Legalisation of documents and issuance of certificate Apostille

Legalisation of documents and issuance of an Apostille Certificate is a process in which a document is certified for use in countries which are signatories to the Hague Convention of 1961. The purpose of the Apostille is to attest that the document is a true copy of an original and has been signed and sealed by a qualified authority. In most countries, a document can only be used for international purposes if it has been legalised with an Apostille Certificate.

In order to obtain an Apostille Certificate, the document must first be authenticated or certified by a qualified authority in the country where it was issued. This process may involve having the document certified as a true copy of the original by a lawyer, public notary, court official or other qualified person. After this, depending on the country, the document will need to be further authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or equivalent body. The authenticated document will then be issued with an Apostille Certificate.