Legalization of documents may be necessary if you want to submit documents, such as a diploma, power of attorney, work book, etc., to the official bodies of a foreign state. Legalization will give such documents legal force on the territory of a foreign state.
Document legalization
Legalization of a document is the performance of a number of certain formal procedures to give the document legal force in the territory of another state. The ultimate goal of the legalization procedure for a document issued in the territory of one state is the possibility of its submission to the official bodies of another state.
Depending on the type of document and the country of destination / official authorities of the country of destination, our lawyers will advise you on the possible method of legalization, the time spent on legalization, and will also go through the legalization procedure (apostille or consular legalization) from the very beginning to the end.
Legalization of a document is required almost always when it is necessary to submit it to the official bodies of another state. A document issued in Ukraine has legal force only on the territory of Ukraine, where it can be fully used, but legalization is required for its submission to the official bodies of another country.
Legalization is not required:
- when the institution to which you submit the document does not require its legalization
- when a bilateral agreement has been concluded between Ukraine and the state in whose territory you plan to use the document, canceling the requirement of legalization
- when legalization of a document is impossible due to its type/type/nature of the document itself
Legalization of a document is always carried out on the territory of the country in which it was issued and/or issued.
Types of legalization
There are two main types of legalization of documents:
- stamping "Apostille«
- consular legalization
The choice of the type of legalization in each specific case depends on the country of destination of the document, that is, the country to whose official bodies it will be subsequently submitted.
The affixing of the stamp "Apostille" or "simplified legalization" or "apostille" is used to send a document to countries that have acceded to the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961, which abolishes the requirement for consular legalization and introduces a simplified legalization procedure - affixing the stamp "Apostille".
Apostille is carried out fairly quickly and by only one authorized body, as a result of which the document acquires legal force on the territory of all countries that have acceded to the Hague Convention.
Apostille
Apostille stamping is carried out on:
- original documents issued by various government agencies
- copies of documents certified by a notary (these can be copies of personal documents: certificates of birth, death, marriage, divorce, diplomas, certificates, etc., as well as copies of constituent documents of legal entities: charters, constituent agreements, certificates of registration in tax authorities, etc., as well as many other documents)
- documents issued by a notary (for example, a power of attorney, consent to the child's departure abroad, etc.)
If the country to which you are preparing the document is not a party to the Hague Convention, consular legalization is required. This procedure includes certification of the document in the bodies of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the bodies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and then in the consulate of the country of destination in Ukraine. In this case, the document will have legal force only in the territory of the country whose consulate mark is on it.
Regardless of the type of legalization of the relevant document, our specialists provide services for accelerated legalization at a convenient time for you.
