Apostille and consular legalization of documents in Ukraine

Schmidt & Schmidt offers a full range of legalization services for documents issued in Ukraine, ensuring a smooth and efficient process for clients.

The term "apostille" is commonly used to refer to the simplified authentication process established by the Hague Convention. For countries that are part of the Convention, including Ukraine, obtaining an apostille is a straightforward and cost-effective way to ensure that your documents will be recognized abroad.

Ukraine joined the Hague Convention on the Simplified Authentication of Documents on 22 December 2003, and the Convention entered into force on 22 March 2004.

The apostille, also known as the "Hague apostille," is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document (e.g., a birth, marriage, or death certificate, a court decree, 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 Ukraine and 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 additional form of certification, such as consular legalization. This significantly reduces the costs and time required for the certification of documents. Over 120 states have joined the Convention so far.

For countries that are not party to the Hague Convention, consular legalization applies to public documents. This process is more complex, time-consuming, and costly than the apostille procedure.

Designated Competent Apostille Authorities in Ukraine:

Our services cover various types of documents, such as civil registry records, court decisions, notarial documents, educational credentials, police clearance certificates, and corporate documents. We work closely with the designated competent apostille authorities in Ukraine:

• The Ministry of Internal Affairs: apostillizes documents issued by the same ministry and its territorial bodies, except for educational documents.
• The Ministry of Education and Science: is designated to certify documents issued by this ministry, as well as by educational institutions and state organizations that provide services in the field of education and science or carry out other activities related to the provision of such services.
• The Ministry of Justice: certifies documents issued by judicial authorities, courts, state archival institutions, bodies of execution of punishment and probation (probation), as well as on documents issued by the notaries of Ukraine.
• The State Migration Service: affixes apostille on the documents issued by this service and its territorial subdivisions related to the sphere of migration.
• The State Tax Service: affixes an apostille on documents issued by this service and its territorial bodies.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs: affixes apostille on all other types of documents.

Types of documents that can be apostillized in Ukraine:

• Civil status documents (birth, marriage, and death certificates)
• Court decisions and judgments, including divorce decrees
• Notarial documents and powers of attorney
• Educational documents (school diplomas, university degrees, transcripts)
• Police clearance certificates
• Corporate documents (articles of incorporation, certificates of good standing)
• Other state-issued documents.

Apostille procedure for the public documents from Crimea

Original documents issued after August 11, 2014, in Crimea by the Russian authorities can be certified with an apostille from Russia. Crimean civil status certificates issued before August 11, 2014, have Ukrainian letterheads and a Ukrainian seal and, therefore, can usually be apostillized. For civil status acts that have occurred before that date, an apostille can be affixed on the re-issued document from the central civil registry office. Please check with the relevant authorities in the state of destination whether and in what form the apostille is accepted on Crimean documents.

Specific aspects and document requirements for the apostille in Ukraine:

• Civil status documents (birth, marriage, and death certificates) issued before 2016 cannot be legalized. You must obtain a new document from the registrar's office that provided the original. Only then can the new document be apostilled. We will help you get a new documents from any city in Ukraine.
• An apostille can only be affixed to the original document. Therefore, the document must be submitted in good condition, with all seals and signatures legible. In addition, it must be free of extraneous markings and labels.
• Laminated birth, marriage, divorce or death certificates are not subject to apostille.
• When an apostille is affixed on a notarized copy, it does not authenticate the original document itself, but only the correspondence of the copy with the original. Moreover, the original is not automatically apostilled when only a copy is apostilled. Germany, Austria and most countries only accept original documents. Please clarify with the responsible authority in the state of destination whether an apostillized copy of the document or only the original will be accepted.
• In some cases, a public document must be current (not older than 3 or 6 months) to be apostilled.

Documents issued in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) are not subject to apostille or consular legalization procedures, as the LPR and DPR are partially recognized states. Apostille or legalization of such documents is only possible after they are replaced with state-issued documents in the relevant authorities in Ukraine.

Exemption from apostille and consular legalization

According to Art. 13 of the Convention on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters (also called the Minsk Convention), the documents of the participating countries do not require legalization. Ukraine has been a party to the Minsk Convention since 1994. Other countries that are parties to the Convention are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. For these states, an apostille certificate for documents issued in Kazakhstan is not required; instead, a notarized translation will suffice.

Apostille for Ukrainian educational documents for use abroad

For those seeking to legalize educational documents like diplomas, degrees, and transcripts, Schmidt & Schmidt offers specialized support tailored to the unique requirements of the state of destination. In addition to apostille and consular legalization services, we can help you secure certified translations and procure new documents from Ukraine if necessary. Our team collaborates with sworn translators. We can also arrange for your documents to be shipped anywhere in the world.

An important feature is that educational documents issued in territories not controlled by Ukraine cannot be legalized, as the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine sends a request to the educational institution where the education document was issued. Accordingly, as of July 2022, an apostille request cannot be sent to educational institutions in Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions, as well as the Republic of Crimea and part of the Zaporizhia region.

Apostille for a certificate of no criminal record

The certificate of no criminal record is one of the most in-demand documents required for Ukrainian citizens for obtaining a visa, temporary or permanent residence, acquiring citizenship, or finding employment abroad.

This certificate is issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and is the only document that certifies the absence of a criminal record for the person to whom it is issued, confirming that the person has no arrest, conviction or criminal proceedings history at the time the certificate was issued in Ukraine. The certificate of no criminal record is issued to both residents and non-residents of Ukraine who have lived in Ukraine for a certain period.

To make this certificate valid in another country, an apostille stamp is applied to the certificate of no criminal record. A certificate of no criminal record with an apostille stamp is usualy valid for 90 days from the date of its issuance.

Apostille for commercial documents

The apostille stamp on commercial documents is necessary for using Ukrainian company documents in other countries, for example, when opening a representative office or a branch abroad. Following types of documents are eligible for the apostille certification:

• Registration documents of a legal entity: extract from the trade register, land register extract, certificate of state registration, notarized copy of the charter, copies of other founding documents, an affidavit with the director's signature, etc.
• Notarized documents of legal entities, such as: power of attorney, statement, notarized copy, and others.
• Judicial documents.

In Ukraine, apostilles for commercial documents are only applied to Ukrainian documents. For commercial documents of foreign companies, an apostille can only be obtained in the country where the document was issued.

Consular legalization of Ukrainian 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.

For nations that are not party to the Hague Convention, such as Canada, China and the United Arab Emirates, consular legalization remains the standard process for document authentication. This can be a more complex and time-consuming procedure, requiring multiple steps and certifications. Regardless of whether you need an apostille or consular legalization, Schmidt & Schmidt is equipped to handle the entire process on your behalf, including verifying document requirements, obtaining certified translations, and ensuring that your documents are properly certified for submission to foreign authorities.

The procedure for legalizing documents issued in Ukraine is as follows:

1. Notarize a copy of the document at a notary office
2. Confirm the authenticity of the notary's signature and seal at the Ministry of Justice
3. Authenticate the document at the consular service department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
4. Translate the document into the relevant language
5. Legalize the document at the consular section of the embassy (consulate) of the respective country in Ukraine

An important feature is that since March 2022, all embassy institutions in Ukraine have been closed. Accordingly, the last step, certification at the embassy (consulate), is done separately, on the territory of a neighboring country. Typically, on the territory of the Republic of Poland.

It should be remembered that the document will have legal force on the territory of the country whose consulate's stamp is on it and cannot be used in other countries.

In contrast to apostille, consular legalization can be carried out not only for state-issued documents and notarial documents but also for commercial documents, provided that they are authenticated by a chamber of foreign trade.

The validity period of consular legalization of a document is generally not limited, but restrictions may be imposed on the validity of the documents themselves.

Our services cover various types of documents, such as civil registry records, court decisions, notarial documents, educational credentials, police clearance certificates, and corporate documents. We work closely with the designated competent authorities in Ukraine as well as all consulates and embassies in Ukraine.

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.

Apostille and consular legalization services in all regions of Ukraine

Schmidt & Schmidt provides apostille and consular legalization services for public documents originating from all regions of Ukraine. We ensure a seamless process, taking care of every step, including document procurement and certified translation when necessary.

Certified translation of documents from Ukraine

Certified translations of Ukrainian documents can be performed by sworn translators in Ukraine or the destination country. Schmidt & Schmidt offers certified translations of documents in various languages, ensuring that your documents are accurately translated and suitable for use abroad.

Does the translation have to be apostillized?

A certified translation from Ukraine may need to be authenticated with an apostille for use in another country. Many authorities may not accept certified translations from Ukraine if the translation has not been properly authenticated for use abroad. To avoid this confusion, translations should better be made in the state of destination of the document. Schmidt & Schmidt can assist with the apostille process for the certified translation to ensure it is recognized by foreign authorities.

Procurement of documents from Ukraine

If important documents are lost or damaged, or current copies of the documents are needed, the re-issue of the documents may be required. It is not unusual for individuals outside Ukraine to encounter difficulties obtaining new documents when abroad. Schmidt & Schmidt can help you procure new documents from Ukraine remotely and arrange for your documents to be sent by courier anywhere in the world.

Document verification and pre-check

Before submitting documents for apostille or consular legalization, it is essential to verify that the documents meet all requirements and are in proper order. Schmidt & Schmidt offers a document verification and pre-check service to ensure that your documents are prepared correctly and will be accepted by the relevant authorities.

Turnaround time and fees

The processing time for apostille and consular legalization services in Ukraine depends on the type of document, the issuing authority, and the workload of the competent authorities. Schmidt & Schmidt strives to provide timely and efficient services, keeping clients informed throughout the process. Fees for our services vary depending on the complexity and urgency of each case.

Schmidt & Schmidt offers comprehensive legalization services for documents issued in Ukraine.

Whether you require apostille certification, consular legalization, certified translations, or document procurement, our expert team is ready to assist you with all your document legalization needs, ensuring a smooth and efficient process.

Why choose Schmidt & Schmidt for your document legalization in Ukraine?

• Comprehensive support for both apostille and consular legalization of Ukrainian documents for use abroad.
• Experienced team to handle the entire process, from verifying document requirements to obtaining certified translations and ensuring proper recognition by foreign authorities.
• Support in 7 languages possible (English, German, Russian, French, Chinese, Turkish, Portuguese).
• Expertise in legalizing various types of documents, working with designated competent apostille authorities in Ukraine and consulates and embassies for consular legalization.
• Specialized support for educational document legalization, with knowledge of unique requirements and processes associated with legalizing educational documents for use abroad.
• Provision of certified translations and document procurement services, in collaboration with sworn translators and couriers for worldwide delivery.
• Document verification and pre-check service to ensure proper preparation and acceptance of documents by relevant authorities.
• Transparent turnaround times and fees, with a commitment to providing timely and efficient services and keeping clients informed throughout the process.

With Schmidt & Schmidt, you can trust that your document legalization needs will be handled professionally and efficiently. Our expert team is ready to assist you in navigating the complexities of Ukrainian document legalization for use abroad, ensuring a smooth and seamless process from start to finish.

Express delivery of documents with apostille from Ukraine is charged separately according to the rates of delivery services.