UP-3 is a Bulgarian certificate of insurance or employment periods, issued from payroll records, contracts and other underlying employment documents. It records the duration of service rather than the amount of insurable earnings. For use outside Bulgaria, the translation must preserve the start and end dates, time units, position, working arrangement, insurer details and every qualification entered by the issuer.
What does form UP-3 certify?
It certifies the length of insurance or employment service for the named person with a particular insurer. The form may show years, months, days or hours and may separate periods worked under different arrangements. UP-3 does not state monthly insurable earnings and is not interchangeable with UP-2, an employment record book or a pension certificate.
Who issues UP-3 and where is it obtained?
The certificate is normally issued by the employer or other insurer holding the payroll and primary records, or by its legal successor. If a discontinued insurer transferred its files to Bulgaria's National Social Security Institute, the relevant evidence is requested from the Social Security Archive. The archive may issue another approved certificate, so we use the exact document title rather than assuming that every result is UP-3.
How do UP-3 and UP-2 differ?
UP-3 establishes the period and duration of service, whereas UP-2 lists insurable earnings month by month. Both may concern the same person and employer, yet they prove different facts and contain different tables. The translation does not substitute one form name for the other or merge their data, even when the two certificates are submitted together.
Which details are checked before translation?
We compare the person's names and identifiers, the insurer's registered name, position, basis of employment, starting and ending dates, calculated service, interruptions, working hours, category of work, reference number, issue date, signatures, seal and explanatory notes. Every page and attachment is required. An illegible date or inconsistent total is clarified before the translated layout is prepared.
How are service periods and duration translated?
Calendar periods and the issuer's calculations are carried over without an independent recalculation. We retain the distinction between years, months, days and hours and between full-time and part-time work. If the form includes a total, coefficient or administrative note, it remains linked to the correct row so that the certified meaning is not altered.
Is an apostille or other authentication always needed?
No. The requirement depends on the issuer, destination country, receiving institution and applicable international arrangement. A translation alone may suffice, a certified translation may be requested, or the signature or document may first need authentication. We do not send every UP-3 through one fixed chain of authorities; the route is set after review.
Can a quotation be prepared from an electronic copy?
A clear colour copy of the complete certificate, including reverse sides, continuation sheets and attachments, is usually enough for assessment. For an electronically signed document, customers send the original electronic file rather than a screenshot. Final certification or submission may require the paper original, a verifiable electronic document or a specially certified copy.
How are the price and delivery time determined?
Customers send the full certificate and state the language, country, receiving institution, requested date and number of copies. We quote after reviewing the volume, tables, legibility and required authentication. The agreed price and timing therefore reflect the actual translation and preparation work without being confused with fees or processing times controlled by an outside authority.