Legalization of Documents
On April 30, 2001, the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, drafted in The Hague on October 5, 1961, entered into force for the Republic of Bulgaria. The Convention provides for a unified method of certifying a certain category of documents (public acts) intended for use abroad - by affixing a special authentication certificate (apostille) directly onto the document itself or as an attachment to it. The authentication with an "apostille" represents the legalization of the document by the competent authority in the country where it was issued. Documents furnished with the original "apostille" are exempt from any further forms of certification and legalization (by other higher local authorities in the issuing country, as well as by the diplomatic or consular representation of the country-party to the convention, in whose territory they are to be presented).
As of January 11, 2024, Canada is a party to the aforementioned Convention, therefore legalization is carried out in accordance with the procedure described below.
1. Documents originating from Bulgaria
The competent authorities to affix an "apostille" on Bulgarian public acts are:
- For acts of the courts and notaries:
Ministry of Justice
Slavyanska Str. 1
1040 Sofia
Tel.: 02 92 37 352
- For educational and certification documents issued by higher education institutions, institutions within the system of public education, and by the Ministry of Education and Science and its departments:
Ministry of Education and Science
Knyaz Alexander Dondukov Blvd 2А
1000 Sofia
Tel.: 02 92 17 799
- For all other official documents (documents on civil status and address registration from municipalities; various certificates, licenses, and others from ministries, state agencies, and commissions; documents on acquired qualifications and legal capacity; documents from NSSI, NSI, and similar), an apostille should be affixed by:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Consular Relations > Attestations and Legalizations
Alfred Nobel Str. 2
1040 Sofia
Only the translator's signature is certified.
2. Documents originating from Canada
- Documents issued by Canadian institutions and officials should be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Canada or by the Regional Services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the receiving country, as of April 7, 2023:
Authentication Services Section
Global Affairs Canada
125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1A 0G2
Telephone:
1-800-267-8376 (Toll Free in Canada)
613-944-4000 (in the National Capital Region and outside Canada)
613-944-9136 (TTY for the deaf)
More information can be found on the Global Affairs Canada website - Authentication of Documents.
- For use in Bulgaria, a translation of the document legalized by Global Affairs Canada is also required. The translation can be done EITHER:
1) by a translator registered with Consulate General in Toronto (in this case, certification of the translator's signature in the Consulate General is required),
OR
2) by an authorized translation and legalization company in the Republic of Bulgaria, certified by a notary or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The fee for certifying the translator's signature in the Consulate General in Toronto is 23 Canadian dollars (for 3 working days) or 45 Canadian dollars (for 4 working hours) per document, payable by debit or credit card VISA/MC, money order, or certified cheque to the name of the Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria in Toronto.
If services are provided by mail, the documents should be accompanied by a self-addressed envelope with all postage paid.
The Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria in Toronto is not responsible for documents lost by postal services. Certification and legalization through postal services are at the expense and responsibility of the applicants.
* Documents submitted to Bulgarian municipal authorities remain in their archives.