In this section are included the coats of arms, which represent many persons, affiliated to common occupation and institutions. In other words, these are the arms of corporate bodies, as companies, associations, educational institutions, political parties, clubs etc. Their roots may be found in the identification marks and arms of medieval orders of knighthood, merchant and craftsmen guilds, and the universities. Some researchers define the so called institutional heraldry for the coats of arms of state institutions. What is more, the military heraldry (the arms of military units) and academic heraldry (the armorial bearings of schools, colleges, and universities) are the huge parts of corporative heraldry, often discussed separately.

Usually, institutions, corporations and associations in Bulgaria, adopt emblems, and very rarely – coats of arms, while part of these emblems look like coats of arms. As an example, wine-cellars often use similar pseudoheraldic marks.