Apostille and consular legalisation

You need to have your documents apostilled or legalized in Ukraine to use the documents abroad? Glebov translation bureau can apostille the documents for you.

What is an apostille or consular legalization? Apostille – is a stamp certifying the authenticity of the documents, by certification/check up of the signature and/or seal of the person issuing the document. Apostille, in spite of the country where it was issued, should contain the standard informational block consisting of ten points: who issued the document, whose signature/stamp is certified, date of issue and the number of the apostille. Besides, the apostille may contain an additional information: more precise information specifying that you cannot use apostille in a country where it was issued, address of the registering body to check the authenticity of the apostille etc.
You can have the documents apostilled in the following institutions of Ukraine:

1. Ministry of science and education
2. Ministry of Justice
3. Ministry of foreign affairs

The documents are apostilled in accordance with the Hague convention dated from the 5th of October, 1961, that came into force on the territory of Ukraine starting from the 22nd of December, 2003 and is needed for the following countries:
Albania, Andorra, Antigua, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Barbuda,  Belgium, Belize, Belorussia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Checz Republic, Chroatia, Colombia,  Cook Islands, Cyprus, Darussalam, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji Islands, Finland, Former Republic of Yugoslavia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korean Republic, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Macedonia, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldavia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Namibia, New Zeland, Niue, Norway, Panama, People’s Republic of China, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Kitsey Nevis, Saint Lucia, Salvador, Samoa Islands, San Marino, São Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Surinam, Swaziland, Swiss, Switzerland, the Marshall Islands, the Netherlands, the United States of America, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago,  Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Vanuatu, Venezuela,

The consular legalization is needed for the following countries:
Canada, Chile, China (excluding Macao and Hong Kong), Costa Rica, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, UAE, Uruguay.

Please, bear in mind that in case of the consular legalization you can use the document only for the country for which it was legalised. What shall you do if you plan to use the document in several countries and for one you need apostille and for another you need a legalization? In such a case you need to get the original copy of the document, and one document shall be apostilled and another one should be legalized.

In some cases you may need double apostille. In such a case you need to put an apostille on the original of the document. Then the document should be translated, the translation should be certified by the notary and then the document is apostilled.

The apostille is put directly on the original of the document or on a special attachment, that is called allonge.  In the Convention there are no exact instructions on how the allonge must be attached, or on how the apostille shall be put. Apostille certifies only the authenticity of the seal/signature and in no way the content of the document, and the apostille does not give any additional meaning to the document itself.

In some cases the customer shall give us the power of attorney, certified by the notary or the sealed letter from the company. To get more detailed information, please contact our manager.

Is it possible that the apostille is rejected in another member-state?

There is a sample of the apostille attached to the Hague convention, and any apostille attached to the document in another country should correspond to the attached sample. It is obligatory for every apostille to include:

1. title “apostille”;
2. short name of convention in French (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961);
3. block composed of 10 standard informational fields.
   If the apostille does not correspond to the identified requirements, any country has the right to reject such an apostille.