The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine has issued official clarifications regarding which documents do not require legalization by apostille. This was reported by the Judicial and Legal Gazette.
Which documents are exempt from apostille in Ukraine
The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine has clarified that documents are exempt from apostille certification based on international treaties and the provisions of the Law "On Private International Law."
Certain countries with which Ukraine has concluded treaties on legal assistance recognize official documents signed and sealed by competent authorities without the need for legalization or apostille. This applies particularly to documents exchanged between judicial authorities for the execution of requests in civil or criminal matters. Some states recognize all official Ukrainian documents without any certification, with certain exceptions—such as documents issued by tax authorities,
— reported the Judicial and Legal Gazette, citing a statement from the Ministry of Justice..
In each case it is necessary to verify which documents and under what circumstances are covered by the exemption from legalization.
The Ministry also noted that in some cases, sector-specific documents—particularly those related to employment and pension matters—may also be exempt from apostille. Such exemptions are governed by specialized agreements.
It is important to note that exemption from legalization does not eliminate the requirement to provide a certified translation of the document into the official language of the country where it will be used. Additionally, educational documents may require nostrification, and foreign court decisions must be recognized by a Ukrainian court in order to be valid,
— writes the Judicial and Legal Gazette.
Ukraine has agreements on full or partial recognition of documents with the following countries: Bulgaria, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic, and Serbia. However, in each specific case, it is advisable to verify whether an apostille is required or not.
How the apostille Register is maintained in Ukraine
In Ukraine from June 1, 2025 the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers “On Amendments to the Resolution of the CMU dated November 4, 2015” came into force. It regulates the procedure for apostilization in Ukraine.
The new resolution was signed on July 25, 2024, and registered under No. 853, but only recently came into legal effect. Its key innovation is the implementation of the Electronic Apostille Register and the systematic collection of data related to apostille certifications.
The Resolution notes that an apostille, which is affixed using registry software, is an official electronic document, complying with the requirements of the 1961 Hague Convention.
The printed (paper) version of the apostille reflects the data contained in the electronic apostille, as well as the details of the qualified electronic signature of the official from the competent authority who issued the apostille, and the qualified electronic seal of that authority.
The operation of the Apostille Register includes the following:
Creation and/or registration of applications for apostille certification;
Preparation and/or attachment of scanned copies of documents to apostille applications;
Transmission of documents for apostille certification between competent authorities and entities responsible for accepting and issuing documents subject to apostille;
Search for information on registered apostille applications, issued apostilles, and samples of signatures, seals, and/or stamps;
Issuance of an apostille on an official document by generating an electronic document in accordance with the format established by the Hague Convention;
Generation and assignment of a unique apostille register number;
Generation of notices regarding refusals to issue apostilles;
Provision of information about issued apostilles;
Filling the Register with samples of signatures of officials and seals of competent authorities, samples of signatures of persons from whom official documents originate or may originate;
Electronic information exchange with the Unified State Web Portal of Electronic Services, national electronic information resources, and other information and communication systems.
The Apostille Register is maintained using special technical and software tools. The register numbers are automatically generated and assigned by the software and are unique — they consist of digits formed from natural numbers in any combination and do not repeat within the Register.
What is an apostille?
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