Apostille certificate has replaced the complicated procedure of consular legalization. It is an internationally recognized standard form of authentication issued for documents being used in countries that participate in the Hague Convention of 1961. Apostille is a special seal affixed to original documents and their copies.
There are 112 countries, which are the parties of The Hague Convention, and they refused to legalize official documents in the Consulates that are located on the territories of foreign countries.
Apostille is an international standardized form of information of the legality of the document to be presented on the territory of the countries that recognize this form of legalization. Since October 5, 1961, a stamp «Apostille» has been being attached to the originals and copies of the documents instead of legalization a document in the Consulate.
Any documents that are legalized with the apostille in the country, which is the party of The Hague Convention of October 5, 1961, must be accepted without any limitations in any other country, that is a party of this Convention.
For the purposes of the Convention, the following are deemed to be public documents:
- documents emanating from an authority or an official connected with the courts or tribunals of the State, including those emanating from a public prosecutor, a clerk of the court or a process-server
- administrative documents (e.g. civil status documents)
- notarial acts (powers of attorney, declarations, consents, petitions, etc.)
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