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Updated 9 October 2026BG-EXPERT

BRIDGES expert

Martin Dvorzhak

Document Processing Specialist, BRIDGES

I make sure every client document is accepted the first time: translations, apostille, legalisation, and when documents are missing, searches in archives and church books. Sixteen years with documents and archives, at BRIDGES since 2020.

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Martin Dvorzhak, Document Processing Specialist, BRIDGES
16 yearsin translation, document legalisation and archives
since 2020at BRIDGES, the documents department
BudapestBRIDGES head office, archives across Eastern Europe
5 languagesCzech, Russian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, English

Path

Brno, Sofia, Prague, Budapest

Brno, Sofia, Prague, Budapest. First sworn translation and archives, then consular legalisation, now the BRIDGES documents department.

  1. 1986Brno

    Born in Brno. His grandfather collected old documents and letters, and from childhood Martin deciphered faded records in three languages.

  2. 2004-2010Brno

    Faculty of philology: Russian, Bulgarian and Hungarian, palaeography. Thesis on 19th-century Orthodox parish registers.

  3. 2010-2016Prague and Sofia

    A sworn translator and archive researcher. He searched for birth and baptism records for people restoring citizenship by descent.

  4. 2016-2020Prague

    A consular legalisation agency: apostille, embassy legalisation, bilingual documents for courts and authorities in different countries.

  5. 2020BRIDGES

    Joined BRIDGES to run the documents department: so that no matter stalls over a wrong translation or apostille.

  6. TodayBudapest

    Document legalisation specialist at BRIDGES. Every client document goes through Martin, from a birth certificate to a court decision.

Approach to cases

Six rules that do not depend on the country

Six rules Martin applies when preparing documents.

  1. 01The country’s format, not ours

    Each authority accepts documents in its own format. First we learn the requirements, then translate and certify.

  2. 02Apostille on time

    Apostilles and certificates have a shelf life. We plan so that nothing expires by the filing date.

  3. 03If the archive burned, search further

    Church books, military archives, censuses, records in neighbouring countries. Almost every life leaves a trace in several places.

  4. 04Surnames checked before filing

    One letter in a surname across the years can stop a matter. We find discrepancies and explain them in advance.

  5. 05Children and consents separately

    Parental consents, custody, children from different marriages. We prepare them so that this particular country accepts them.

  6. 06One set, one register

    Every document is recorded: original, translation, apostille, expiry. The client always knows what is ready and what is in progress.

Talks and media

Conferences and meetings

Martin speaks at conferences on citizenship by descent and documents. You can book a meeting in advance.

Upcoming conferences

Martin online

BRIDGES on Instagram BRIDGES on LinkedIn BRIDGES YouTube channel

Beyond work

Archives, old books and hiking

At BRIDGES I am responsible for the paper without which no programme works. What I love most are archive days when, after weeks of searching, the baptism record of a client’s great-grandfather turns up and the whole family gets a chance at an EU passport.

I am from Brno, lived in Sofia and Prague, and now live in Budapest with my wife and young son. At home there is a shelf of old parish registers I buy at flea markets.

At weekends I hike in the Tatras and the Carpathians, photograph old churches and cemeteries and teach my son to read Gothic script, though for now he prefers comics.

DocumentsArchivesBudapestHikingOld books

Situations

What people come with

These are the questions clients most often bring to Martin.

Apostille and legalisation of documents Translations for an authority or court in another countryFinding ancestors in archives for citizenship by descent The archive with the records was lost or burnedDifferent spellings of a surname in documentsConsents for children to travel and custodyDocuments for children from different marriagesCriminal record certificates from several countriesDocument validity by the filing date

Case stories

Three matters in Martin’s own words

How Church Records Proved Bulgarian Roots When Civil Registry Burned

Bulgaria · citizenship

When the archive burned, the church helped

The client always knew about his Bulgarian roots, but when it came to documents it turned out the civil archive with his ancestor’s records had burned.

I found the entry in the baptism books of the Orthodox parish where his great-grandfather was baptised. I translated and certified it and prepared the pack for direct filing with the Ministry of Justice, as the 2026 rules require.

Outcome: Roots confirmed, Bulgarian citizenship granted

Read the full case

How Transylvanian Roots Led to Hungarian Passport Through Simplified Naturalization

Hungary · citizenship

An ancestor from Transylvania and two archives

The client’s ancestors were Hungarians from Transylvania, which gave the right to simplified naturalisation. But the records of the ancestor were scattered across Romanian and Hungarian archives.

I assembled the line to the ancestor from both archives, reconciled the spellings of names in two languages and prepared the translations. Meanwhile the client prepared for the interview in Hungarian.

Outcome: A Hungarian EU passport through simplified naturalisation

Read the full case

How We Legalized Guardianship of Children from Different Marriages for Turkish Residence Permit

Turkey · residence

Children from different marriages and a template not recognised

Elena from Moscow bought an apartment in Istanbul and everything was ready, but the Turkish registry office would not accept the children’s documents: they have different fathers, and the consents were drawn up on a template Turkey does not recognise.

We redid the fathers’ consents with a bilingual apostille and confirmed the relationship through the Istanbul family court. The documents were accepted the first time.

Outcome: Turkish residence for the whole family, the children started school

Read the full case

Reviews

What Martin’s clients say

Client reviews from matters Martin ran: who the client is, where they are from, which programme - and a link to the full case.

BRIDGES client reviews

MikhailMikhailBRIDGES client
Hungary · Citizenship

The documents on my roots were in the archives of three former republics. Martin made the requests, translations and legalisation and brought everything into one line.

Read the case
SvetlanaSvetlanaof Bulgarian descent
Bulgaria · Citizenship

The archive with my ancestor’s records burned, and I thought all was lost. Martin found the entry in the church baptism books and prepared all the documents. Bulgarian citizenship granted.

Read the case
ElenaElenabeauty salon chain owner
Turkey · Citizenship

The apartment was bought, but the children’s documents were rejected: different fathers and consents on the wrong template. Martin redid the consents with a bilingual apostille, and this time everything was accepted the first time.

Read the case
All client reviews →

Materials

19 materials written by Martin

BRIDGES knowledge base materials signed by Martin: apostille, translations, archives and documents for citizenship by descent.

CitizenshipAntigua and Barbuda Citizenship Documents in 2026: Checklist, Apostille, TranslationJune 2026CitizenshipBulgarian citizenship documents 2026: checklist, apostille, translationJune 2026CitizenshipDominica citizenship documents 2026: complete list and apostilleJune 2026CitizenshipRequirements for Greek citizenship in 2026: residency period, language, exam, documentsJune 2026CitizenshipDocument translation and apostille for Hungarian citizenship (2026): step-by-step guideJune 2026CitizenshipDocuments for Italian citizenship in 2026: list, apostille, translationJune 2026CitizenshipDocuments for Portuguese citizenship in 2026: complete list for naturalizationJune 2026CitizenshipSaint Kitts Citizenship Documents 2026: List, Apostille and TranslationJune 2026CitizenshipDocuments for Vanuatu citizenship: checklists for every member of the applicationSeptember 2026ResidencyDocuments for Bulgarian residence permit 2026: list, visa D, translationJune 2026ResidencyDocuments for Cyprus Permanent Residence under Regulation 6.2: Complete List 2026June 2026ResidencyDocuments for a Greece visa 2026: the full list for Schengen and the national D visaJune 2026ResidencyItaly residence permit documents 2026: a list for the D visa, translation, and kit postaleJune 2026ResidencyRenewing a Portuguese residence permit in 2026: timelines, documents, AIMA, minimum residenceJune 2026ResidencyDocuments for a Portugal visa 2026: the full list for Schengen and national visa DJune 2026ResidencyStudent visa in the UAE 2026: residency for studying in Dubai, documents, workJune 2026CitizenshipSaint Kitts and Nevis passport biometrics: who, where, cost and the 31 July 2027 deadlineOctober 2026CitizenshipArgentine passport: ranking, strength and how to get itOctober 2026BRIDGES analysisThe Commission proposes faster recognition of non-EU diplomas: about 4 months instead of 14 for seven professionsOctober 2026
Showing 19 of 19

BRIDGES sections

Where this practice applies

Documents and legalisation Citizenship by investment Residence by investment Who we help Client cases How BRIDGES works

Team

Who runs the work alongside Martin

A matter is never run by one person: the legal position, the filing, the documents and the work on the ground each have a named owner.

Martina VeberMartina VeberHead of Case ProcessingFiling applications and correspondence with authoritiesAnna KovalevskayaAnna KovalevskayaHead of LegalLegal position and the fileKarim NaserKarim NaserHead of Istanbul OfficeDocuments for Turkey on the groundIrina ShternIrina ShternHead of Hungary OfficeDocuments for Hungary

All BRIDGES experts

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

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We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.

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Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL
Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice