As part of its ongoing reform of the document legalization process, the French Ministry of Justice has issued an order regulating the fees charged for apostille services. The text of the regulation is available on the Legifrance portal.
What the reform of apostille in France is about
As previously reported by Schmidt & Schmidt, apostilles in France are currently issued by 34 regional courts of appeal. Each court may only apostille documents issued within its territorial jurisdiction. Documents issued by federal authorities are apostilled by the Paris Court of Appeal.
Gradual reform of the legalization of documents was launched in 2020. It was decided that the central role in the apostilization process will be transferred to notaries. According to the authorities of the republic, this decision should simplify the procedure of document legalization and make it more modern.
The transfer of powers was scheduled for September 2023, but it was postponed for organizational reasons. Eventually, it was decided to launch the apostilization reform on May 1, 2025, and the consular legalization reform on September 1.
Once the reform is in force, 15 notarial chambers will become the officially authorized bodies for issuing apostilles. French municipalities have already submitted the contact details of their officials to the High Council of Notaries for the purpose of transmitting sample seals and signatures to the authorized bodies.
The Ministry of Justice has officially assigned responsibility for maintaining the official signatures database to the High Council of Notaries. The database is intended to verify the authenticity of seals and signatures of public officials, as well as the status of those officials at the time of signing documents.
What the Ministry of Justice order says about apostille fees
The regulation applies to individuals, legal entities, as well as heads of municipal institutions and notarial councils. It sets the fees for apostille and consular legalization of documents.
The Order will enter into force on May 1, 2025 for the apostilization procedure and on September 1, 2025 for the consular legalization procedure.
For individuals , requesting apostilles for one to three documents, the fee is €10 per document. For the fourth and subsequent documents, the fee is reduced to €5 each.
For express apostilization (within one work day), the fee is €20 for each of the first three documents and €10 for each additional one.
For legal entities the standard apostille fee is €20 per document for the first three, and €10 for each additional document. Express apostilization costs €40 for each of the first three documents and €20 for each additional one.
Invoices for apostille services are issued on the day the documents are submitted. A specially created body will be responsible for fee collection. Payment is due when the legalized documents are issued. Additional fees may apply for document delivery.
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 and Schmidt will assist you! We provide apostille services in more than 100 countries worldwide.
