Apostille

The first rule of the apostille: only the country that issued a document can apostille it. A German certificate is apostilled in Germany — no Ukrainian authority can legalize a foreign document after the fact. Plan this step before you move or mail the paperwork; it usually cannot be completed from Ukraine.

The second fact saves money: an apostille is not always required. Ukraine and Poland have a 1993 legal-assistance treaty under which official documents are accepted with no legalization at all. There is no such treaty with Germany, where the competent authority depends on the document type: civil-registry records are apostilled by the regional government, court and notarial documents by the president of the regional court, federal documents by the Bundesverwaltungsamt in Cologne. Expect a few days to two weeks.

And mind the order: apostille first, translation second — the stamp becomes part of the document and must be translated too. Not sure whether your document needs one? Send us a scan: we will check free of charge and deliver a notarized translation within 1–2 business days.