色花堂

@jeanmandredeix

A note: for UK docs, it's not an apostille, it's legalisation.

Another note: if you need a translation, you probably need a certified translation by a state-registered translator.

Passports don't need to be apostilled/legalised or translated.

Bank statements don't need to be apostilled/legalised. Usually, as they're mostly numbers, they don't need to be translated. However, you should note that a bank statement printed from your online banking is less credible than one printed and stamped by your bank.

Apostille/legalisation is usually for birth certificates, marriage certificates, and criminal record checks/certificates (ACRO). You might need a translation too. You probably don't need ALL of these certificates.

D visa info

@gwynj

It's called "legalisation" by the UK authorities because they, possibly correctly, believe that the proverbial "Man on the Clapham Omnibus" doesn't understand what "apostille" means (they are probably right as many Brits appear to think that it has something to do with some Jewish chap's chief disciples 2,000 years ago).聽 However, when you get your documents "legalised" by the UK Legalisation Office, they'll come back with a standard Hague Conference apostille attached to them; as far as the UK authorities (and common parlance) are concerned, the two terms are totally synonymous and interchangeable.聽

The BG authorities don't require bank statements to be apostilled, but they certainly CAN be: they have to be notarised first and then the apostille is actually a state certification of the notarisation. In some weird countries (take a bow, Uncle Sam 馃槑) the legalisation process can be ridiculously convoluted - and differs from state to state. No doubt King Donnie will get around to "fixing" that...馃榿

And don't forget the mist important moment - you must visit Bulgaria to open a regular personal bank account to recive your pension in it. This may cause you some inconvenience, but I belive with a good adviser, you will succeed.

There are other potential "benefits" associated with your pension being paid directly into a Bulgarian bank account: banks here charge their account holders ongoing fees just for the privilege of having an account, and there are often additional fees associated with services which are normally "free" (or at least hidden) in the UK.聽 It's also worth bearing in mind that there is one major potential benefit to such an arrangement: many EU countries tax ALL the income of residents, including pensions (and including "bogus residents" who aren't actually resident).聽 At the moment, Bulgaria isn't one of those countries, but things can change quickly, especially in a country with serious financial problems: it's very handy for the government to know as much as possible about the financial affairs and income of everyone living here....

Vasilev good point; if you鈥檙e a foreigner trying to open up a bank account in Bulgaria, they will require your Social Security card, which is very annoying and aggravating. They will also require proof of your pension, so you can鈥檛 just fill out the form to have your pension transferred to a Bulgarian bank, before you can do that you have to provide them with documentation as to where your pension is coming from. So if you don鈥檛 have paperwork that states I get a pension from ABC manufacturing company for this amount of money they won鈥檛 allow you to open an account. So a Social Security card and proof of where your pension is coming from are mandatory. I did not have my Social Security card so I cannot open an account and I went to several banks and they all required the same thing. Good luck, the system is definitely rigged for you to fail.

I do have a question can you get your documents apostilled while in Bulgaria or do you need to wait and have it done in then US prior to submitting your visa聽 application?

If they're US documents they need to be apostilled in the US, but you don't have to be there for that to be done. Your visa application will have to be done in person, with your apostilled documents, at the nearest BG embassy to where you live in the US.

@D H16

I'm not sure that it's a system that's "rigged for you to fail". I would say that the days when we could rock up in a country with our passport and open a bank account, no questions asked, are mostly gone. There's a lot more regulation over KYC/AML, and Bulgarian banks have to comply with EU requirements. This means you'll have a much better shot at getting an account if you have typical documents like proof of address (ideally in Bulgaria), proof of income/pension, proof of your Tax ID/SSN (or NI number for Brits).

For you, in particular (as an American), foreign bank account opening got much more challenging due to FATCA. This is an American law which made many banks decide they'd save them selves a load of trouble by simply turning away all American customers.