According to the “Rules for Issuance of Bulgarian Personal Documents” (PIBLD) ”The namesand the place of birth of Bulgarian citizens in the Bulgarian personal documents shall be written in Cyrillic and Latin characters through English transliteration”. Transliteration of Bulgarian letters into Latinis the process of replacing the characters of the Bulgarian letter system with characters based on the English alphabet. Along with transliteration, the other relevant process is transcribing. It is a procedure for finding correspondence between the sounds of human speech and written symbols using a set of standard rules. In some cases, the same words or names are transcribed differently, due to the presence of different systems. For example, Bulgarian names in different foreign languages are transcribed differently, with the ending of the surnames of -ov/-ev transliterated with -ov/-ev or -ow/-ew or transcribed with -of/-ef or -off/-eff (for example Stoyanov, Stoianow, Stoyanoff; Iliev, Iliev, Iliev Iliev, Ilief, Ilieff).
The ability to spell Latin names differently in official documents in some cases can cause problems. When transliteration makes a mocking or humiliating sound when it leads to confusion and makes it difficult to pronounce the name or when it is not stylistically sustained,every citizen can resort to a procedure for changing the Latin spelling of his name in his personal documents - identity card, passport, driver's license, residence permit, etc.
Spelling the names on the first identity document
The procedure is regulated in The Rules for Issuance of Bulgarian Personal Documents, according to which at the request of Bulgarian citizens, their names, containing characteristic letters and letter combinations, may be written in Latin in the manner, different from English transliteration, in the first identity document.When filling out the form for issuing the first document, everyone has the opportunity to indicate exactly how they want their name to be spelled in Latin. So, for example, a person bearing the surname Panayotov, when filling out the form for issuing a first identity document, could write out his surname Panayotoff or Panayotow, although according to the English transliteration indicated in Appendix No. 1 to the PIBLD, the correct transliteration is Panayotov. His desire will be respected by the office issuing the relevant document, because this possibility of choice is enshrined in the legislation. Again, in Appendix No. 1 it is indicated that the combination of the letters “iya” at the end of the own names of citizens is transmitted through “ia”. Thus, the names Nia, Mia, Maria can be spelled in two ways- Niya, Miya, Mariya or Nia, Mia, Maria. Both options meet the requirements of Bulgarian legislation, and the holders of such names are given the opportunity to choose.
However, it happens that in our first identity document our name is spelled in one way, but further circumstances lead to the need for change. Then the law gives us two options — a change in the following document can be made:
Subsequent change after submission of an official document
An official document is one that is issued by a body of state power in the territory of a country, certified by signature and seal. For example, an identity document, a diploma of completed education, a marriage certificate. The official document can be issued by both Bulgarian and foreign state bodies, certified by signature and seal. In the event that we have an official document certifying the spelling of the name in Latin in the way we want, we could submit an application for the issuance of an ID card or other personal document by appearing in person at Unit “Bulgarian Identity Documents”(BDS) at the DMOV/SDVR or the RA to them at a permanent address, or in any RA of the Ministry of Interior on the territory of the respective regional directorate at a permanent address. There we will be provided with a printed application according to a template containing automatically filled in up-to-date data on civil status. By making the corresponding correction in the transliteration of the name, we present the relevant official document certifying the spelling of the name in a different way or we present a court decision as a result of a successful judicial procedure.
Subsequent change after submission of a judgment
If we do not have an official document, the only option remains to make the change after successfully carried out judicial procedure. An application is submitted to the district court at the permanent address of the applicant, and the change of documents will become possible after a court decision is issued in our favor. After the court decision, it will be necessary to change all documents on which the name is written in Latin in the old way - driver's license, passport, etc. Judicial practice has formed a different order in which to carry out the change depending on whether, as a result of transliteration, the name sounds disgraceful or the change “cosmetic” (for example, from Maria to Mariya). Most honestly, when the transliteration of a foreign name led to a disgraceful translation, the applicant refers to Art. 19 ZGR, and when only one letter of the name is changed, without this it leads to a significant change of art. 547 in art. 542 GPK.
The need to change the spelling of the name in Latin in official documents can be provoked by both objective and subjective reasons. The legislator provides various procedures to make it as easy as possible for citizens. However, before taking action, it would be best to seek the assistance of professionals in the fieldin so far as the wrong choice of procedure would unnecessarily delay the onset of the desired consequences.
Other publications on the topic: Change of first, patronymic and surname.
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