Police Clearance Certificate in Bulgaria: obtaining, apostille and legalisation

A criminal record certificate is an official document issued by the competent internal affairs or justice authorities confirming that a person has no criminal convictions on record at the time of issue and is not wanted in connection with criminal proceedings, or that their convictions have been expunged.

A criminal record certificate may be required in the following situations:

• Applying for a visa;
• Applying for a temporary residence permit;
• Applying for a residence permit for long-term stay;
• Applying for citizenship;
• Applying for employment;
• Applying for admission to an educational institution;
• Background checks for adoption and guardianship proceedings;
• Submitting evidence in court proceedings;
• Getting married.

What is a Criminal Record Certificate in Bulgaria?

In Bulgaria, the criminal record certificate is officially called a “certificate of criminal record” (Свидетелство за съдимост). The authority that maintains the criminal records register and is responsible for issuing certificates is the Ministry of Justice (Министерство на правосъдието). Paper certificates are physically issued by the Central Criminal Records Bureau (Централно бюро „Съдимост“) and by the criminal records bureaus at the district courts.

The issuance of criminal record certificates in Bulgaria is governed by Ordinance No. 8 of 26 February 2008 on the functions and organisation of the criminal records bureaus, as well as other legislation.

A criminal record certificate is a paper or electronic document generated on the basis of the database of the Central Criminal Records Bureau of Bulgaria. The document is issued in Bulgarian or English. The standard validity period of a Bulgarian criminal record certificate is 6 months.

A Bulgarian criminal record certificate contains information on the existence of convictions, their absence, or the rehabilitation of the person.

In paper form, the certificate contains the first name, surname, unified civil number (Единен граждански номер), place of birth, citizenship, details of the mother and father, and information on the existence or absence of convictions. In electronic form, it is a digital document issued on the basis of the Ministry of Justice register data.

For apostille certification and subsequent use abroad, it is best to obtain a paper certificate with the Ministry of Justice apostille.

Cost of a Criminal Record Certificate in Bulgaria

Since 2026 Bulgaria has adopted the euro, so state fees are stated in euros. The basic rates are:

• €1.53 — the electronic criminal record certificate (fixed state fee);
• the paper certificate obtained at the counter — higher than the electronic one; the exact fee is confirmed at the time of application;
• €2.56 (BGN 5) — the state fee for the apostille affixed by the Ministry of Justice.

Translation and delivery are charged separately. Schmidt & Schmidt’s service fee is calculated individually, depending on the scope of services and the destination country.

Processing time for a Criminal Record Certificate in Bulgaria

The electronic criminal record certificate is usually issued within up to 3 working days after the state fee is received. The Ministry of Justice apostille is affixed within 3 working days (this may take longer for large numbers of documents). The overall end-to-end turnaround (certificate, apostille, translation and delivery) depends on the method of submission, whether legalisation is required, and the delivery address.

How to obtain a Criminal Record Certificate in Bulgaria

There are three main ways to obtain a criminal record certificate in Bulgaria:

1. apply in person at the Central Criminal Records Bureau (the required procedure for foreign nationals and persons born in other countries);
2. apply at the criminal records bureau at the district court (the most common route);
3. use the electronic service through the dedicated Ministry of Justice portals.

How to obtain a paper certificate in person

To obtain the certificate in person, you must appear at the authorised office (most often the criminal records bureau at the district court), present an identity document and the receipt confirming payment of the fee, and complete an application.

If the applicant is a Bulgarian citizen, their identity is verified using the national identity card.

If the applicant is a foreign national, they must present the original and a copy of their identity document, a copy of the document bearing the personal number, and a copy of the document confirming the legality of their stay in Bulgaria.

For apostille certification and use abroad, in most cases only an officially signed and stamped certificate issued by the Ministry of Justice through the criminal records bureaus is suitable.

How to obtain a criminal record certificate in Bulgaria electronically

To obtain the criminal record certificate electronically, you need to complete an application through the dedicated Ministry of Justice service, verify your identity and submit the application. Access to the electronic certificate is provided through a QR code sent to the e-mail address specified by the applicant, or on the system page upon repeated login with an electronic signature.

Any third party to whom the applicant provides the QR code can view the issued electronic criminal record certificate on the Single Portal of the Justice Enforcement Authorities. No electronic signature is required to view an issued electronic certificate.

Applying for a certificate under a power of attorney

A criminal record certificate may also be obtained under a power of attorney. For close relatives, a power of attorney in simple written form and a document confirming the family relationship are sufficient. In other cases, the applicant’s representative, when submitting the request, presents their own identity document, a document authorising them to represent the applicant’s interests (a notarised power of attorney), and provides a copy of it and a copy of the represented person’s document.

Obtaining a certificate through a consulate

To obtain a criminal record certificate through a consulate or the consular section of a Bulgarian embassy abroad, the following documents must be provided:

• Application form;
• Identity document;
• Receipt confirming payment of the fee.

Thanks to a joint initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, Bulgarian consulates can now obtain, print and certify an electronic criminal record certificate within an hour.

When obtaining criminal record certificates, personal data must be checked carefully: any error or typo will make the document invalid.

Apostille for a Bulgarian Criminal Record Certificate

The Republic of Bulgaria acceded to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents on 1 August 2000, and the Convention entered into force on its territory on 29 April 2001.

An apostille is an internationally standardised form of authentication used to certify a document for presentation in countries that recognise this form of legalisation. It usually takes the form of a special stamp or certificate. In recent years, electronic apostilles (e-Apostilles) have also become more widespread — a digital certification confirming the authenticity of documents issued in electronic form.

The apostille on Bulgarian criminal record certificates is affixed by the Ministry of Justice itself (which is authorised to apostille acts of courts and notaries). The state fee is €2.56 (BGN 5) and the term is 3 working days. To apply, you must have the complete set of documents, an application and the receipt confirming payment of the fee.

Consular legalisation of a Bulgarian Criminal Record Certificate

If the country in which the Bulgarian criminal record certificate is intended to be used is not a party to the 1961 Hague Convention, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the document must undergo the more complex and costly procedure of consular legalisation.

Consular legalisation is a multi-stage procedure for verifying the authenticity of a document for use in countries that are not parties to the 1961 Hague Convention.

To complete the consular legalisation of a Bulgarian criminal record certificate, the following steps must be followed:

1. Obtain the certificate;
2. Have the certificate legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
3. Arrange an official translation of the document;
4. Have the document legalised by the consulate or consular section of the embassy of the destination country.

Due to the number of steps involved, this procedure is time-consuming and relatively expensive. Some countries do not have consulates in Bulgaria, meaning that the final stage of legalisation may need to be completed in another country where the relevant consulate is located.

Official Translation of a Bulgarian Criminal Record Certificate

A Bulgarian criminal record certificate is issued in Bulgarian or English. To use it abroad, an official translation must be prepared in accordance with the laws of the country where the document will be submitted — by a sworn, certified, notarised, or court-appointed translator in the destination country.

Translations of the certificate prepared in Bulgaria (except where they are made as part of the consular legalisation procedure) are unlikely to be accepted abroad.

Useful links: official resources in Bulgaria

• cs.justice.government.bg — the electronic criminal record certificate (Ministry of Justice);
• apostil.mjs.bg — the apostille for documents to be used abroad;
• justice.government.bg — the Ministry of Justice of Bulgaria;
• mfa.bg — the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (consular legalisation);
• hcch.net — the up-to-date list of States party to the Hague Convention and their competent authorities.

Document delivery

After obtaining a criminal record certificate and having it apostilled or legalised, it is often necessary to send the document to another country. In such cases, both the speed and security of delivery are important, particularly when original official documents are involved.

Schmidt & Schmidt arranges international document delivery worldwide. We use reliable logistics solutions and modern tracking systems, allowing shipments to be monitored at every stage of transit and helping ensure timely delivery to the recipient.

Our specialists handle documents carefully and confidentially and assist with any issues that may arise during international shipping, including carrier requirements and customs clearance procedures.

We can arrange delivery of completed criminal record certificates, apostilled documents, translations, and other official papers to most countries worldwide, serving both private clients and law firms and other organisations.

How can we help?

We will be happy to assist you in obtaining a criminal record certificate in Bulgaria, including apostille certification and legalisation for use abroad, as well as translation and delivery anywhere in the world.

You can always contact Schmidt & Schmidt. We have extensive experience in obtaining and legalising a wide range of documents and provide all the necessary services in this area, including obtaining notarised copies, translation, preparing the required powers of attorney, legalising documents with government authorities and consulates of foreign countries, and delivering completed documents to most countries worldwide.

You can find more information about the legalisation and apostille procedures on our website.