Notarized and Certified Bulgarian Translation - the 2018 Reform, the Registered Translator and the Georgian Notary

Bulgarian translation certification after 2018, and the Georgian notarized translation

Until 2018 Bulgaria legalized translations through agencies contracted with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose stamp was the standard official form. The reform of the Rules on Legalization, Certification and Translation moved certification to a register of translators maintained by the Ministry, with the translator's signature certified by a Bulgarian notary, and Bulgarian offices now expect this form - a превод от заклет преводач с нотариална заверка на подписа - for foreign documents. Neither this nor the older agency stamp is recognized directly in Georgia, where the official form is the translation notarized by a Georgian notary, who certifies the signature of a translator registered with that notary as competent in Bulgarian.

The two systems connect through legalization and re-certification. A Georgian notarized translation becomes a foreign public document that many Bulgarian offices, including the embassy, accept once apostilled; where an office insists on a Bulgarian-registered translator and notary, a partner registered translator in Sofia certifies our text before a Bulgarian notary, which is faster and cheaper than translating from scratch there and avoids the errors Bulgarian translators unfamiliar with Georgian documents make. A Bulgarian легализиран превод is, from Georgia's point of view, a foreign notarial act; for use in Georgia the translation must be notarized here.

The Bulgarian Embassy in Tbilisi: visa D for work, study, family and business

The embassy's consular section handles the visa D that precedes a Bulgarian residence permit - for employment under a single permit (единно разрешение за пребиваване и работа) or the EU Blue Card, for seasonal work, for study, for family reunification and for business and investment - and Schengen visas since Bulgaria's accession. Its checklists require Georgian documents with apostille and Bulgarian translation, and translations legalized abroad are accepted; the documents vary by category - the conviction certificate and marriage certificate for family reunification, the diploma and employment contract for work permits, the school certificate and university admission for students, proof of funds and health insurance for all. We assemble the translated set to match the embassy's list for your category, with your name's transliteration identical across every document and aligned with the Latin form in your Georgian passport.

In Bulgaria: Migration Directorate, Employment Agency, общини, ГРАО, courts

The Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior issuing and renewing residence permits generally accepts the apostilled documents used for the visa, but expects Bulgarian-certified translations for new foreign documents submitted in Bulgaria. The Employment Agency handling single permit applications on the employer's side requires translated diplomas and contracts. Общини and their ГРАО registry offices registering a marriage or a foreign birth, and issuing ЕГН numbers to foreigners, are the strictest and require certified translations of apostilled civil status documents; the NAP for tax, the NOI for social security and pensions, and the NZOK for health insurance accept certified translations for many purposes. Bulgarian courts and notaries require certified translations of apostilled documents. For all of these we prepare the Bulgarian text and arrange certification where required.

Bulgarian documents for Georgian authorities

Any Bulgarian-language document used in Georgia must be translated into Georgian and notarized here. The most frequent are паспорти, лични карти and свидетелства за управление на МПС (translated from a photo, no visit needed), удостоверения за раждане and за граждански брак for marriage registration and family residence permits, the свидетелство за съдимост for residence permits, diplomas for work permits and recognition, удостоверения за актуално състояние, учредителни актове and пълномощни for company registration, трудови договори and банкови извлечения for proof of income, and удостоверения from the NOI or NZOK. Bulgarian public documents must carry an apostille - from the Ministry of Justice for court, notarial documents and the свидетелство за съдимост, from the Ministry of Education for diplomas and school certificates, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for other central documents, and from the областна администрация for municipal documents including civil status certificates - before the translation is notarized. We also offer e-Notary certification with a qualified electronic signature.

Marriage, family and residence files between the two countries

Georgians marrying in Bulgaria present to the община the Georgian удостоверение за раждане, a marital status certificate serving as удостоверение за семейно положение, a declaration on Georgian marriage law where the община asks for one, and for previously married applicants divorce decisions, all apostilled and translated with Bulgarian certification; общини want civil status documents less than six months old. Bulgarian citizens marrying in Georgia need an удостоверение за семейно положение from their община, apostilled by the областна администрация, translated into Georgian and notarized. After a marriage in either country, the certificate is apostilled and translated for the other country's registry. Children born in Georgia to Bulgarian parents need the Georgian birth certificate apostilled and translated for the община and Bulgarian citizenship; children born in Bulgaria to Georgian parents need the Bulgarian удостоверение apostilled and translated for the Georgian embassy. We prepare these as matched sets with identical transliteration.

Certified translation without notarization, and when it is enough

Not every recipient needs the notary. Bulgarian universities for admission, employers for initial screening, landlords, insurers and online portals often accept a certified translation with our agency stamp and translator statement, which is quicker and cheaper. The embassy, the Migration Directorate, общини, Georgian courts, registries, the Public Service Hall and banks do not. Tell us who will receive the document and we recommend the right level; a certified translation can be upgraded to a notarized one later without re-translating. For clients who submit everything online we issue digitally signed PDFs, and we print, stamp and courier the same file when paper is required.

Bulgarian translation - frequently asked questions

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