Apostille, legalisation and recognition of diplomas issued in Uzbekistan

Diplomas, certificates, school-leaving certificates and other educational documents issued in Uzbekistan have official legal validity abroad (albeit subject to certain reservations). However, for them to be recognised and subsequently used in most other countries around the world, they must first be legalised.

If you intend to use a diploma issued in Uzbekistan in a country that is a party to the 1961 Hague Convention, you can legalise it for university admission through a simplified procedure known as apostillisation.

Why and when is an apostille required?

An apostille is a special stamp certifying the authenticity of an official document. It can be affixed to documents issued by government authorities, local self-government bodies, educational institutions and other entities authorised by the state.

Commercial documents cannot be apostillised. Therefore, if you have received a certificate for completing an educational course provided by a private company that does not hold an educational licence, it cannot be apostillised. Only documents issued by accredited educational institutions holding an official state licence can be legalised through apostillisation.

It should be noted that apostillisation confirms that the document has been issued and that the signature of the authorised official is authentic. However, it does not automatically grant the right to work in specialised fields (such as medicine, law, etc.) or replace the recognition of higher education qualifications (nostrification).

An apostille can only be affixed in the country where the document was issued. It cannot be obtained through diplomatic or consular missions.

When is an apostille not required?

Most commercial organisations do not require employees applying for positions that do not involve special access to information to have their diplomas or other educational documents legalised by means of apostillisation. Furthermore, a diploma does not need to be apostillised if a special mutual recognition arrangement applies between Uzbekistan and another country. Such arrangements affect whether qualifications can be used for university admission or employment in the relevant profession.

For example, Uzbekistan is a party to the 1993 Minsk Convention and the 2002 Chisinau Convention. Therefore, diplomas issued in Kyrgyzstan do not need to be apostillised for use in most CIS countries. A notarised translation of the diploma into the official language of the country where the document is to be used is sufficient.

However, Ukraine withdrew from the Minsk Convention in December 2022, and Moldova made a similar decision in 2026. Therefore, diplomas and school-leaving certificates issued in Kazakhstan must be apostillised for use in those countries.

Before using an educational document issued in Uzbekistan, it is advisable to check with the receiving country whether an apostille will be required.

Educational documents issued in Uzbekistan

Educational documents in Uzbekistan are issued upon completion of higher education institutions, vocational and technical schools, general education schools, courses and other educational programmes.
The main types of educational documents in Uzbekistan are:

• Certificate of Basic General Education for Year 9 (blue);
• Certificate of Basic General Education with distinction for Year 9 (dark red);
• Certificate of Secondary General Education for 11 years of schooling (green);
• Certificate of Secondary General Education with a silver medal for Year 11 (grey);
• Certificate of Secondary General Education with a gold medal for 11 years of schooling (golden yellow);
• Certificate of Completion of a Boarding School for Children with Intellectual Disabilities (purple);
• Diploma of Secondary Specialised (Vocational) Education;
• Bachelor’s Degree Diploma (blue);
• Master’s Degree Diploma (red);
• Academic Certificate.

Under Government Resolution No. 44 of 31 January 2023, school-leaving certificates in Uzbekistan are issued electronically. Bachelor’s Degree Diplomas awarded with distinction bear the designation ‘IMTIYOZLI’ in Uzbek and ‘WITH HONOURS’ in English.

In addition, Uzbekistan has officially approved the formats of certificates confirming postgraduate training, certificates conferring academic titles and diplomas conferring academic degrees.

In certain cases, students may also receive certificates or other attestations.

Most educational documents in Uzbekistan are issued in Uzbek and English.

Procedure for apostillising diplomas and school-leaving certificates in Uzbekistan

The Ministry of Justice is the competent authority for apostillising educational documents in Uzbekistan.

In practice, responsibility for apostillisation is divided between the following organisations:

1. Agency for Assessment of Knowledge and Qualifications under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan;
2. Ministry of Preschool and School Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Electronic apostillisation is officially available in Uzbekistan. The ‘E-App’ application is a programme that generates a special stamp for the use of an official document abroad in accordance with the Convention. The stamp confirms the authenticity of the signature of the official who signed the document, their authority to do so, and the authenticity of the seal or stamp affixed to the official document.

Consular legalisation of diplomas and school-leaving certificates issued in Uzbekistan

If the country in which an educational document issued in Uzbekistan is to be used is not a party to the 1961 Hague Convention, for example the UAE, the document must undergo the more complex and expensive procedure of consular legalisation.

Consular legalisation is a multi-stage procedure for certifying the authenticity of a document, used for countries that are not parties to the 1961 Hague Convention.
To have an educational document issued in Uzbekistan legalised through the consular procedure, the following steps must be completed:

1. Obtain the document;
2. Have a notarised copy of the document prepared;
3. Have the notary’s signature certified by the justice authorities;
4. Have the document legalised by the Consular and Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan;
5. Obtain a notarised translation of the document;
6. Have the document legalised at the consulate or consular section of the embassy of the destination country.

Due to the large number of steps involved, this procedure is time-consuming and quite expensive. Some countries do not have consulates in Uzbekistan, so the final stage of legalisation may have to be completed in another country where the relevant consulate is located.

Translation of educational documents

When using an educational document issued in Uzbekistan in a foreign country, it must be accompanied by an official translation (notarised, sworn, court-certified or certified), in accordance with the legal requirements of that country.

The translation must undergo a mandatory verification process. This involves sending the completed translation to the graduate for review to ensure that their full name, the subjects studied and the titles of academic papers have been translated correctly, as inaccuracies may arise during translation.

Depending on the requirements of national legislation, the official translation may be attached to a notarised copy bearing an apostille.

Sending documents from Uzbekistan

Despite the challenging international situation, it is still possible to send documents from Uzbekistan. However, some destinations can only be reached through multi-stage delivery.

What happens next?

Once you have obtained your diploma with the required legalisation, together with a copy bearing an attached notarised translation, the documents can be considered officially valid for use abroad.

In countries with which Uzbekistan has no agreements on legal assistance and the recognition of foreign documents, a diploma must undergo nostrification after apostillisation or consular legalisation and official translation.

How can we help?

If you are outside Uzbekistan, we will be pleased to assist you with apostillising and legalising your documents for use abroad.

You can always contact Schmidt & Schmidt. We have extensive experience in legalising a wide range of documents and provide all the necessary services in this area, including preparing notarised copies, translations and powers of attorney, legalising documents with government authorities and consulates of foreign states, and delivering completed documents to most countries worldwide.

You can find out more about the legalisation and apostillisation procedures on our website.