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APOSTILLE AFFIXING AND LEGALISATION
We in April Translation Company will be happy to help you if you need to have an apostille affixed to or legalise your documents.
The apostille affixing procedure and consular legalisation of documents is an important step in the preparation of documents for using them abroad.
І. Legalising Documents by Affixing Apostille
An apostille is a special stamp affixed to an official document, which was issued in a country, to certify the authenticity. Once an apostille is affixed, the document becomes fully legal in the other country.
Apostille can be affixed by the following agencies:
- The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine (MOJ);
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MOFA);
- The Ministry of Education of Ukraine.
The choice of authority for having an apostille affixed depends on type of the document you submit.
Cost of apostille and legalization depends on the issuing authority, document and country, where this document was issued.
For example, a certificate of residence, clear criminal record certificate, medical certificates, etc. are legalised by the MOFA. The MOJ affixes an apostille to documents issued by civil registry offices, notarial documents, etc. while education certificates may be only legalised by having an apostille affixed to them in the Ministry of Education of Ukraine.
An apostille can be only affixed to the documents issued by official bodies:
- Personal documents:
- diplomas, archive transcripts, training programmes, educational certificates;
- different types of certificates (clear criminal record, residence, health status);
- documents issued by civil registry offices (marriage certificates, birth certificates, certificate of dissolution of marriage, etc.);
- documents made up by a notary (applications, statements, powers of attorney, affidavits, etc.).
- Corporate documents (registration certificate, powers of attorney, articles of association, etc.).
Which countries require apostilles?
On December 22, 2003 Ukraine joined the Hague Convention that abolished the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents which has been in force since 1961. Ukraine applies the new procedure to the member countries of the Hague Convention. This has allowed simplifying the apostille affixing process.
More specifically, once an apostille is affixed to the document, all you need is to obtain the notarised translation.
Countries that require affixing the first apostille:
Albania | Georgia | Niue |
Andorra | Greece | Norway |
Antigua and Barbuda | Grenada | Panama |
Argentina | Honduras | Philippines |
Armenia | Hungary | Poland |
Australia | Iceland | Romania |
Azerbaijan | India | Russia |
Bahamas | Ireland | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
Barbados | Israel | Saint Lucia |
Belarus | Japan | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
Belize | Kazakhstan | Samoa |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Korea | Serbia and Montenegro |
Botswana | Latvia, Lesotho | Seychelles |
Brunei | Liberia | Slovak Republic |
Bulgaria | Liechtenstein | Slovenia |
Chile | Lithuania | South Africa |
China (Hong Kong and Macau only) | Luxemburg | Spain |
Colombia | Macedonia | Surinam |
Cook Islands | Malawi | Swaziland |
Croatia | Malta | Sweden |
Cyprus | Marshall Islands | Tonga |
Czech Republic | Mauritius | Trinidad and Tobago |
Dominican Republic | Mexico | Tunisia |
Ecuador | Moldova | Turkey |
El Salvador | Monaco | Ukraine |
Estonia | Montenegro | USA |
Federal Republic of Germany | Morocco | Venezuela |
Fiji | Namibia | |
Finland | New Zealand |
Double Apostille:
Some countries require that double apostille is affixed to documents. This means that the first apostille is placed on the original or notarsed copy of the document which then undergoes the notarised translation procedure followed by affixing the second apostille to the translation certified by a notary.
Countries that require double apostilles: Austria, Belgium, France, Britain, Portugal, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Italy.
Affixing an Apostille to a Document and Consular Legalisation of the Translation
There are some countries for which two legalization options are possible, namely:
- affixing an apostille to the document + notarised translation + the second apostille; or
- affixing an apostille to the document + accredited translation certified with a consular seal
These countries include: Italy, Spain and France
NO APOSTILLE IS AFFIXED TO:
the originals or copies of passport, employment record book, military ID, gun registration certificate, vehicle registration document, identity cards, etc. In addition, you can not have commercial, financial or customs documents legalised.
How Long Does it Take to Have an Apostille Affixed?
- in the Ministry of Justice – 1 to 5 business days;
- in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine — 2 to 5 business days; or up to 20 business days if you need to obtain additional information from the agency that issued the document.
- in the Ministry of Education of Ukraine – 10 to 40 business days depending on the type of the document and submission urgency.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT AFFIXING APOSTILLES PLEASE VISIT THE WEBSITES OF:
- the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine;
- the Ministry of Education of Ukraine;
- the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.
ІІ. CONSULAR LEGALISATION OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS
There are the countries that are not included in the Hague Convention signatory list, therefore, no simplified apostille-affixing legalisation procedure can be used for them. If you are going to use your documents in such countries, you need to visit the consulate.
Consular legalisation stages:
- the seal of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine is affixed to your document;
- the seal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is then affixed to your document;
- notarised translation;
- the seal of the respective country’s consulate (embassy) is finally affixed to your document.
The time taken by each agency for legalise documents depend on the country. In general, each procedure can take 2 to 10 business days.
Consular legalisation is required for:
UAE, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Kuwait, China (except for Macau and Hong Kong), Costa Rica, Canada, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Egypt, Palestine, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Qatar.
What You Should Know About Consular Legalisation
- if we file document for legalisation on behalf of our customer, we need to obtain from the customer the notarised power of attorney for one of our employees.Otherwise, the documents will not be accepted in the agencies listed above. If the owner of the document is in the other country, the power of attorney can be obtained directly from the Ukrainian consulate in that country;
- diplomas are legalised by affixing stamps to the notarised copies of the documents. The basic requirement is to provide the archive transcript from the educational institution;
- if the legalisation stamp is placed on the document issued by a civil registry office, you need to provide a new-type document.If the issuing country accepts old-type documents, the legalisation stamp is affixed to the notarised copy;
- if you need to have a corporate document legalized, you have to provide a cover letter on the company’s letterhead sealed and signed by the CEO. The letter must include the information of the person who is expected to apply for legalization.
The Consular Department does not affix legalisation stamps to the documents that were made up abroad. Such documents are legalised at the Consulate of Ukraine located in the issuing country.