# Which Bulgarian institutions can affix an Apostille?
Source: https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/faq/document-legalization/which-bulgarian-institutions-can-affix-an-apostille/
Four competent authorities, selected by the document issuer
In Bulgaria an Apostille is issued by the Ministry of Justice, NACID, the regional administrations or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The correct authority follows from the document type and issuer. La Fit Trans coordinates the assessment, filing, translation and collection as one service.
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## Which authorities issue Apostilles in Bulgaria?
Bulgaria has designated four groups of competent authorities: the Ministry of Justice, the National Centre for Information and Documentation (NACID), the regional administrations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The [official MFA guidance](https://www.mfa.bg/en/services-travel/consular-services/certifications-legalisations/general-information) confirms this allocation.
The authority is not chosen by convenience or by the country where the document will be presented. The issuer, the type of public act and the signature or seal to be authenticated determine the route. A diploma, court decision and municipal certificate therefore travel through different administrations.
## Ministry of Justice: court and notarial acts
The [Ministry of Justice](https://justice.government.bg/home/index/7fafeee0-4d6d-445e-8353-b18bd1c796d2) issues Apostilles for public acts of courts and notaries. This includes documents issued by an authority or official connected with the justice system, notarial acts and official certifications of a date or signature on a private document.
What the signature on the submitted copy certifies is decisive. A notarised copy, a notarised declaration and a court certificate may rest on different acts, but the competent authority remains linked to the judicial or notarial origin of the document.
## NACID: educational and certifying documents
[NACID](https://nacid.bg/bg/services/services_01/) issues Apostilles for educational and certifying documents from higher-education institutions, research organisations, preschool, school and vocational-education institutions, and for defined documents of the Ministry of Education and Science and its units.
The Apostille authenticates the origin of a diploma, diploma supplement, academic transcript or other record. It is not academic recognition and does not decide equivalence. Where the recipient needs recognition, a translation or an additional certificate, those steps remain separate parts of the file.
## Regional administrations: acts of mayors and municipalities
Regional administrations issue Apostilles for documents signed by mayors or issued by municipal administrations. Common examples include civil-status records, address certificates and other municipal administrative documents when they fall within the Apostille Convention.
The competent regional administration follows from the municipality and the signature on the document, not from the holder’s permanent address. If the copy is not in an admissible form, a newly issued record or preliminary administrative certification may be needed before the Apostille.
## Ministry of Foreign Affairs: the remaining administrative documents
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues Apostilles for the remaining Bulgarian administrative documents within its competence after the required preliminary certifications have been added. This may cover acts of central administrations and other public authorities outside the judicial, notarial, educational and municipal groups.
The MFA is not a universal final desk for every document. Where an act belongs to the Ministry of Justice, NACID or a regional administration, that body issues the Apostille. This distinction prevents a valid document from being filed with the wrong authority.
## When is an Apostille not the correct procedure?
An Apostille is used when a document is a public act within the Apostille Convention and will be presented in another Contracting Party. A bilateral treaty or a special EU regime may exempt defined documents, while a destination outside an applicable regime may require consular legalisation.
The Apostille does not translate the document or guarantee acceptance of its content. The recipient may require a particular original, a recent issue date, a certified copy, a translation or separate recognition. The authentication route and language format are therefore planned together for the actual purpose.
## One managed route from document review to the finished translation
The [document legalisation service](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/document-legalization/) starts with the issuer, destination and recipient requirements. La Fit Trans identifies the competent authority, coordinates filing and collection, and aligns the [document translation](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/document-translation/) with every certification and attachment.
The quotation separates official fees, translation, coordination and delivery where applicable. Current guidance appears in the [legalisation prices](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/legalization-prices/) , while an [online order](https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/online-translations/) enables a preliminary assessment from a readable copy without losing control of the original.
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