# How is a secondary education diploma obtained in a foreign country equated to Bulgarian education?
Source: https://www.lafit-trans.com/en/frequently-asked-questions/document-legalization/how-is-a-secondary-education-diploma-obtained-in-a-foreign-country-equated-to-bulgarian-education/
Recognition of a foreign secondary-school diploma in Bulgaria
Recognition confirms whether secondary education completed abroad corresponds to completed secondary education in Bulgaria. The competent authority, the final recognition document and the authentication requirements depend on the intended use and the country that issued the diploma.
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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 completed secondary education in Bulgaria. It assesses the educational result and is separate from an apostille, which authenticates the origin and signature of a public document.
The resulting document is valid only in Bulgaria and does not alter the wording, grades or qualification recorded in the original diploma. It links the foreign credential to a defined Bulgarian administrative purpose without converting the diploma into a newly issued Bulgarian document.
## Which authority is competent after 1 October 2025?
Since 1 October 2025, the Bulgarian National Centre for Information and Documentation, NACID, has recognised completed secondary education acquired at a foreign school. The change follows amendments to Ordinances 11 and 8 published in State Gazette issue 65 of 8 August 2025 and is confirmed in the [official NACID announcement](https://nacid.bg/bg/news/npg_1/) .
Older publications may still direct every application to a Regional Department of Education, but that is no longer a universal rule. NACID handles completed secondary education, while recognition of school periods, grades and stages remains a separate procedure with a different institutional route.
## Certificate, confirmation or statement of grade equivalence?
NACID issues a certificate when recognition is needed for entry to higher education, obtaining a driving entitlement or access to the labour market. A confirmation is intended for driving-entitlement and labour-market purposes and does not serve as the recognition document for admission to a higher education institution.
A statement of grade equivalence is a separate outcome for subjects that were studied but are not shown in the completed-secondary-education document. The current distinction between services 3436, 3435 and 3434 appears in NACID’s [description of issued recognition documents](https://nacid.bg/bg/opisanie-na-izdavanite-dokumenti/informaciya/) .
## Which records make up the application file?
The principal record is the diploma or other instrument proving completed secondary education. Depending on the country and education system, the file may also require a grade transcript, evidence that the holder is entitled to enter higher education, an identity document and records explaining a change of name.
The required set cannot be inferred from the word “diploma” alone. NACID maintains [country-specific guidance on documents and authentication](https://nacid.bg/bg/ukazaniya/) , because education systems use different forms, university-access certificates and methods for verifying authenticity.
## How are legalisation and translation determined?
The authentication route depends on the issuing country. A record may require an apostille, benefit from an exemption under an applicable treaty, or pass through diplomatic and consular legalisation. Exceptions for European Schools documents and for persons granted international protection are assessed under their own rules.
The Bulgarian translation must fully reproduce the diploma, supplements, seals and authentication wording in the submitted set. Legalisation proves origin, translation makes the content accessible, and recognition determines administrative equivalence; these three functions are related but are not interchangeable.
## Electronic applications and presentation of originals
An application may be filed through the NACID electronic portal after registration and signature with a qualified electronic signature. Scanned copies and access data for electronic registers of educational documents or apostilles accompany the application when the records can be checked officially online.
Where a record is not an official electronic document or its authenticity cannot be verified remotely, the original must be produced in person. This boundary is set out in NACID’s [electronic application conditions](https://nacid.bg/bg/elektronno-zayavyavane/) ; a high-quality colour scan alone does not remove the original-document requirement.
## Completed secondary education or an individual grade and stage?
A diploma for completed secondary education is different from a record for a completed term, grade, upper-secondary stage or other unfinished period. The first may result in a NACID certificate or confirmation, whereas continuation of schooling requires recognition of the particular period, grade or stage under the applicable school procedure.
The distinction prevents a credential from being submitted under the wrong service. “Admission to higher education” presupposes completed secondary education, while “enrolment in the next school grade” concerns a school period; the same foreign transcript does not necessarily establish both facts.
## Which part of the preparation does La Fit Trans provide?
La Fit Trans prepares the translation of the diploma and supporting records and arranges the applicable authentication according to the issuing country and the intended use in Bulgaria. The preliminary document review distinguishes the diploma from its transcript, proof of access to higher education and other certificates that may belong to the same application file.
The recognition decision itself is issued by the competent public authority, not by a translation agency. The service scope is based on the specific records and current NACID requirements, so that translation and legalisation correspond to the actual administrative procedure.
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