+380935340152
+380935340152Stamp legalization and apostille (a simplified form of legalization) are forms of confirming the legality of a document issued by official authorities of one country and used in other countries.
Only documents issued or certified by government authorities, such as civil registry documents or company founding documents, can be legalized or apostilled.
Please note
There are countries where documents do not need to be legalized or apostilled. Several countries have signed the Hague Convention of 1961, according to which documents can be confirmed as legal by affixing an apostille, and official authorities accept documents from abroad specifically if they are apostilled. However, for some countries, documents need to be legalized.
Legalization and apostille can be affixed
The stamp of legalization and apostille is affixed to the following documents:
- documents issued by the judicial authorities of Ukraine;
- documents issued by the prosecution authorities of Ukraine, as well as justice authorities;
- administrative documents (legalization or apostille is affixed to marriage certificates, birth certificates, divorce certificates, death certificates, name change certificates, etc.);
- education documents and documents confirming academic titles (diplomas, certificates, transcripts, diplomas of candidates and doctors of sciences, archival extracts from universities, study programs);
- documents certified by both public and private notaries.
Apostille and legalization cannot be affixed
Apostille and legalization stamps cannot be affixed to the following documents:
- documents issued by Ukrainian embassies or consulates abroad;
- administrative documents directly related to commercial or customs operations;
- original, copy, or photocopy of passport, military ID, employment record book, permission to carry weapons, driver’s license, vehicle registration certificate (technical passport), any identification document, regulatory legal act, explanation, and legal opinion regarding their application, documents of correspondence nature.
Please note
Originals of official documents issued by institutions of the former Soviet republics are not accepted in Ukraine for apostille certification. Apostille can only be affixed to copies of these documents, notarized within the territory of Ukraine.
Documents for apostille or legalization
To obtain an apostille stamp or legalization in Kyiv, you need to provide:
- Original document or its notarized copy
- If a third party is handling the legalization process, it is only possible with a power of attorney from the document owner
Apostille and legalization stamps are affixed directly in the blank space of the document, on its reverse side, or on a separate sheet.
What is an apostille?
An apostille is a stamp measuring 10 x 10 cm, within which text is placed according to the established format. Apostille and legalization stamps are filled out in the Ukrainian language.
List of countries specifying the type of document legalization:
| Single apostille required | Australia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bahrain, Belize, Belarus, Bulgaria, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burundi, Vanuatu, Hungary, Venezuela, Guyana, Guatemala, Germany, Honduras, Grenada, Greece, Georgia, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Israel, India, Ireland, Iceland, Spain*, Cape Verde, Kazakhstan, China (Hong Kong and Macau only), Cyprus, Colombia, Korea, Kingdom of Eswatini, Kosovo, Costa Rica, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Macedonia, Malawi, Malta, Morocco, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Niue, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Cook Islands, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Russia, Romania, Samoa, Seychelles, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Serbia and Montenegro, San -Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, USA, Suriname, Tajikistan, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Fiji, Philippines, Finland, Croatia, Czech Republic**, Chile , Sweden, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, South Africa****, Jamaica, Japan |
| Two apostilles required (apostille for translation) | Austria, Belgium, UK, Italy*, Netherlands, Portugal, France*, Switzerland |
| Legalization | Vietnam***, Egypt***, Iraq, Yemen****, Canada***, Qatar****, Kenya****, China (except Macau and Hong Kong)***, Kuwait, Lebanon* **, Libya***, Malaysia***, UAE****, Palestine, Pakistan***, Saudi Arabia****, Thailand****, Uganda****, Sri Lanka |
| Neither legalization nor apostille required | Cuba |
Notes
* requires either a double apostille (apostille on the document or a copy of the document, and apostille on the translation), or apostille on the document or a copy, translation by an accredited or sworn translator, and legalization of the document and translation at the consulate of the relevant country;
** an apostille is placed on the document or a copy of the document, and a translation by a sworn translator is mandatory;
*** consular legalization of the document or a document with a notarized translation is possible in Kyiv;
**** consular legalization of a document or a document with a notarized translation is only possible in Russia.