Skip to main content
Home
  • News
  • Services
    • Certification for Russia, Kazakhstan and EAEU
      • Technical Regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union
      • EAC Certificate of Conformity to Technical Regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union
      • EAC Declaration of Conformity to Technical Regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union
      • EAC Marking
      • EAC certification of machinery
      • EAC Certification of Pressure Equipment
      • EAC Certification of Explosion-proof equipment
      • EAC Certification of Electrical Equipment
      • EAC Certification of Vehicles
      • EAC Certification of switch and control cabinets and electrical distribution boards
      • EAC Certification of agricultural equipment
      • EAC Certification of Clothing and Shoes
      • EAC certification of children's clothing, toys and accessories
      • EAC certification of personal protective equipment
      • EAC Declaration for Cosmetics
      • EAC Certification of Food
      • EAC Certification of furniture
      • EAC Zertifikat für Eisenbahn
      • EAC Certification of Alcohol
      • EAC Certification of Cables
      • EAC Certification of multicomponent products
      • EAC Certification of engines
      • EAC certification of pumps
      • EAC Certification of the pipeline valves
      • EAC Certification for industrial plants
      • EAC Certification of Chemicals
      • EAC Certification of household appliances
      • EAC Certification of luminaires, bulbs and LED modules
      • EAC Certification of measuring instruments
      • EAC Zertifizierung von Verpackungen
      • State Hygienic Registration (SGR)
      • Conformity assessment of fire safety
      • GOST Certification for Russia
      • TR Certification for Russia
      • FAC Certification of communications equipment
      • FSB Notification - Admission of Electronic Devices
      • Licensing of radio and high frequency equipment
      • Import license for ozone depleting substances
      • Certification for medical devices and medicines for Russia and EAEU
      • Conformity assessment for construction material
      • Technical documentation for EAC conformity assessment
      • Consultancy on EAC conformity assessment
      • Exemption Letter for import to Russia
      • Authorized Representative for Russia and EAEU for EAC certification
      • Manufacturing audit for EAC certification
      • Surveillance of EAC conformity assessment
      • Product and packaging marking as a part of the Technical Regulation in the EAEU
      • Costs of EAC certification and EAC declaration
      • Selection and shipment of samples for EAC certification and EAC declaration
      • Technical Regulation in Kazakhstan
      • Technical Regulation in Belarus - Conformity assessment
      • EAC conformity assessment schemes
      • Frequently asked questions about EAC certificates and declarations
      • Period of validity of EAC certificates and declarations
      • Type examination for EAC conformity assessment
    • Apostille and consular Legalization of foreign documents
      • Apostille and consular legalization from Russia and Eurasian Economic Union
      • Apostille and consular legalization from Europe and European Union
      • Apostille and consular legalization from Asia
      • Apostille and consular legalization from the Americas
      • Apostille and consular legalization from Africa
      • Apostille and consular legalization from Oceania
      • Banks and financial institutions
      • Global mobility and visa support
      • Lawyers and notaries
      • Translation agencies
      • Frequently asked questions about apostille and consular legalization
    • Extracts from foreign commercial registers and accounting statements
      • Extracts from commercial registers of Russia and EAEU
      • Extracts from the commercial register and company information from Europe
      • Extracts from the commercial register and company information from Asia
      • Extracts from the commercial register and company information from the Americas
      • Extracts from the commercial register and company information from Africa
      • Extracts from the commercial register and company information from Oceania
      • Know Your Customer
    • Extracts from foreign land registers
      • Land register extracts from Europe
      • Land register extracts from Russia and EEU
      • Land register extracts from Asia
      • Land register extracts from the Americas
      • Land register extracts from Africa
      • Land register extracts from Australia and Oceania
    • Procurement of documents worldwide
      • Procurement of documents in Austria
      • Procurement of documents in Albania
      • Procurement of documents in Andorra
      • Procurement of documents in Armenia
      • Procurement of documents in Belize
      • Procurement of documents in Belarus
      • Procurement of documents in Belgium
      • Procurement of documents in Bulgaria
      • Procurement of documents in Bosnia and Herzegovina
      • Procurement of documents in the Vatican
      • Procurement of documents in the United Kingdom
      • Procurement of documents in Hungary
      • Procurement of documents in Haiti
      • Procurement of documents in Germany
      • Procurement of documents in Greece
      • Procurement of documents in Denmark
      • Procurement of documents in Iran
      • Procurement of documents in Ireland
      • Procurement of documents in Iceland
      • Procurement of documents in Spain
      • Procurement of documents in Italy
      • Procurement of documents in Kazakhstan
      • Procurement of documents in Canada
      • Procurement of documents in Kyrgyzstan
      • Procurement of documents in China
      • Procurement of documents in Latvia
      • Procurement of documents in Lithuania
      • Procurement of documents in Mexico
      • Procurement of documents in Moldova
      • Procurement of documents in Mongolia
      • Procurement of documents in the Netherlands
      • Procurement of documents in Norway
      • Procurement of documents in Poland
      • Procurement of documents in Portugal
      • Procurement of documents in Russia
      • Procurement of documents in Romania
      • Procurement of documents in the USA
      • Procurement of documents in Serbia
      • Procurement of documents in Slovakia
      • Procurement of documents in Slovenia
      • Procurement of documents in Tajikistan
      • Procurement of documents in Turkmenistan
      • Procurement of documents in Uzbekistan
      • Procurement of documents in Finland
      • Procurement of documents in France
      • Procurement of documents in Croatia
      • Procurement of documents in Montenegro
      • Procurement of documents in the Czech Republic
      • Procurement of documents in Switzerland
      • Procurement of documents in Sweden
      • Procurement of documents in Estonia
      • Procurement of documents in South Korea
      • Procurement of documents in Antigua and Barbuda
      • Procurement of documents in the Bahamas
      • Procurement of documents in Cyprus
      • Procurement of documents in Malta
      • Procurement of documents in Ukraine
      • Procurement of documents in Japan
      • FAQ replacement & retrieval of documents
    • Technical and legal translations
      • Legal translations
      • Technical translations
      • Certified translations
      • Marketing translations
      • Translation of contracts
      • Translations of trade register extracts
      • Proofreading
      • Editing
    Our Services
    Our Services

    We develop professional solutions for each customer individually to master successfully the challenges in the new markets.

  • Company
    • Team
    • Our references
    • Our story
    • Customer reviews
    • Affiliate program
    Our Company
    Our Company

    We are a globally operating consulting company based in Passau. Our broad spectrum of corporate services aims to cross borders and overcome boundaries together with our clients.

  • Career
  • Contact
Apostille, legalization and recognition of degrees issued in France

Apostille, legalization and recognition of degrees issued in France


Receive apostille offer here
  1. Home
  2. News

Monthly archive

  • 2025 (39)
  • 2024 (53)
  • 2023 (39)
  • 2022 (88)
  • 2021 (187)
  • 2020 (89)
  • 2019 (42)
  • 2018 (34)
  • 2017 (21)
  • 2016 (14)
  • 2015 (4)
Apostille, legalization and recognition of degrees issued in France

Degrees, certificates and other educational documents issued in France have no legal force abroad. In practice, this means that if such a document is not legalized, it will not be possible to enter graduate or post-graduate programs, or to get a job at a public institutions.

If you plan to use your France diploma in a country that is a signatory to the 1961 Hague Convention, it can be legalize it through a simplified procedure known as Apostille.

Why and in what cases is an apostille needed?

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.

Commercial documents cannot be apostilled. Therefore, if you received a certificate of educational courses from a private company, which does not have an educational license, you will not be able to certify it with an apostille. Only documents from certified educational institutions with an official state license can be legalized through the apostil procedure.

At the same time, it should be kept in mind that Apostille confirms the fact of document issue and authenticity of signature of an authorized official, but it does not imply automatic access to work in specialized spheres.

An apostille stamp can only be affixed in the territory of the country in which the document was issued. It cannot be done through diplomatic or consular offices. The system of certifying documents by apostille in Spain is quite simple: the apostille is placed either on notarized copies of degrees, which are taken from local notaries, at the notarial board of the autonomous region where the notary is registered. Or on the original diploma, when the university itself certifies the degree in the office of the decedent. The second way is much more complicated and expensive, although for foreign authorities, as a rule, there is no difference whether the apostille is on the notarial copy or on the original.

Sample diploma from France

When is an apostille not needed?

Most commercial organizations, when hiring employees for positions that do not require special access, will not require them to legalize their diploma through an apostille. In addition, the degree does not need to be apostilled if there is a special treatment between Switzerland and another country (such as in the case of EU countries, where there is a unified educational system throughout the EU).

The process of obtaining an apostille for degrees in France

The apostille certification system in France is relatively simple:

The first step is to obtain a notarized copy from the nearest notary public.

The second step is to obtain an apostille from the Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel) in the departmental capital where the notary is registered.

Note that since the Court of Appeal is only authorized for its own municipal district, for example, it is not possible to obtain an apostille for a diploma copy from Marseille in Paris. It is also important to note that in France, the diploma and its supplement are apostilled as two separate documents. Stitching the diploma and supplement together and certifying them with a single apostille is impossible.

The notary confirms the authenticity of the diploma only when the original diploma is presented to them. When the copy is notarized, information about the notary is written on the back of the diploma, their seal is affixed, and they sign it.

Notarizing documents typically takes 1-2 business days.

After notarization, the documents for apostille certification must be submitted to the Court of Appeal in the departmental capital where the notary is registered.

Usually, obtaining an apostille from the court takes 1-5 business days. However, the timing may vary depending on the workload of the court.

Documents required for legalization:

  • The original degree;
  • If necessary, the original diploma supplement.

The appearance of an apostille in France is standardized. However, often the country for which the apostille is issued is indicated on the apostille itself. Some foreign authorities may not pay attention to this fact, but some may have questions about it. Therefore, we recommend correctly indicating the country where you intend to use this diploma.


What is an apostille?

What is an apostille? Why do I need an apostille? How do I get an apostille? - Our video will explain everything you need to know about the apostille. If you have a document that needs to be certified with an apostille for use abroad, Schmidt & Schmidt will assist you! We provide apostille services in more than 100 countries worldwide.

The appearance of the apostille in Switzerland is unified in all areas and differs only in the stamp of the collegia.

If you need to have a document issued in a foreign country apostilled, contact Schmidt & Schmidt.

We provide apostille services in more than 100 countries around the world.

Document delivery

Since in Spain notarized copies are only taken with the original document, it will be necessary to send the document directly to Switzerland. The cost of such courier delivery is calculated according to the rates of courier services.

Sample apostille on the diploma in France

Consular legalization

If your diploma is to be used in a country that is not a party to the Hague Convention, such as China, the United Arab Emirates, or Egypt, the document is subject to consular legalization. This is a more complicated procedure than apostilization. The consular legalization procedure for diplomas in Switzerland takes place in several steps:

  1. Taking a notarized copy of the diploma.
  2. Certified translation of the notarized copy into the official language of the country of destination.
  3. Verification by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the French Republic.
  4. Attestation at the Consular Section of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  5. The certification at the embassy of the country of destination.

The first three steps, can be performed at the level of the local municipality where the notary who made the notarized copy of the diploma is registered. However, the last two must be certified in Paris (Ile de France).

It is necessary to note that the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs must be notarized by the country of the document's destination. It is not possible to legalize one notarized copy for several countries.

Translation of an education documents

In order to use an education document abroad, after legalization it is necessary to make an official notarial translation. If the translation is made by a certified translator in France, the official authorities will not accept it.

The translation of the document must necessarily go through a verification procedure. This is a process in which the prepared translation is sent to the graduate to verify the correct spelling of the first and last name, the disciplines studied and the topics of research papers, since there may be inaccuracies in the translation.

A notarized translation can be laced with an apostilled notarized copy.


What is consular legalization?

In our video we are explaining what consular legalization is and where to apply for it.

Schmidt & Schmidt will assist you in all issues concerning the legalization.

Schmidt & Schmidt offers legalization in more than 80 countries all over the world.

You can always contact Schmidt & Schmidt, we have extensive experience in the legalization of a variety of documents and we provide all the necessary services in this area, including the making of notarized copies, translation, preparation of the necessary powers of attorney, legalization of documents before government agencies and foreign consulates, as well as delivery of finished documents to most countries in the world.

Request legalization of documents
Please login or register to leave a comment. Please note that we release all comments manually, so that they are only published with a certain time delay. You can find more information about the comment function here.

About this article

Andrej Schmidt
Andrej Schmidt
Managing partner and head of marketing and distribution department
ApostilleConsular Legalization of foreign documentsFrance
15 March 2023

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Stay informed on our latest news.

Subscribe

Related Posts

The apostille in Hawaii becomes multilingual
The apostille in Hawaii becomes multilingual
Apostille in Hawaii has become available in twelve languages besides English. This is reported by the official website of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii Sylvia Luke.
19 May 2025
Polina Kalacheva
Indonesia called on Malaysia to join the Apostille Convention
Indonesia called on Malaysia to join the Apostille Convention
Indonesia’s Minister of Justice, Supatman Andi Agtas, has called on Malaysia to consider acceding to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents, also known as the Apostille Convention. This was reported by Indonesia’s news agency Antara
13 May 2025
Polina Kalacheva
The Ukrainian Ministry of Justice officially confirmed the increase in fees for apostilization
The Ukrainian Ministry of Justice officially confirmed the increase in fees for apostilization
The Ukrainian Ministry of Justice has officially confirmed the increase in the fee for certification of documents by apostille and justified this decision.
30 April 2025
Polina Kalacheva
Andorra updates list of officials authorized to issue apostilles
Andorra updates list of officials authorized to issue apostilles
The Andorran authorities have given the right to apostille documents to the General Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Director of International Legal Affairs and Human Resources. The corresponding changes are posted on the official portal of the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
29 April 2025
Polina Kalacheva

Pagination

  • Next page ››
Schmidt & Schmidt OHG
+1 332 208 131 7
office_hours
offline
contact@schmidt-export.com

Bahnhofstrasse 22a
94032Passau
Germany
Visa
Mastercard
SEPA Bank Transfer
PayPal

Footer menu

  • Contact
  • Guarantee
  • Imprint
  • Privacy policy
  • Legal agreements
  • Withdrawal policy
  • Site map
  • Payment terms
  • Cookie policy
  • TEST

Search

  • Deutsch
  • English
  • Español
  • Français
  • Italiano
  • Қазақ тілі
  • Русский
  • Türkçe
  • 中文
+1 332 208 131 7
office_hours
offline
contact@schmidt-export.com