Apostille or legalisation: which do you need?

The two, in short

An apostille is a single certificate, either a stamp or an attached page, recognised by every country that's party to the 1961 Hague Convention. Once you have it, nothing further is needed for that country. Legalisation is the longer version: a chain of certifications that usually ends at the embassy or consulate of the destination country. Both do the same underlying job, confirming that the signature and seal on the document are genuine. Which one applies comes down to whether the country is in the Convention.

Related: Official certified translation

About "sworn translator"

You'll also hear people ask for a "sworn translator". Bulgaria doesn't have that as a separate legal title the way some other countries do. The actual requirement is a contract between the translator (or agency) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We don't hold that contract ourselves. For official translations that need to go through legalisation or an apostille, we work through a partner who does hold a valid MFA contract, and the certification is theirs.

Which path applies to you

Which one you need depends on the destination country, not the type of document. If that country is party to the Hague Convention (every EU country, the US, the UK, Canada and many others), you'll usually only need an apostille. If it isn't, the document goes through the legalisation chain instead. The same logic runs the other way. If you're bringing a foreign-issued document into Bulgaria, such as a diploma, a criminal record certificate or a marriage certificate, check whether the country that issued it is on the Convention list. That decides whether Bulgarian institutions will accept it with an apostille alone. The list is public, and it's worth checking before you order anything.

Related: Apostille & legalisation handling, Civil status documents

Who usually issues what

Which authority issues the apostille depends on the type of document. Here's the usual routing. Treat it as a starting point rather than the final word, since competence can shift depending on exactly which institution issued your document:

If you're not sure which office issued your document, tell us and we'll point you the right way, though the institution itself always has the last word.

Related: Prices

Where translation fits in

The usual rule is that the document gets its apostille or legalisation first, in the country where it was issued, and is translated after that. Our partner certifies the translation. Sometimes the apostille also needs to sit on the translation itself, not only on the original, if the receiving institution asks for it. Both patterns exist in practice. Before you start, ask the receiving institution which order they expect. Get it backwards and you'll usually have to redo a step.

State fee vs. our fee

Every order that includes legalisation or an apostille carries two separate amounts. The first is the state fee, set by the institution issuing the apostille or handling the legalisation, not by us. We pass it on at cost, as its own line in the quote. The second is our handling fee, from €25 per document. It covers the coordination: arranging the translation through our partner, submitting the paperwork, and collecting it once it's ready.

What to read next

If the document is a birth, marriage or death certificate headed to another EU country, read our guide to Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 next. You may not need an apostille at all. For anything else, send us the document and tell us where it's going. The quote will show which path applies and what it costs, apostille or legalisation included.

Related: EU Regulation 2016/1191, Get a quote