the requirements for use in a foreign country, according to the legislation of the issuing country, and it must also be translated into the official language of the country. Some of the countries with which the Republic of Bulgaria has bilateral relations are Macedonia, Austria, France, etc.
For documents issued by a country that is not a member of the Hague Convention and has no bilateral legal assistance agreements with the country in which the document is to be used, it is necessary to legalize the document by obtaining certification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country and certification from the embassy of the country in which the document is to be used. The document is then translated into the official language of the country and the translation must be certified.