Apostille

Apostille  is a verification by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Justice of a competent official signature, who signed or officially attested any official document settled on the territory of a certain state. 

A document with the affixed Apostille does not need to be legalized.

Apostille can be affixed for all countries except for United Arab Emirates, Egypt, China, Libya, Syria and some other countries. For these countries a procedure of legalization is to be applied.

Documents, which apostille can be placed on in Ukraine:

• documents going out of prosecution authorities and justice authorities;
• administrative documents;
• documents going out of judicial authorities;
• executed by private sector notaries or state agency notaries;
• educational documents and academic degrees certificates.

Document categories, which apostille can not be placed on:

• issued by Ukrainian diplomatic offices, situated on the other countries’ territory;
• administrative documents which are directly linked to commercial or customs operations;
• originals, copies, photocopies of the following documents: passports, employment record books, military service record books, vehicle registration certificates (technical passports), gun licenses, identity cards, documents that have the character of correspondence, regulatory legal acts, explanations and legal opinions concerning their usage.

Also on the territory of Ukraine the originals of official documents issued by authorities of the former Soviet republics can not be accepted for apostillization. Apostille can be placed on the copies of these documents in case of their verification according to the established procedure within Ukraine.

The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers provides for the authorities which are empowered to affix the apostille.

1. Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine is empowered to affix the apostille on the official documents issued by the governmental authorities, educational establishments, enterprises, organisations, offices that deal with the sphere of education and science. The documents include diplomas, educational certificates, degree certificates, curricula, statements from educational establishments.
2. Ministry of Justice of Ukraine can place the stamp Apostille on the documents issued by justice authorities and courts that are executed by Ukrainian notaries: certificates and statements issued by civil registry offices, court rulings and statements, documents issued or verified by notaries.
3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs is empowered to affix the apostille on health certificates (in case of their verification by regional health departments), statements issued by Ukrainian archive institutions and on statements issued by authorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and on other official documents. 

Double and ordinary apostille

For example, for registration of marriage of Ukrainian citizens beyond the country one must affix the stamp “Apostille” on the Statement on Family Relations. Besides, the apostille is affixed on the original of the Statement by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. Afterwards, the translation is executed and then verified by a notary. After that, the Statement is to be refiled to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine for apostille affixing. Such double procedure of apostille affixing is used in Italy, Portugal, France, Switzerland and some other signatories to the Hague Convention.

For documents aimed at usage, for example, in the USA, it is enough to affix apostille on the originals. Then the translation attested by the notary is added to a copy of the document verified according to the established procedure. This is a scheme of ordinary apostilization.

Depending on the aim of documents execution, it is necessary to file the documents after ordinary apostillization to the Embassy of the country, on the territory of which they are to be used. All the documents, issued on the territory of foreign states and intended for use on the territory of Ukraine, must be mandatorily apostilled in the Embassy of Ukraine.

PRICES OF APOSTILLE AFFIXING

*Documents (of old and new form) that require making a query

ADDITIONALLY:

Apostille affixing for legal entities