Legalisation

When documents issued in Bulgaria are required for use abroad and vice versa, they must conform to certain formalities. This is typically in the form of an accompanying ‘official translation’, which in certain cases requires legalisation. This type of translation is available from companies who possess a license from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

INTERLANG has a signed agreement with the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in particular with the Legalisation and Certification Department of the Consular Affairs Directorate. Pursuant to this agreement we are authorized to translate documents and other papers from Bulgarian into foreign languages and vice versa, in compliance with the applicable requirements for legalisation, certification and drawing up of the documents and papers concerned.

What is legalisation and why must certain documents be legalised?

Legalisation is the process of verifying the authenticity of an official document issued for use in another country. The process of legalisation aims to preclude potential document fraud and abuse. It is a safeguard of the rights of private citizens and companies.

The timeframe for legalisation depends on the type of the document. Typically, a document will require prior certification by the competent ministry. Clients need to allow sufficient time for the procedure.

• Express service – 1 working day
• Fast service – 2 working days
• Ordinary service – 4 working days.

The different types of documents carry different requirements. In the case of an official translation, whether a document is submitted in the original, copy or duplicate is irrelevant. Legalisation, however, typically requires the original copy of the documents. By way of exception, school and university degrees and diplomas are legalised as notarised copies attested by the Ministry of Education.

If you are planning to return from another country or leave for another country for an extended period, you must first of all find out which documents you are going to need, in order to verify your marital status, level of education, property ownership etc. before the relevant institutions in Bulgaria or country to which you intend to travel. A public document acquires legal significance in the country of destination when it is translated, certified and/or legalised.

We can help by saving you time and money with the translation, certification and/or legalisation of the following documents:

• Powers of attorney;
• Birth and baptismal certificates;
• Marriage certificates;
• Marital Status certificates;
• Divorce certificates;
• Certificates attesting to the identity of individuals following a change in their name;
• Death certificates;
• Convictions record certificates;
• Tax returns;
• Court judgments;
• Income statements;
• Title Deeds;
• Secondary Education Degrees;
• Higher Education Degrees and annexes thereto;
• Academic records;
• Certificates issued by tertiary institutions;
• Medical certificates;
• Immigration papers;
• Adoption papers etc.

Contact us today by completing our online enquiry/order form, by e-mail or by phone on +359 2 808171. It will be our pleasure to give you a quote that is customised to any specific requirements you may have.