Legalisation & Apostille
What is legalisation? There are various terms used by different authorities to refer to the same process.
Legalisation is sometimes referred to by someone requiring an apostille. Some countries are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, which means that only documents that have met certain criteria will be accepted by these member states.
However, other countries that are not part of the Convention will usually require the document to first be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country and then be attested by the country’s embassy. This process can also be referred to as legalisation.
The legalisation or Apostille process can be confusing. Prizma Translations will consult you, free of charge, about the requirements for authentication of the destination country of your document, for you to avoid costly mistakes.
Documents from Bulgaria to be used abroad
The authentication of Bulgarian documents to be used in foreign countries that are party to the Hague Convention is the certification with an Apostille at the local ministries or authorities. The Apostille itself is a special seal entitled „Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 October 1961)“. It confirms the authenticity of an official document.
Examples of documents that are most often certified: birth certificates, marriage certificates, certificates of marital status, diplomas, notarized declarations, court decisions, powers of attorney, certificates of good standing, articles of association of a company, etc.
In Prizma Translations we will first check whether your document is drawn up in the form required by the respective ministry. We will then comply with the different deadlines and procedures, pay the issuing fees in the relevant institutions, and go through this long and sometimes ‘complicated’ process for you.
Foreign Documents for Use in Bulgaria
Documents from abroad to be submitted to a Bulgarian institution must meet the country-specific legalisation requirements and be accompanied by an official translation. After being translated into Bulgarian by a certified (‘sworn’) translator, the translator’s signature must be notarized in Bulgaria (notarized translation). For this purpose, the translator personally goes to a notary and signs before them.
Notarization of the translation is required for property transactions when the necessary powers of attorney and declarations have been certified abroad; for corporate documents of foreign companies to be submitted to the Companies Register at the Registry Agency; documents of foreigners for the Migration Directorate, Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, etc.
In Prizma Translations, we are aware of the requirements and specific demands of the various authorities. We will prepare your documents correctly, quickly and cost-effectively, with the least effort on your part.
Embassy or Consulate Attestation
In some cases, it may be necessary to certify the already-authenticated document or a copy of it at the diplomatic mission /embassy, consulate/ of the respective foreign country in Bulgaria. This is usually necessary for ‘third’ countries that are not members under the Hague Convention and do not have mutual legal assistance treaties with Bulgaria, although this is not always the case.
Prizma Translations offers certification of documents in the embassies and consular offices of Kazakhstan, Iran, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria, China, Ukraine, Greece, Germany, France, Italy, etc. The inconvenience, however, arises from the fact that each of them has its own specific requirements, deadlines and prices, which are often subject to changes.
We will study the specific requirements of the destination country and will certify your documents correctly, quickly and cost-effectively, with the least effort on your part.
