Legalization
Legalization of Documents from Abroad
Documents from abroad need to be translated and formatted so that they are recognized by the institutions of the respective country. It is necessary to obtain a stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the respective country and from the embassy. This applies only to countries with which there is no legal assistance agreement or that are not parties to the Hague Convention. If there is a legal assistance agreement, the legalization of documents does not require an apostille, but only translation into the respective language and notarization.
Countries with which our state has a legal assistance agreement include: AUSTRIA, ALGERIA, AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA, BELARUS, VIETNAM, GEORGIA, GREECE, ITALY, YEMEN, CYPRUS, NORTH KOREA, CUBA, KUWAIT, LIBYA, NORTH MACEDONIA, MONGOLIA, POLAND, ROMANIA, RUSSIA, SYRIA, SERBIA (INCLUDING BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, SLOVENIA, CROATIA), UZBEKISTAN, UKRAINE, HUNGARY, FRANCE, CZECHIA, AND SLOVAKIA.
For documents issued by a country that is a party to the Hague Convention, an Apostille is required. After that, Sten Digital Agency performs the official translation and notarizes the document.
Legalization of Documents from Abroad
Documents from abroad need to be translated and formatted so that they are recognized by the institutions of the respective country. For this purpose, it is necessary to obtain a stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the respective country and from the respective embassy. This applies only to countries with which there is no legal assistance agreement or that are not parties to the Hague Convention. If there is a legal assistance agreement, the legalization of documents does not require an apostille, but only translation into the respective language and notarization.
Countries with which most states have a legal assistance agreement include: Austria, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Vietnam, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Yemen, Cyprus, North Korea, Cuba, Kuwait, Libya, North Macedonia, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Syria, Serbia (including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia), Turkey, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Hungary, France, Czechia, and Slovakia.
Legalization of Documents for Abroad
The process of legalizing documents for abroad includes:
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Notarization – of the signature of the person who issued the document if it is a private document (e.g., power of attorney, declaration) or of the translator’s signature if the document is translated.
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Certification by the Relevant Ministry – depending on the type of document. For example, documents issued by schools or universities are certified by the Ministry of Education and Science, medical documents by the Ministry of Health, and civil status records by municipal services.
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Certification by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – the final step is obtaining an apostille from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or certification at the respective embassy if the document is to be used in a country that is not a party to the Hague Convention.
Apostille and Its Significance
An apostille is a type of certification recognized by all countries that have signed the Hague Convention of 1961. It is necessary to verify the authenticity of documents that will be used abroad. Legalizing documents with an apostille significantly facilitates their use in an international context by eliminating the need for additional certifications at embassies or consulates.
Legalization of Other Documents:
Not all documents require legalization. You do not need to determine the type of your document. We will do it for you, completely free of charge!