Frequently asked questions

Apostille is a simplified legalization procedure. Countries that have not joined the Hague Convention and do not recognize the apostille require legalization through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a consulate or embassy. This is a more complicated procedure, but we can help with this as well. The most popular among our clients are countries that do not recognize an apostille and require legalization: Canada, UAE, Qatar, Egypt.

Apostille on documents is an international confirmation of their authenticity and legality for use abroad.

In 1961, a number of countries signed the Hague Convention, in which they agreed on a simplified document circulation procedure and mutual recognition of state documents, provided they contain a special stamp – an apostille. This stamp is mostly affixed by the ministries of education, justice and foreign affairs within the country where the document was issued. An apostille must be affixed to a document issued by a government body of one country for use in another. If the document is used within the country where it was issued, apostillation is not required.

Double apostille is a special type of legalization of documents, in which the apostille stamp is affixed twice: first on the original document or its notarized copy, and then on the notarized translation of the document. It is important to first notarize the translation of the document and only after that to apostill it.

A double apostille confirms the authenticity of the seal and the signature of the notary who certified the translation. Usually, a double apostille is required for documents used in the following countries: Austria Belgium Great Britain Denmark Netherlands Italy Norway Portugal France Switzerland. However, this list is not exhaustive, and it is worth finding out the requirements for issuing the document in the relevant authority of the country in which the document will be used.

The apostille is affixed in one of the ministries of the country where the document was issued, and it confirms the authenticity of the document itself (the seal and signature of the official of the body that issued the document match).

Notarization usually confirms the conformity of the copy of the document or the qualification of the translator who translated the document.

The apostille must be affixed in the country of issue, and the translation and notarization after the apostille can be performed in any country.

The following personal documents are subject to apostillation:

• Diplomas, archival references, educational programs, certificates.
• Certificates (about a criminal record, from the place of residence, about the state of health).
• Marriage certificates, birth certificates, divorce certificates, etc.
• Documents issued by a notary public (statements, powers of attorney, notarized copies of certain documents, affidavits, etc.).
• Certificates of registration, powers of attorney, statutes and other documents.

Passports, work books, military IDs, permits to carry weapons, technical passports for cars, identity cards and certain other documents cannot be apostilled, however, in some cases, notarized copies of such documents may be required.

Laminated documents or those containing traces of lamination are not subject to apostillation. Birth, marriage, name change or death certificates must be issued after 2003.

Old or laminated documents must be obtained again and only then apostilled.

The term for affixing an apostille depends on the type of document and can vary from several days to several weeks. Ministry of Justice of Ukraine: from 5 to 10 working days. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine: from 5 to 10 working days or up to 20 working days in case of need for additional information upon request to the institution that issued the document. Ministry of Education of Ukraine: from 1 to 30 working days, depending on the sample document and the urgency of submission.

Yes, in most cases, the apostille is affixed to the original document. It can look like a stamp, placed or glued on the back or sewn in a separate sheet to the original.

Exceptions are documents that cannot be sewn or stamped, such as a passport or driver’s license. Also, in Ukraine, it is not possible to put an apostille on state documents issued on the territory of the Soviet Union. In such cases, notarized copies of documents can be apostilled, not the originals.

No. A power of attorney is not required for apostillization.

Usually, an apostille is issued in the state language, and after apostillation, the entire document together with the apostille must be translated into the required language, as well as notarized.

This apostillation procedure has its own characteristics. It is extremely important to consider that foreign countries often do not accept birth certificates that were issued according to the old standards. Such documents include:

• Certificates issued before 2003.
• Certificates issued during the USSR.

In order to apostill these birth certificates, it is necessary to first contact the authorities of the RAC to obtain a duplicate document on a new sample form.

There are also certain nuances associated with the availability of the relevant sample of the RACS seal and the registrar’s signature in the archive of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, which may create difficulties during apostillation. Documents obtained within the last 10 years are usually easily apostilled without any obstacles. However, old documents laminated or with additional marks and stamps cannot be apostilled. In this case, you need to get a clean duplicate on a new form, on which you can already put an apostille.

For Italy, Spain and France, two options for legalization of documents are possible:

1. Apostillization of the document → notarized translation → second apostillization.
2. Apostillization of the document → translation made by an accredited translator with a consular seal.

Today, there are several official bodies in Ukraine that are authorized to affix an apostille on documents: the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine (Ministry of Justice), the Ministry of Education of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA) or the State Tax Service of Ukraine.

The cost of an apostille may vary depending on the type of document and terms.

To obtain an apostille, you need to have the original document and additional documents or information, depending on the requirements of a specific institution. The original document must not be damaged or laminated.

Apostille has no validity period. If you put the apostille once, you don’t need to put it again. The exception is documents with an apostille, which have an expiration date. This usually refers to a certificate (extract) of a criminal record that is valid abroad for 3 months. Also, in rare cases, foreign institutions require birth or marriage certificates to be issued no later than one year from the date of submission. In this case, you need to get the certificate again and put an apostille on it.

Apostille on documents in Ukraine is a seal, wet or electronic, which is placed on the back of the original document. Although the requirements for issuing an apostille are uniform for all countries and provide for the creation of an apostille template in a certain format, the form of an apostille may differ slightly in different ministries of Ukraine. An apostille is drawn up in the form of a square measuring 10×10 cm, which contains the main elements: the country where the apostille was affixed, the name of the document on which it is affixed, the seal that confirms the apostille, the authority that issues the apostille, the date of issue, the signature of the responsible person and its seal body.

Apostille is required to legalize documents for use abroad, for example, for educational purposes, work, starting a business, etc.