Hungarian Trade Office in Taipei Legalize Taiwanese Official Documents for Bulgaria

Since November 15, 2017, the Bulgarian government allows the Hungarian Trade Office in Taipei to legalize official Taiwanese documents intended for use in Bulgaria. This decision was made during a meeting of the Council of Ministers, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva at this time authorized to conduct the negotiations and sign the agreement.

Bulgaria adheres to the "One China" policy and did not maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. As a result, interactions with Taipei, including the legalization of official Taiwanese documents, are subject to specific limitations. Until then, Taiwanese documents had to go through a complicated procedure: first, they had to be certified by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then by the Taipei Representative Office in Athens, Greece, and finally by the Bulgarian consular office in Athens.

With this new agreement, the process is significantly simplified. Official documents issued in Taiwan are now legalized by the Hungarian Trade Office in Taipei. The Consular Affairs Directorate of Bulgaria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs will then authenticate the signatures and stamps of the Hungarian officials.

This move is designed to ease administrative procedures for Bulgarian citizens and businesses while also encouraging business and civil interactions with Taiwanese nationals. Importantly, the arrangement respects Bulgaria's diplomatic stance on the "One China" principle, as Hungary—not Bulgaria—will serve as the intermediary in the document legalization process.

The agreement represents another practical step by the Bulgarian government toward streamlining administrative services for both citizens and international partners.