English (UK) 
Български 
Only 18% of the population lives in Sofia but, like many other countries around the world, almost all institutions that certify and legalize documents are located in the capital city. Such institutions are:
- The National Centre for Information and Documentation (NCID)
- The Ministry of Justice
- The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- The Regional Administration
In other words, each diploma for completed education, police certificate, birth certificate and even the translation of documents that have already been certified, must be sent from each other place in the country to Sofia for the purposes of legalization / affixing an Apostille and then sent back to the client.
There are several options:
- Travel to Sofia and certify your documents in person
- Entrust your document to a translation and legalization agency in your town
- Entrust your document to a translation and legalization agency in the capital
By choosing the first option you can save on agency fees but it means that you must set aside several business days to visit the necessary institutions in order to submit the documents, then collect them, to organize the translation and then certify it at the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This means losing precious time going about and waiting in queues, as well as spending money on transportation and even accommodation (if you are travelling from Burgas, for example).
The second option lets you entrust your documents to an agency to handle them, but bear in mind that it, too, will have to send them to Sofia, where someone else will take them and visit the necessary institutions, and you will have to pay for that.
This will save you effort, but it might entail additional costs due to the need for subcontractors. Additionally, sometimes the deadlines for certification are prolonged due to the organization of work.
The third option is to choose an agency with an office in Sofia which lets you place an online order for translation and legalization. Similar to the one in your town, the Sofia-based agency will handle everything and will organize the legalization, the translation and its certification.
However, due to its location, it can react faster, work with shorter deadlines and not have to do the certification twice.
Thus the complexity of organizing the translation and legalization of documents outside Sofia can become a simple task if you use our online platform to place an order.
In this way, the translation and legalization of your documents will be a matter of a few clicks, and the only thing you will have to do is send the documents by courier to one of our offices.
Your documents will be ready by the deadline – which is set in advance – and will be sent to the address you specified, translated and legalized in line with all requirements.
Which documents are most frequently sent to Sofia for certification?
Translation and legalization of diplomas for secondary or higher education
All prospective students applying in universities abroad must translate and legalize their diploma for completed education. The document itself is certified through an Apostille by the NCID, and the translation is certified by the Consular Relations Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as far as Bulgarian documents are concerned.
Translation and legalization of police certificates
The Apostille on this type of certificate is affixed by the Ministry of Justice, regardless of the town where it has been issued. As above, the translation is certified by the Consular Relations Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Translation and legalization of birth certificates or other municipal documents
If you need to translate and legalize a birth certificate (or a marriage certificate, marital status certificate, etc.), the Apostille may be affixed by the regional administration in your town but the translation of the certified document must then be sent to Sofia to be certified by the Consular Relations Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.What are the pros offered by our translation and legalization agency Arte.Doc?
The main pros are as follows:
- Up-to-date information free of charge – our experts are knowledgeable about changes in the legislation and will always provide you with a free consultation regarding your case.
- Package services for various budgets – we provide you with a comprehensive service for translation and legalization, which includes all certifications and state fees, within the statutory deadline. Package services for translation and legalization save you time and money.
- Clear deadline – we know the path of the document, the time it will take and which institution will certify your particular document with an Apostille.
- Transparent prices – our prices are clear and transparent, announced on our website, and you can calculate how much your order will cost through our online calculator yourself.
- Confidentiality of your personal information – every member of our team follows the procedures on keeping the information in your document confidential.
For any questions you might have about the translation and legalization of documents, contact us for a free consultation by phone: +359 894 773 803 or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
