Legalization of documents and apostille in Kyiv and across Ukraine

At our MovaPro translation company, we have been providing document legalization and apostille services in Kyiv and across Ukraine for more than 12 years. We complete orders within the time frame required and offer reasonable prices. With us, you can consult for free on all issues, both in person at the office and by calling us.

Cost of legalization: from UAH 900 for 1 document (depends on the type of document) Turnaround: from 1 to 32 working days (depends on the type of document) Consultation: free of charge

How long does an apostille take?

The turnaround depends on the document type and the issuing ministry: the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affix an apostille within 3–10 working days (up to 20 in complex cases), the Ministry of Education — from 1 to 32 working days. An urgent apostille on a diploma takes 1–2 working days.

Legalization of documents and affixing 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, and apostille + consular legalization.

An apostille is a special stamp placed on documents for their further legal use abroad. Documents are apostilled in order to simplify legalization in countries that have signed a special convention. After the apostille is affixed, the document acquires full legal force in another country. The apostille confirms the authority of the person who issued the document, as well as their signature. The apostille is affixed in the form of a stamp, which contains information only in the state language.

Terms for 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 if additional information needs to be obtained from the institution that issued the document.
• Ministry of Education of Ukraine: from 1 to 30 working days, depending on the document type and the urgency of submission.

After the apostille is affixed, in many cases a translation must be performed — of both the document itself and its apostille. Also, for the documents to be used abroad, the completed translation must be certified by a notary. We provide a full range of services, including apostille, translation and notarization.

What documents are required for affixing an apostille?

The procedure is set by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 61 of 18.01.2003 (on the powers to affix the apostille under the Hague Convention). To have an apostille affixed, you submit:

• the applicant’s passport;
• 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 attached to the original.

Cost of apostille

• Apostille for an extract (certificate) of no criminal record — UAH 900 for 1 document.
• Apostille for birth, marriage, divorce, notarial and court documents — UAH 2,300 for 1 document (5–7 working days).
• Apostille for a school certificate or a diploma with an appendix: UAH 1,450 for 1 document (32 working days); UAH 2,100 for 1 document (12 working days); UAH 2,500 for 1 document (4 working days); UAH 3,000 for 1 document (1–2 working days).
• Apostille for a diploma or an old-style school certificate with an appendix, a school report card, a PhD diploma or an academic transcript: UAH 1,450 for 1 document (30 working days); UAH 2,100 for 1 document (20 working days).

Who issues apostilles in Ukraine and how long it takes

Three government bodies issue apostilles in Ukraine, each covering its own document types:

Authority	Which documents	Timeline
Ministry of Justice of Ukraine (minjust.gov.ua)	Civil-registry certificates (birth, marriage, divorce), court decisions, notarial documents: powers of attorney, statements, certified copies	3–10 business days
Ministry of Internal Affairs	Police clearance extracts and other documents issued by MIA bodies	verify timings at the time of filing; via Diia the extract can be ordered together with the apostille
Ministry of Foreign Affairs	Medical certificates and most other documents issued by state authorities	3–10 business days; up to 20 if the issuing institution must be queried
State Tax Service	Tax certificates	verify timings at the time of filing
Ministry of Education and Science (mon.gov.ua)	Diplomas with supplements, school certificates, statements and archival records of educational institutions	1–32 business days depending on the document type and urgency

Not sure which authority apostilles your particular document? Use our free apostille route finder — pick the document type and it shows the right ministry, the order of steps, and the expected timeline.

Since 1 February 2026 an updated apostille procedure is in force (Ministry of Justice order No. 3177/5 of 20.11.2025): apostilles are gradually moving to a QR-code format, and a stamp’s authenticity can be verified online — in the Ministry of Justice register for civil-registry, court, and notarial documents, or in the education-document register. That makes life easier for the receiving institution abroad: no paper queries to Ukraine are needed.

Apostille by document type: which authority handles yours

The question people actually ask is not “what is an apostille” but “where do I take this particular document”. Below is the split by authority, with the practical caveats that most often send applicants back for a second visit.

MON: education documents

Turnaround: 1 to 32 business days depending on the document format and the urgency chosen.

Document	What to watch for
Diploma and supplement	The diploma and the supplement are apostilled as two separate procedures, and for diplomas missing from the EDEBO register MON sends an archive request to the institution, which noticeably extends the timeline.
School certificate and transcript	Before stamping, MON checks the certificate in the EDEBO register; older certificates require an archive request to the school, so for the summer admissions season order the apostille in spring.
Certificates and archive documents from educational institutions	MON issues the apostille in 1–32 business days depending on the document type and the urgency tier.

Ministry of Justice: civil registry, courts, notaries

Turnaround: 3–10 business days, longer in complex cases.

Document	What to watch for
Birth certificate	Soviet-era booklets and laminated forms cannot be apostilled — you first obtain a reissued certificate on a current form from the civil registry (RACS).
Marriage certificate	Apostille the original first, then translate — otherwise the stamp stays untranslated and the receiving institution may return the whole package.
Divorce certificate	MinJust apostilles both the civil-registry certificate and the court divorce decision; Soviet-era forms remain valid but cannot be apostilled — a reissued certificate is needed.
Death certificate	Old and laminated forms cannot be apostilled — relatives first obtain a reissued certificate from the civil registry (from abroad, via power of attorney or a consulate).
Civil registry (DRACS) extract and reissued records	The apostille goes only on a paper extract — the electronic QR-coded extract from the Diia app cannot be apostilled.
Court decision	The apostille goes not on the case-file original but on a court-certified copy bearing the official seal and the entry-into-force note — a printout from the court decisions register will not do.
Notarial power of attorney	Ukraine has legal-assistance treaties with Poland and Czechia that formally waive the apostille, yet institutions there often request it anyway — when in doubt, ask the receiving institution in writing.
Notarized copy, notarial statement	A notarized copy is the route for documents that cannot carry the stamp directly — including civil records issued by registry offices of the former Soviet republics.

MIA, MFA and STS: certificates and other official documents

Turnaround: 3–10 business days; up to 20 if a query to the issuing institution is needed.

Document	What to watch for
Criminal record certificate	The apostille is issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, not the MFA — the rule since 1 January 2023. The electronic QR extract cannot be apostilled: you need a paper copy, usually accepted abroad for 90 days. Full route in our guide to the apostille on a police clearance certificate.
Medical certificate	The MFA verifies the signature and seal by querying the issuing facility, which makes this the slowest of these routes — submit the certificate for the apostille immediately after it is issued.

Documents that are never apostilled directly

The stamp never goes on the document itself — the workaround is a notarised copy.

Document	What to watch for
Passport	Passports are not apostilled: when a foreign institution asks for a ‘legalized’ passport, what it actually needs is a notarized translation — in some cases an apostilled notarized copy is requested, so confirm the format with the institution.
Driver’s license	Driver’s licenses are usually not apostilled: license-exchange authorities ask for a certified translation of the card, not a legalized original.

Cases that need checking

The answer depends on the specific document and on what the recipient asks for.

Document	What to watch for
Income statement	For visa purposes an apostille is mostly not required; where it is, statements from state bodies are apostilled by MinJust, while an employer’s letter must first be notarized and only then apostilled.

What documents are subject to apostille

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

Documents confirming education may be required by foreign embassies or foreign qualification recognition organizations and other institutions, in particular: a certificate of the fact of study and academic rights; a certificate of the license and accreditation of a higher educational institution; a certificate about the grading 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; originals of official documents issued by organizations of the former republics of the USSR.

For documents issued in the USSR — for example, birth or marriage certificates — the apostille is affixed to copies of such documents, certified in accordance with the established procedure on the territory of Ukraine (notarized).

What an apostille looks like, and how to verify one

An apostille is not a sticker or a handwritten endorsement but a standardised stamp, a square of roughly 10×10 cm. The fields are always the same: the country where it was issued, the document and the authority that issued it, the position and signature of the official whose signature is being certified, a number, a date, the name of the authority affixing the apostille, and its seal. The form is unified by the Hague Convention, but the layout used by MON, the Ministry of Justice and the MFA differs slightly — that is normal, not a sign of forgery.

The stamp goes either on spare space on the document itself or on a separate sheet bound to the original. That is exactly why laminated documents cannot be apostilled: nothing can be bound to, or stamped onto, a plastic film.

Verification is free and takes a minute: civil-registry, court and notarial documents in the Ministry of Justice register, education documents in the education-document register. With the move to QR-coded apostilles, a foreign institution simply scans the code — no paper enquiries to Ukraine required.

The double apostille: when the stamp is applied twice

Some countries require an apostille not only on the document but also on its translation. The sequence is strict and a mistake costs a full cycle: apostille on the original (or on a notarised copy) first, then the translation, then notarisation of the translation, and only then the second apostille, which certifies the notary’s signature and seal.

Double apostilles are commonly asked for by Austria, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Norway, Portugal, France and Switzerland. The list is not exhaustive — always confirm with the body that will receive the document.

For Italy, Spain and France there are two possible routes: the double apostille described above, or an apostille on the document plus a translation by a consulate-accredited translator carrying a consular seal. Which one applies depends on what the receiving institution accepts.

Apostille, notarisation and sworn translation are three different things

They are confused constantly, and that confusion is what makes people pay for procedures they do not need.

• An apostille confirms the authenticity of the document itself: the signature and seal of the official who issued it. It can only be obtained in the country that issued the document.
• Notarisation concerns the translation or the copy, not the document: the notary certifies the translator’s signature or the accuracy of a copy. It comes after the apostille and can be done in any country.
• A sworn translation is a format used in several EU countries: a translator sworn in before a local court certifies the translation with their own seal. Where it is required, a Ukrainian notarised translation is not always accepted — worth establishing before ordering.

The practical conclusion: an apostille without a translation is usually useless, and a translation without an apostille is invalid for a state institution abroad. Only the correct sequence works.

Apostille in Kyiv: how we run it

We handle the whole chain end to end: the apostille in Kyiv on the original, translation into the required language, notarisation and, where needed, the second apostille. Our office is at 9 Yaroslaviv Val, five minutes from Zoloti Vorota metro, and the notary works in the same building, so the file does not travel between addresses.

What to send before we start: a scan of both sides of the document, the country and institution it is going to, and your target date. Within 15 minutes we confirm which authority apostilles your specific document, whether a double apostille applies, and what the whole package costs with translation.

Handing over documents in Kyiv and from other cities

An apostille goes on original documents, so they need to reach us physically: in person at our office at Yaroslaviv Val 9 (Zoloti Vorota metro, central Kyiv) or by Nova Poshta from any Ukrainian city or from abroad. While the originals are in transit, we start the translation from scans — which shortens the overall timeline. The finished package returns the same way: in person, by courier, or by post.