Document recovery
Recovering lost documents anywhere in the world
We obtain reissued documents and archive confirmations, correct discrepancies in records and run the legal procedure when ordinary reissue is not enough.
We work under a power of attorney: no need to travel to the country of issue.
Online check
Recovery route
Answer three questions to see which route suits your document, how long it takes and what needs doing.
- We choose the route: registry, archive or court
- We review refusals from authorities
- A lawyer in the issuing country if a court is needed
The record has survived: we obtain a reissued document from the authority of the issuing country under a power of attorney.
- Registry request under a power of attorney
- Reissued document or extract
- Apostille, translation, delivery
from €100
reissue of a document
3 routes
administrative, archival, judicial
No travel
under a power of attorney through a representative
One lawyer
runs every stage and stays in touch with you
Situations
When you need recovery
The document was lost, damaged, seized or issued so long ago that the ordinary route no longer works.
- A lost document
We obtain a reissued document if the record has survived.
- No record in the registry
We search archives and other state records.
- A refusal
We review the grounds and look for another mechanism under the law.
- Discrepancies in details
Names and dates do not match: we correct or confirm them.
- Citizenship and repatriation
Ancestors' documents and proof of origin.
- Inheritance
Kinship and death documents for inheritance matters.
Three routes
Routes to recoveringa document
We determine the route before work starts.
- Administrative reissue
- The record has survived: we obtain a reissued document from the authority of the issuing country. It takes weeks and starts from €100.
- Archives and other records
- The record is not in the current registry: we search archives, relatives' documents and migration and registration data.
- Court
- When no other route exists, a local lawyer establishes the legally relevant fact in court. We prepare the evidence and run all the work.
- Correcting discrepancies
- We identify the primary document and the mechanism: correcting the record, confirming that a document belongs to you, or a court order.
Four steps
How we work
We assess the prospects before starting. If the task cannot be solved, we say so straight away.
- 01Checking the situation
What the document is, where it was issued, what has been tried, whether there is a refusal.
- 02Choosing the route
Registry, archive, correcting the record or court.
- 03Obtaining
Requests, archives, the work of a lawyer in the issuing country.
from several weeks
- 04Preparing to file
Apostille or legalisation, translation, delivery.
Result
The document is with youThe recovered document, ready to file.
Cost
What the costdepends on
We send the estimate after checking the situation.
- Recovery route
- Reissue, archive or court.
- Country
- Fees, archives and the cost of a local lawyer.
- Complexity
- Survival of records, discrepancies, the number of documents.
- Preparing to file
- Apostille, translation and delivery as separate lines.
from €100
reissue of a document. Archive research and legal procedures are estimated after review.
To get started
- What the document is and where it was issued
- Copies of any surviving documents
- The authority's reply, if there was a refusal
RecoveryThe essentials
Questions and answers
Did not find your answer? A lawyer will reply on your situation.
Archive research looks for historical information and links between generations. Recovery starts when it is clear which document is needed but the ordinary route will not produce it. In a complex situation, archive research becomes one of the stages.
A refusal is the starting point for analysis. We review the grounds and check whether the law offers another mechanism: appeal, proving the fact with other evidence, or court.
We look at what evidence the country allows: other state records, relatives' documents, notarial, migration and registration data. If there is no mechanism, we say so directly.
A lawyer of the issuing country runs the court procedure. We select the lawyer, prepare the documents and run all the work, remaining your single contact.
No. We are responsible for the work on the chosen route, not for the decision of an authority or court. We assess the prospects before starting.
Reissue starts from €100. Archive research and legal procedures are estimated after review: a figure named in advance would be invented.
Reissue takes weeks, archive research longer and depends on the survival of the collections, and a court follows its own country's timing. We give a guide after review.
As a rule, no: we work under a power of attorney through a local representative. If the law requires personal attendance, we tell you in advance.
Updated 2 November 2026.
TeamWorking with documents
Your specialists
BRIDGES specialists who check the requirements, handle the filing and stay in touch with the authorities in the country of issue.
ServicesDocuments
All document services
Order any service on its own or combine several into one request.
Documents01 / 08ApostilleFor the 130 states of the Hague Convention. Issued in the country of the document, without you travelling.Details 
Documents02 / 08Consular legalisationFor countries outside the Hague Convention: notary, ministry and consulate in one chain.Details 
Documents03 / 08Police certificateFrom any country where you have lived, timed to your filing date.Details 
Documents04 / 08Sworn translationTranslation certified in the form the receiving country accepts.Details 
Documents05 / 08Civil status certificatesBirth, marriage, divorce, death and change of name: reissued documents and extracts.Details 
Documents06 / 08Archive researchBirth and marriage records of ancestors for citizenship by descent.Details 
Documents07 / 08Education recognitionDiplomas and transcripts prepared for recognition abroad.Details 
Documents08 / 08DocumentsOrder any service on its own or combine several into one request.Details What clients say
Reviews from clients we have supported in different countries.
ViktorInvestor
I did everything correctly: chose the fund, invested the money, and waited for my residence permit. Then it turns out the fund's certificate has an error, and because of that I might be denied. The money is invested, but the paperwork is flawed - and I'm the one who suffers!
Read the case
DanielOwner of a car dealership chain
I compared four companies and stayed with the one that told me about the risks in my case first and about prices second. Compliance went through without a single additional request.
Read the case
FadiFrom Beirut
Ziraat wanted me to freeze a deposit. Nikos showed that with property the accounts could be opened without it. The accounts are open, residence granted.
Read the caseINITIAL ASSESSMENT
Tell us what outcome your family needs
We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.
