---
title: "How to Get a Birth Certificate From Bulgaria"
url: https://yeniversiyon.pages.dev/en/how-to-get-a-birth-certificate-from-bulgaria/
lang: en
published: 2020-01-07
updated: 2026-10-02
description: "How to get a birth certificate from Bulgaria: for people born there and for children born abroad. Steps, documents, apostille and timing explained."
source: BulgaristanVatandas.com (https://bulgaristanvatandas.com)
---
# How to Get a Birth Certificate From Bulgaria
**If you were born in Bulgaria, you get your birth certificate (акт за раждане) from the municipality of your place of birth. For a child born abroad, a Bulgarian record is created by reporting the birth to the Bulgarian civil register, and the child receives an EGN. If the documents are complete, this usually takes 2-3 months.**
"Bulgarian birth certificate" can mean two different things. Some people want to document their own birth in Bulgaria. Others want a Bulgarian birth record for a child born abroad. This article explains both separately.
## Which birth certificate?
| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| You were born in Bulgaria yourself | A copy of the birth record (akt za razhdane) is taken from the municipality of birth |
| Your child was born abroad, a parent is a Bulgarian citizen | Birth registration is made and the child is entered in the Bulgarian civil register |
| Your parent or grandparent was born in Bulgaria | Their record is documented to prove the family line |
## How to get the certificate if you were born in Bulgaria
A Bulgarian birth record is kept at the municipality or civil registry office of your place of birth. The document is the "akt za razhdane", the birth record.
1. **Identify the place of birth:** You need the city, village and year. Names may have changed.
2. **Apply to the municipality:** A copy of the birth record (препис-извлечение) is requested.
3. **Give a power of attorney:** If you cannot go from abroad, a notarised power of attorney is given to a representative in Bulgaria.
4. **Receive the document:** If the record is found, a copy is issued.
5. **Prepare it for use:** To use it in your home country, an apostille and official translation are needed.
If old records contain spelling differences, finding the record can be harder. The search is made with the place of birth, the names of the mother and father and an approximate date.
## A Bulgarian record for a child born abroad
If a parent is a Bulgarian citizen at the time of birth, the child is a citizen by birth. The birth is registered at the municipality of the mother's permanent address (the father's, if the mother is foreign). The deadline is 6 months. On registration, the child receives an EGN.
What you need:
- The foreign birth certificate (an international or multilingual extract).
- An apostille.
- An official Bulgarian translation.
- The parent's Bulgarian ID and marriage details.
For details, see [birth registration and Bulgarian citizenship for children](/en/birth-registration-bulgarian-citizenship-for-children/). The article [what is an EGN](/en/what-is-egn-bulgarian-personal-number/) also explains the child's personal number.
## The birth certificate in a citizenship application
In citizenship files, the birth certificate is the main link showing the family line. A file generally contains:
- Your birth certificate.
- The birth and marriage certificates of your parents.
- If needed, a [name equivalence certificate](/en/name-equivalence-certificate-bulgaria/).
- A civil registry extract and apostille. Guide: [civil registry extract and apostille guide](/en/civil-registry-extract-and-apostille-guide/).
A whole citizenship application takes 1.5-3 years in practice. If the birth certificate is missing, this period gets longer.
## What does the document contain?
A Bulgarian birth record generally contains: the person's first name and surname, date and place of birth, names of the mother and father, the record number and the municipality that made the entry. All of this must match your other documents in a citizenship file. If the mother's name is spelled differently in your home country's birth record, it is corrected with an equivalence certificate.
## How to use the Bulgarian document abroad
If a document obtained from Bulgaria is to be used officially in your home country, three steps are needed:
1. **Apostille:** The document is stamped with an apostille in Bulgaria.
2. **Sworn translation:** The document is translated.
3. **Notary or authority approval:** If the receiving authority asks, extra approval is obtained.
If any of these is missing, the document is not accepted.
## An example roadmap
Say your father was born in Bulgaria and emigrated. You were born abroad and want Bulgarian citizenship. In such a file, the order is usually this:
1. Your father's birth record is found at the municipality where he was born.
2. The record is apostilled and translated.
3. It is compared with your father's civil record; if the names differ, a name equivalence certificate is prepared.
4. If your father was a Bulgarian citizen when you were born, a birth registration is made. If not, a citizenship application is prepared.
5. The file is submitted through the Ministry of Justice or a consulate.
This order changes for every family. For example, the father may have died or the document may be lost in an archive. Then an archive search and a power of attorney come in.
## Information needed to find a record
When searching for a birth record, collect:
- The person's full name in Bulgarian and in your own language.
- Place of birth: village, district and province, under old and new names.
- Year of birth or approximate date.
- Names of the mother and father.
- An old Bulgarian ID or passport number, if any.
The more complete this information is, the faster the record is found. Some villages were renamed later, so the old name matters. If you only have documents in your own language, send them to us and we start the search.
## Passport for the child
After the birth registration is complete and the child has an EGN, you can apply for a Bulgarian ID and passport. See [how to get a Bulgarian passport](/en/how-to-get-a-bulgarian-passport/).
## Common mistakes
- **Searching under an old name:** A search under a changed name finds nothing.
- **No apostille:** Documents from abroad are not accepted without one.
- **No translation:** There is no official Bulgarian translation.
- **Missing the deadline:** There is a 6-month period for the child's registration.
- **Date mismatch:** The day or month differs between documents.
## Frequently asked questions
How many days does a Bulgarian birth certificate take?
A copy of the birth record from the municipality is usually issued quickly; the time varies by municipality. Entering a birth abroad into the Bulgarian record usually takes 2-3 months.
Can I get the document from abroad?
Yes. With a power of attorney, a representative in Bulgaria can obtain the record. To use it abroad, an apostille and official translation are needed.
Can I get a Bulgarian record for my child born abroad?
If a parent was a Bulgarian citizen at the birth, the child's birth is reported to the Bulgarian civil register. The child receives an EGN with this report.
Does a birth certificate alone give citizenship?
No. The birth certificate is the main document showing the family line. Citizenship is completed through a birth registration or a citizenship application.
What if no record is found?
The search is repeated with the old spelling of the place name and the parents' names. If needed, an archive search is made.