Legalization of documents and apostille in Kyiv and across Ukraine

Legalization of documents and apostille in Kyiv and across Ukraine

In our MovaPro Translation Company, we have been providing legalization of documents and apostille services in Kyiv and across Ukraine for more than 12 years. We complete orders in the time required and have reasonable prices. With us, you can consult for free on all issues, both in person at the office and by calling us.

Legalization of documents and affixing of an apostille in Ukraine: what you need to know

Legalization of documents is an official confirmation of the authenticity of a document intended for use abroad. Thanks to this procedure, official documents issued in one country can be used in another. There are several types of document legalization in Ukraine, namely: apostille, double apostille, consular legalization, apostille + consular legalization.

Apostille is a special stamp placed on documents for their further legal use abroad. Apostillation of documents is carried out in order to simplify legalization in countries that have signed a special convention. After apostillation, the document acquires full legal force in another country. Apostille confirms the authority of the person who issued the document, as well as his signature. Apostille is affixed in the form of a stamp, which contains information only in the state language. Term of affixing an apostille:

  • Ministry of Justice of Ukraine: from 3 to 10 working days.
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine: from 3 to 10 working days, or up to 20 working days in the case of the need to obtain 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.

After affixing an apostille, in many cases a translation must be performed – both the document itself and its apostille. Also, for the use of documents abroad, the completed translation must be certified by a notary. We provide a full range of services, including apostille, translation and notarization.

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In accordance with the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine “On the granting of powers to affix an apostille provided for by the Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalization of Foreign Official Documents” dated 18.01.2003 No. 61, for affixing an apostille it is necessary to submit:

  • passport of the applicant
  • the original of the document to be certified by an apostille.

The original must not be damaged or laminated. The apostille is placed either on the document itself (if there is space) or on a separate form, which is then sewn to the original.

Cost of apostille


  • Apostille for an extract (certificate) of criminal record – UAH 750 for 1 document.
  • Apostille for birth, marriage, divorce, notarial and court documents – UAH 1000 for 1 document (5-7 working days).
  • Apostille for a certificate, diploma with an appendix: UAH 950 for 1 document (32 working days); UAH 1,600 for 1 document (12 working days); UAH 1,800 for 1 document (4 working days); UAH 2,200 for 1 document (1-2 working day).
  • We can make an apostille for a diploma or an old-style certificate with an appendix, a school report card, a PhD diploma, an academic certificate: UAH 950 for 1 document (30 working days); UAH 1,400 for 1 document (20 working days).

What documents are subject to apostillation

Subject to apostillation only through a notarized copy (photocopy-excerpt): passport documents: passport of a citizen of Ukraine, both model of 1994 and ID card form, as well as foreign passport; military ID; employment history; pension certificate; driving license; vehicle registration certificate (technical passport); official documents issued by the civil registry office of former union republics within the USSR.

Documents confirming education may be required by foreign embassies or foreign organizations for the recognition of qualifications and other institutions, in particular: a certificate of the fact of study and academic rights; certificate of license and accreditation of a higher educational institution; certificate about the evaluation system in Ukraine, etc.

What documents cannot be apostilled

There are a number of documents on which an apostille cannot be affixed, namely: documents issued by foreign diplomatic organizations; administrative documents related to commercial or customs operations; the original of official documents that were types of organizations of former republics within the USSR.

Apostille of documents such as birth, marriage certificates, etc. (issued in the USSR) is carried out on copies of such documents, which will be certified in accordance with the established procedure on the territory of Ukraine (notarized).

Important information: how to check the authenticity of an apostille

Beware of fakes! Check the authenticity of the documents before use. You can go to the following links to check the authenticity of the apostille affixed in:

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Frequently asked questions

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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.

  • Diplomas, archival references, educational programs, certificates.
    Certificates (about a criminal record, from the place of residence, about the state of health).
    Documents issued by RATS authorities (marriage, birth, divorce, 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, not originals, can be apostilled.

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.

The 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. Yes, 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.

To make an apostille, you can contact our MovaPro translation company. For more than 12 years, we have been providing services for legalization of documents and affixing the “Apostille” stamp in Kyiv and across Ukraine. We fulfill orders in the time required for you and at reasonable prices.

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. Cost of apostille:

  • Apostille for a tax document – UAH 1,000 for 1 document.
  • Apostille for an extract (certificate) of criminal record – UAH 900 for 1 document.
  • Apostille for birth, marriage, divorce, notarial and court documents – UAH 800 for 1 document (5-7 working days).
  • Apostille for a certificate, diploma with an appendix: UAH 950 for 1 document (30 working days); UAH 1,600 for 1 document (10 working days); UAH 1,800 for 1 document (3 working days); UAH 2,200 for 1 document (1 working day).
  • We can make an apostille for a diploma or an old-style certificate with an appendix, a school report card, a PhD diploma, an academic certificate: UAH 950 for 1 document (30 working days); UAH 1,400 for 1 document (20 working days).

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.

An apostille for a birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce certificate, or any other document issued by the civil status registration authority can be submitted to the registry office or to a notary public. You can also contact us and we will provide you with a free consultation and help you quickly obtain an apostille, make a translation and notarize at reasonable prices.