1. On March 8, 2023, China acceded to the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Convention). On November 7, 2023, the Convention will enter into force between China and Bulgaria. The Convention will continue to apply to the Hong Kong SAR of China and the Macao SAR of China.

2. Starting from November 7, public documents within the scope of the Convention issued by Bulgaria only need to apply for a Bulgaria apostille before they can be sent to Chinese mainland for use. There is no need to apply for consular authentication by Bulgaria and the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria.

Public documents within the scope of the Convention sent from China to Bulgaria for use will no longer require consular authentication by China and the Bulgarian Embassy or Consulate-General in China, but will instead require apostilles. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China is the competent authority for issuing apostilles for public documents executed within Chinese territory. Entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, the Foreign Affairs Offices of relevant local governments in China can issue apostilles for public documents executed within their respective administrative regions (see the list attached). The apostilles can be verified online by visiting: https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/. For specific procedures and requirements for applying for apostilles, please log on to the Chinese Consular Service website (http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/) or the websites of relevant local Foreign Affairs Offices.

3. Starting from November 7, the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria will cease consular authentication services. For documents issued by Bulgaria intended to be sent to Chinese mainland, please apply for apostilles from Bulgaria competent authorities (For contact information, please log on to：  https://mfa.bg/bg/uslugi-patuvania/konsulski-uslugi/zaverki-legalizacia/obshta-informatsia.

4. According to the provisions of the Convention, an apostille issued by a country is used to prove the authenticity of the signature on the public document, the identity of the signatory of the document at the time of signing, and to confirm the authenticity of the seal on the document when necessary. The completion of Bulgaria apostille does not guarantee the acceptance of the public document by the relevant user in China. It is recommended to check in advance with the relevant party in China about specific requirements for format, content, time limit, translation, etc. before going through the relevant procedures.

Attachment:

1. List of Authorized Local Foreign Affairs Offices for issuing apostilles

2. Information for authorities issuing apostilles in Bulgaria

Attachment 1:List of Authorized Local Foreign Affairs Offices for issuing apostilles(31 in total)

Anhui Province, Chongqing City, Fujian Province, Guangdong Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guizhou Province, Henan Province, Heilongjiang Province, Hubei Province, Hunan Province, Hainan Province, Jilin Province, Jiangsu Province, Jiangxi Province, Liaoning Province, Sichuan Province, Shandong Province, Shanghai City, Shaanxi Province, Yunnan Province, Zhejiang Province, Gansu Province, Hebei Province, Shanxi Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Changchun City, Harbin City, Ningbo City, Jinan City, Qingdao City, Shenzhen City

Attachment 2:Information for authorities issuing apostilles in Bulgaria

Applicants can apply for apostilles from Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education and Science and Regional Administrations.

For specific procedures of Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you can visit the following website:

https://mfa.bg/bg/uslugi-patuvania/konsulski-uslugi/zaverki-legalizacia/obshta-informatsia

Telephone：+ 359 887563987

For specific procedures of Bulgarian Ministry of Justice, you can visit the following website:

https://www.mjs.bg/home/index/a76734a8-b4d3-42e0-9a75-42447b8dc0b0

Telephone：+359 29237354/575

For specific procedures of Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science, you can visit the following website:

https://nacid.bg/bg/services/info/

Telephone：+359  28173831/36/49

For specific procedures of Bulgarian Regional Administrations, you can visit the following website:

https://iisda.government.bg/adm_services/services/service_provision/95057

Telephone： +359 28076423/26

For verifying apostilles issued by authority in Bulgaria, you can visit following websites：

Ministry of Foreign Affairs：https://apostille.mfa.bg

Ministry of Justice：https://apostil.mjs.bg

Ministry of Education and Science：https://apostille.bg

    Regional Administrations：https://apostille.gov.bg