Diploma & Transcript Translation and Legalisation

A foreign university, an employer in Germany, recognition of a qualification by an overseas professional body – they nearly all ask for the same thing: your diploma, translated by a sworn translator and legalised, so that their institutions will accept it. At Maxima Life in Varna, we have been preparing documents like these since 2004. We take the file through the institutions for you and tell you in advance exactly what your particular country asks for, because the requirements vary considerably.

Which educational documents we handle

• Secondary-school diploma
• Higher-education diploma (Bachelor's, Master's)
• Diploma supplement (list of marks and teaching hours)
• Academic transcript
• Confirmation of enrolment from an educational institution
• Diploma or certificate of vocational qualification

How the legalisation of an educational document works

For Bulgarian educational documents that will be used abroad, the usual steps are:

1. Certification through NACID. Bulgarian educational documents are authenticated by NACID (the National Centre for Information and Documentation), which sits under the Ministry of Education and Science.
2. Adding an apostille – for countries that are party to the Hague Convention (or full legalisation for countries outside it).
3. Official translation by a sworn translator into the language of the receiving country.
4. Certification of the translator's signature by the Consular Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where this is required.

The order is not the same everywhere: for some countries the translation comes before the apostille, for others afterwards, and educational documents often go through NACID first. This is where time is most easily lost if the steps are muddled. That is why we advise you free of charge before we begin, and deal with the institutions on your behalf. For documents outside the educational field, see our page on legalisation and apostille.

Which countries

For a country that is party to the 1961 Hague Convention (most of the EU, as well as the USA and the United Kingdom), an apostille is enough – no additional certification by an embassy is required. For a country outside the convention, full (consular) legalisation is carried out through the relevant ministries and the embassy; this takes longer. We will check together which regime applies in your case – the details are on the legalisation and apostille page.

Turnaround and price

The turnaround and the price depend on the document, the language and the country, because the file passes through several institutions, each with its own fee and processing time. That is why we give a specific quote for every case. Describe the document and the country where you will use it, and we will come back to you with a timeframe and a price.

Translations are produced by sworn translators; indicative rates by language can be found in the Prices section. Request a free quote – no obligation.

Frequently asked questions