What should you know about apostillization of documents?
Affixing an apostille stamp is a simplified procedure for legalizing documents for use in countries that have acceded to the Convention abolishing the requirement to legalize foreign public documents (the so-called Hague Apostille Convention), which Ukraine joined on January 10, 2002 (entered into force on December 22, 2003).
To date, more than a hundred states have joined the Hague Apostille Convention, including Belgium, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America and others. Among the countries that have recently joined the convention are China, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Senegal.
So, if you plan to travel outside Ukraine or need to submit documents to foreign institutions, here's what you should know about apostillization.
An apostille is a special stamp affixed to official documents. It certifies the authenticity of the person's signature on the document and the authenticity of the seal or stamp that affixes the document.
The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine affixes an apostille to official documents issued by justice authorities, courts and archival institutions, as well as to documents executed by notaries of Ukraine.
Original documents on education are available at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
All other documents, such as certificates of no criminal record, certificates of residence and family composition, documents issued by prosecutors, medical certificates, etc., are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine affixes an apostille in the Electronic Apostille Register as follows:
- you can apply with your passport and the original documents to be apostilled to the relevant authority (civil registration department/notary/State Archival Service of Ukraine)
- provide a document confirming payment for the apostillization service or a document confirming the right to exemption from payment;
- the application formed by an official of the said authorities is signed by you and sent electronically to the Ministry for consideration;
- you receive an apostille or a refusal to do so.