Legalization of  foreign documents for official use in Bulgaria. Certification of a translators’ signature. Certification of private documents. Certification of a copy of a document/text   1. Legalization procedures   The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents ("Hague Legalization Convention") entered into force to Bulgaria on April 30, 2001.   In case you need an official  document to be officially used in Bulgaria, either for business purposes (for example to register a company, or a trade mark, or a patent), or for personal or family purposes (marriage in Bulgaria), you have to make the document legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Ministry of Justice (District Court) by means of Apostile /a special kind of stamp/.   Once legalized, such a document does not need further legalization by Embassies of the Republic of Bulgaria .   However, many Bulgarian institutions require foreign documents, although legalized already by Apostile, to be translated into Bulgarian and after that certified by the Bulgarian Embassies abroad. In this case your document will be translated by a sworn translator from the sworn translators’ list, approved by the Embassy.   2. Translation into Bulgarian language and certification of a sworn translator’s signature   Translations into Bulgarian language of all documents - official or private - which are intended to be subject of certification by the Embassy are made by a sworn translator.   3. Certification of signature of the bearer on its private document   In compliance with the Bulgarian Law on the notaries and notarial activity Bulgarian diplomatic and consular representations abroad are entitled to certify a signature of a Bulgarian or a foreign citizen on his/her private document in case that document will not be a subject of registering in the Bulgarian official registers. Therefore, documents such as civil/real claim, agreement for purchase of a car, notarial deed/act, agreement for establishing of a company etc. can not be drawn up or certified at this Embassy.   With regard to this Law and other legal requirements, the Embassy is entitled to certify any other private document, with the exception of a document implementation of which would not bring illegal immigrants.   Private document can be a letter of attorney, a declaration etc. Certification of a signature on a private document of a foreign citizen will be made at the Embassy only in case the document will be implemented in the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria (activities resulting from the document will follow in Bulgaria).     Applicant needs to guarantee he/she understands very well the text of the document, as it is drawn up in Bulgarian. With regard to that, applicant will also be required to sign the document again with an enclosed text in handwriting which specifies his/her well knowledge of the contents of the text.   4. Certification/Verification of authenticity (that copy of a document is identical with its original)   The Embassies certify authenticity of copies or transcripts or excerpts of documents with their originals. To make such a certification you will be required to bring at once the original document and its copy or a transcript or an excerpt. Your identification also will be required. You may require copies of the original document to be made at the Embassy, upon paying accordingly.