Saudi Arabia is now a party to the 1961 Hague Convention. The Convention is also known as the Apostille Convention.
On April 8, 2022, Saudi Arabia deposited its instrument of accession to the 1961 Hague Convention. This exempts foreign documents from legalization.
The Convention provides for a special mark (stamp) to be affixed to official documents drawn up in one state and intended to be transferred to another state. This sign is called apostille and replaces the process of legalization. The Apostille Convention comes into force on December 7, 2022 for Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia became the 123rd country to ratify this convention. Saudi Arabia's accession to the Convention is noteworthy in two respects. First, it clearly shows the increased interest in the Apostille Convention in the Middle East. The Apostille Convention came into effect for Bahrain on December 31, 2013 and for Oman on January 30, 2012. Secondly, it will greatly facilitate the circulation of government documents in this region (and worldwide as well), since in some of these countries notarization, especially commercial documents, is either very expensive or the fees depend on a percentage of the total amount of the invoice.
It should be noted that before the Convention enters into force, it is still necessary to recognize official documents in Saudi Arabia through the procedure of consular legalization.
