11 February 2022

A guide to Bulgarian notary services and apostille

If Bulgaria is a place of significance for you or your business, we can help with our Bulgarian notary and apostille services.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Bulgaria’s long history and population of 7,000,000 make it rich in culture and heritage. Of the 1.3 million UK nationals that live in Europe, around 7,000 are settled in Bulgaria. Also, many other British citizens are carrying out business activities in Bulgaria. In addition, approximately 79,000 Bulgarian nationals were living in the UK in 2021.

If that includes you, we can provide the Bulgarian notary and apostille services you need for your documents. Visit our webpage about the notary services we provide to individuals, or the services we provide to businesses, if you want more information.

Bulgarian Travel Consent for Children

If you are planning on taking someone who is under 18 to Bulgaria, someone with parental responsibility must have given you permission.

If you are a parent of the child, then you naturally automatically have parental responsibility. However, you will still need the permission of the other parent before you can take your child out of Bulgaria.

If it is applicable to your circumstances, a court order depriving the other parent of parental rights will mean you are the only one with parental responsibility, so you will not need the other parent’s permission.

You also need a letter that includes:

Evidence of your relationship with the child. For example, a birth or adoption certificate
A divorce or marriage certificate, if you are a single parent but your family name is different from the child’s

Bulgarian power of attorney

Power of attorney documents allow someone to make decisions on behalf of someone else. They are used when the person who is granting the power of attorney, is not able to make the decision themselves. This can be due to the person being absent from the decision making process for some reason, such as being too ill to make the decision, or being in another country.

Power of attorney forms are commonplace in most countries. They are often used in the UK when a family member needs help with financial decisions.

In Bulgaria, powers of attorney are used widely; they form part of day to day Bulgarian business as well as personal matters. Woodcock Notary Public can assist with documents, like powers of attorney, that are intended for use in Bulgaria.

Selling property in Bulgaria using a power of attorney

If you are acting as an attorney on behalf of someone to sell a property in Bulgaria, there are several points you should be aware of.

In terms of what needs to be included in the form itself, the Bulgarian Government does not have an extensive list of mandatory requirements. As long as the power of attorney form generally sets out the will of the principle, the form will be acceptable.

If you are granted power of attorney to sell a property in Bulgaria, it’s recommended that you seek legal advice to protect yourself from future legal problems. As a registered notary public, we are able to provide you with any legal advice you need.

Using educational documents in Bulgaria

Educational documents grant you certain liberties in Bulgaria. For example, they are needed to apply for a driving licence and to study once you arrive. If you want to use your certificates, you need to get them validated.

The British Council in Bulgaria stopped accepting documents for verification in December 2021, which means official documents can no longer be certified by the Bulgarian British Council. If you are already in Bulgaria, it is recommended you get your documents verified by the British Council in Greece.

Translating your documents for use in Bulgaria

Before you take your document to Bulgaria, you need to get it translated. The requirements for translation are as follows:

The translation has to be done by a sworn translator
The translator has to be registered by the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry

It is important to note that, due to the Bulgarian language having a different alphabet, some names are translated in Bulgarian differently. If this happens it may mean that the name on your translated document no longer matches your own. To make sure this does not happen, the translator needs to be informed.

If you need assistance with getting your documents translated, then Woodcock Notary Public is happy to help.

Bulgarian apostilles

If you want to use a UK document in Bulgaria then you need an apostille. An apostille is a certificate that is attached to your document so it can be legally recognised in Bulgaria.

You will need an apostille if you plan to do any of the following whilst in Bulgaria:

Get married
Apply for citizenship
Apply for residency
Apply to study

Bulgaria is part of the Hague Apostille Convention, so there is no need for separate legalisation certificates. An apostille is all you will need. To find out more, visit our guide to apostilles and our webpage on apostilles and legalisation.