Certifications and Legalizations

The summarized information below is related to the need of many clients (mainly individuals) to receive further details, regarding the procedures, applicable in the respective country. More information, regarding the terms official, certified translation and sworn translator, you can find in the Frequently Asked Questions section.

Procedure in Bulgaria

Certification of a translation

Unlike the certification of translations in Italy, which is carried out by a translator or another expert, before a court official, in Bulgaria, the procedure for certification of a translation, as being a true and correct translation of the original, may vary. The translator must be registered with the Register of Sworn Translators of the “Legalizations and Certifications” Sector at the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). This registration is accomplished by submitting the necessary documents, evidencing translator’s education, professional qualification and experience. That translator is entitled to translate public acts and documents, and sign such translations. If a certified translation is required, the translated document is submitted to the “Legalizations and Certifications” Sector of the MFA by the translation agency, registered in the register of authorized agencies, as the list of translators of that agency should include the respective translator. Therefore, if a certified translation is required, the translator translates the respective document and signs his or her translation, printed on a letterhead of the translation agency. After that the agency submits the document together with the attached translation to the “Legalizations and Certifications Department, for certification of the translation. Therefore, in order to have a translation certified by the MFA, both a sworn translator and a translation agency are required. My cooperation with a number of translation agencies, authorized by the MFA, allows me to provide you with comprehensive services.

Legalization with an Apostille

If a Bulgarian or Italian document must be valid in the respective other country, that document should be legalized, i.e. the signature, the capacity of the respective public official, signing the document and the seal on the public act or notarized private document, are to be certified as true and authentic. In the countries, parties to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1968, an Apostille is affixed to the original document. Both Bulgaria and Italy are parties to the Hague Convention.

Exceptions to this rule are documents, issued on multilingual forms, as provided for in international conventions.

Bulgarian documents, which need to be presented in Italy

In Bulgaria the legalization – certification by an apostille – is carried out by the “Legalizations and Certifications” Sector at the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of Education and Science, depending on the type and contents of the respective documents.

The time, required for the affixing of an apostille, may vary. At the MFA this time is from 1 to 4 business days; at the Ministry of Justice – 4 business days, and at the Ministry of Education and Science – one week.

Price of this service: a state fee, to be paid by a bank transfer or by purchasing revenue stamps. The fee may also depend on the type of service, if the respective Ministry offers express urgent or ordinary services. The fees of the agency, providing this service, are also added to this price.

Italian documents, to be presented in Bulgaria

In order for a document to be legalized, e.g. a court clearance, the respective person must take that document to the National Prosecutor’s Office or the Prefecture (depending on the type of document), where an apostille is affixed. After that the document with the apostille is translated – in this case the translation takes place in Bulgaria – by a sworn translator, the translation is signed by the translator and stamped by the licensed translation agency and submitted to the Ministry for certification of the translation. The signature of the sworn translator is certified by the “Legalizations and Certifications” Sector at the MFA in a separate procedure.

The Bulgarian institutions acknowledge translations, made from a foreign language into Bulgarian, only if the translator works at the Bulgarian embassy in the respective country and if that person’s signature is certified by the Bulgarian embassy. In all other cases, even if you have a translation, you will have to obtain a new translation and have translator’s signature certified by the Bulgarian MFA.

Please, send me an inquiry for a quotation, accompanied – if possible – by the scanned copy of the respective document, and explaining what is the purpose of that document, and I will provide you with a price and deadline quotation ASAP.