Apostille and consular legalization of documents in Hungary

Schmidt & Schmidt covers the full spectrum of legalization services for documents issued in Hungary.

Hungary joined the Hague Convention on the Simplified Authentication of Documents on 18 April 1972; the Convention entered into force on 18 January 1973.

The apostille, or the “Hague apostille” is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document (e.g., a birth, marriage or death certificate, a judgment, an extract of a register or a notarial attestation). It confirms the authenticity of the signature and the authority of an official who signed the public document.

Documents issued in Hungary are certified with an apostille in accordance with the Hague Convention of 1961 are recognized in all Member States of the Hague Convention and do not require any other form of certification, such as consular legalization, which considerably reduces the costs and time required for the certification of documents. So far, more than 120 states have joined the Convention.

The apostille is not sufficient for use in the states that are not party to the Hague Convention. In this case, consular legalization applies to a public document.

Designated Competent Apostille Authorities in Hungary

In Hungary, the official entities responsible for apostilles are as follows:

• The Ministry of Public Administration and Justice of the Republic of Hungary, Department of Private International Law, handles apostilles for public documents and legalizations executed by judicial authorities, excluding those issued and legalized by civil law notaries.
• The Hungarian Chamber of Civil Law Notaries manages apostilles for public documents and legalizations executed by civil law notaries.
• The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Hungary is in charge of apostilles for public documents and legalizations executed by other authorities.

The apostille in Hungary is a square stamp in Hungarian with the obligatory heading "Apostille" and a reference to the 1961 Hague Convention in French (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961). The apostille certificate’s sides will be at least 9 centimeters long.

Types of documents

Specific aspects and document requirements for the apostille in Hungary

The apostille process can vary depending on the sender and recipient country, but typically to obtain an apostille for a document in Hungary, you must go through the following steps:

• Obtaining the original document to be apostilled;
• Verification of the signature on the document by the authorized body;
• Issuance of an apostille on a document by an authorized body;
• Submission of the document together with the apostille in the recipient country.

This process can be time-consuming, especially if it includes multiple documents and different countries. To ensure a smooth and accurate apostille process, it is recommended to seek guidance from specialists familiar with the requirements and procedures. Their expertise can help avoid delays and errors in obtaining documents apostille.

Document requirements that might apply:

• The document should bear the original stamp of the issuing authority, with the authority's name clearly visible.
• The document must include the signature and printed name of the individual who applied for the stamp.
• The position or official title of the person who stamped the document should also be indicated.

The apostille is issued in a uniform format. In Hungary, it has the form of a printed sticker with a handwritten signature of an official, an official seal, and a hologram.

In cases where apostilles are not recognized, holders of foreign documents will need to legalize them instead. However, If the country of destination of the document recognizes and issues apostilles, then legalization is unnecessary.

Legalization of Hungarian educational documents for use abroad

In order for educational documents issued in Hungary, such as school reports, university degree certificates, transcripts of records, enrollment certificates, and other certificates from schools or universities, to be valid and recognized abroad, they must undergo a process of certification through legalization or apostille.

To utilize your Hungarian diploma abroad, a two-step process for legalization is required:

• Intermediate Legalization at the Office of Education:

In order to do this, you will most likely need to visit the Customer Service at the Office of Education in Budapest, bringing original documents along with necessary copies.

• Apostille Certificate by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade:

For countries in the Hague Apostille Convention, Ministry of Foreign Affairs handles the process of issuing apostilles. Interim authentication by the Office of Education is necessary before proceeding. You will need to submit stamped documents in person at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with a legalization fee of 5,500 HUF per signature, payable upon document submission. The processing time varies, and the above process and requirements can be subject to change based on prevailing regulations and policies.

Recognition of the authenticity of public documents within the EU

Hungary has established Bilateral agreements with Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Cuba, Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Iraq, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, North Korea, Poland, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

Regulation on public documents (EU) 2016/1191 of 6 July 2016

Furthermore, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of 6 July 2016 on public documents simplifies the circulation of certain public documents that must be presented in an EU Member State and have been issued in another EU Member State, thus exempting public documents from the confirmation of authenticity with the Apostille with the aim of reducing administrative burden and costs for citizens.

Consular legalization of Hungarian documents for use abroad

Consular legalization is the process of authenticating or certifying a legal document so a foreign country's legal system will recognize it as with full legal effect that is carried out by the diplomatic or consular mission of the country in which the document is to be used.

Consular legalization is more complex, time-consuming and costly than the simpler apostille procedure. Whereas apostille is usually issued within one step, consular legalization requires several pre-certifications before a public document can be certified at the embassy or consulate of the destination country.

It is a common requirement that the document has to be translated into the official language of the destination country before submission to the embassy. It is up to the diplomatic mission to decide about the authentication procedure.

The main differences between an apostille and consular legalization of documents

The common feature between apostille and consular legalization is that they authenticate an official document for presentation to institutions in another country. However, they have many differences.