How do you translate a Bulgarian marriage certificate for USCIS?
For Form I-130, USCIS asks for a copy of your marriage certificate, and a certificate in Bulgarian needs a full English translation with the translator’s signed certification. We translate the udostoverenie za sklyuchen grazhdanski brak word for word: paper or electronic duplicates, the trilingual form, the municipal seal and the clerk’s signature. A Bulgarian marriage certificate is usually one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
Who issues the certificate
A Bulgarian marriage certificate (udostoverenie za sklyuchen grazhdanski brak) comes from the municipality that registered the marriage. It bears the municipality’s round seal and the signature of the civil registry clerk. A duplicate is issued by the same procedure, on paper or as an electronic document; for an electronic one, the applicant needs an electronic signature or a personal identification number from the National Revenue Agency or the National Insurance Agency (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
Bulgarian civil authorities also issue a two-sided marriage certificate in Bulgarian, French and English, under the 1976 Vienna Convention, sealed by the civil registry office (same source). Because it still has Bulgarian on it, USCIS needs the full English translation, as with any document containing a foreign language (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)).
Bulgaria also issues its own marriage certificate to a citizen who married abroad (European e-Justice Portal (opens in a new tab)). To register that marriage, the foreign certificate first has to be legalized and translated into Bulgarian (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
The marital status certificate
The US Embassy in Sofia asks every immigrant visa applicant over 18, whether single, married, divorced or widowed, for a certificate of marital status, spouse and children (udostoverenie za semeyno polozhenie, saprug i detsa). The municipality issues it to Bulgarian citizens and to foreigners with a Bulgarian personal number (EGN). It shows your current marital status and the number of your children (same source). If your case needs it in English, we translate it in the same order.
Both spouses’ names
We spell each spouse’s name as in their passport. For a name with no passport spelling, we follow Bulgaria’s official transliteration (Institute for Bulgarian Language (opens in a new tab)). Give us both spellings when you order, and they will match across every document in your order.
Where the translation goes
- USCIS: for Form I-130, a copy of your marriage certificate and documents showing that each earlier marriage legally ended (Form I-130 instructions (opens in a new tab)). Bulgarian divorce decision, What USCIS accepts
- NVC and US consulates: the Department of State doesn’t ask for a translation of a certificate in Bulgarian if you are applying for your visa in Bulgaria. What NVC accepts
- Immigration court: a typed certification with the translator’s address and phone. What the court accepts
Our Bulgarian documents are translated and certified by a native Bulgarian speaker. What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.
Sample translations
2 samplesEach sample has the original, the translation and the signed certificate. Personal details are blurred.
Questions
My duplicate was issued as an electronic document. Can you translate it?
Yes. Send us the file or a printout, and we translate everything on it, the same way as a paper certificate and at the same price.
How much does it cost?
A Bulgarian marriage certificate is usually one page: $25. Each additional page in the same order is $20, so a marriage certificate and two other one-page documents are $65.
Do I need a notary or an apostille?
Not for USCIS: it asks for the translator’s signed certification, and it’s included. If an apostille is attached to your certificate, we translate it as well.
How long does it take?
1–4 documents: within 24 hours after payment; faster, within 12 hours (+$15 a page) or 3 hours (+$30 a page, paid between 8 am and 6 pm Pacific time). For 5 or more, we give you the date with the quote.
How we do it
- Full translation
every stamp, signature and handwritten line
- Signed certificate
with the translator’s name, address and phone
- A PDF, ready to file
original, translation and certificate, translation pages numbered
- Price
$25 for the first page up to 250 words, $20 for each additional page, in the same document or another one.
- Turnaround
1–4 documents: within 24 hours after payment; faster, within 12 hours (+$15 a page) or 3 hours (+$30 a page, paid between 8 am and 6 pm Pacific time). For 5 or more, we give you the date with the quote.
This is a summary of what the agency publishes, not legal advice.