Apostille, legalisation and recognition of diplomas from Azerbaijan

Diplomas, certificates, school-leaving certificates and other educational documents issued in Azerbaijan are officially legally valid in Russia, albeit subject to certain limitations. However, for them to be recognised and subsequently used in most other countries, they must first be legalised.

If you intend to use an Uzbek diploma 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 apostille certification.

Why and when is an apostille required?

An apostille is a special stamp that certifies 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 to exercise specific powers.

Commercial documents cannot be apostilled. Therefore, if you have obtained a certificate confirming completion of an educational course offered by a private company that does not hold an educational licence, it cannot be apostilled. The apostille procedure is available only for documents issued by accredited educational institutions holding an official state licence.

It should be noted that an apostille confirms that a 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 regulated professional fields (such as medicine or law), nor does it replace the recognition of higher education qualifications (nostrification). In Russia, nostrification is carried out by the Federal State Budgetary Institution Glavexpertcentre and is required for admission to Russian universities or employment in a field corresponding to the qualification.

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

When is an apostille not required?

Most private-sector employers will not require diplomas or other educational documents to be legalised by means of an apostille when hiring employees for positions that do not involve special access restrictions to information. In addition, a diploma does not need to be apostilled if a special arrangement for the mutual recognition of diplomas and academic degrees is in force between Azerbaijan and another country. Such arrangements may affect eligibility for university admission or employment in a field corresponding to the qualification.

For example, Azerbaijan is a party to the 1993 Minsk Convention and the 2002 Chisinau Convention. Therefore, diplomas obtained in Azerbaijan generally do not require an apostille 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, while Moldova adopted a similar decision in 2026. Therefore, Azerbaijani diplomas and school-leaving certificates intended for use in these countries must be apostilled.

Before using an Azerbaijani educational document abroad, it is advisable to check with the receiving country whether an apostille is required.

Educational documents issued in Azerbaijan

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

• Certificate of Basic Secondary Education (Əsasən təhsil haqqında Attestat);
• Certificate of General Secondary Education (Orta təhsil haqqında Attestat);
• Diploma of Initial Specialised Vocational Education (Peşə Liseyi Diplom);
• Qualification Certificate (Kiçik mütəxəssis);
• Diploma confirming completion of a specialised secondary education programme (Diplom);
• Bachelor's Degree Diploma (Bakalavr Dərəcəsi);
• Master's Degree Diploma (Magister Dərəcəsi).

As of 2026, educational documents in Azerbaijan are also issued in electronic format.

Azerbaijan has officially approved the formats of certificates confirming postgraduate training, certificates conferring academic titles, and diplomas awarding academic degrees.

In certain cases, students may also receive official statements or certificates. Most educational documents issued in Azerbaijan are in Azerbaijani.

Procedure for obtaining an apostille for diplomas and school-leaving certificates in Azerbaijan

The authority responsible for apostilling educational documents in Azerbaijan is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.

The apostille procedure is governed by the Rules on the Issuance of Apostilles for Official Documents, approved by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Order No. Q/02-19 of 14 February 2019.

In practice, documents are submitted for apostille certification through ASAN public service centres. Applicants must bring the original document to be apostilled, an identity document, and a receipt confirming payment of the applicable fee. When submitting documents on behalf of a third party, they must also provide a power of attorney or a document certifying the family relationship.

Consular legalisation of diplomas and school-leaving certificates from Azerbaijan

If the country in which an Azerbaijani educational document is to be used is not a party to the 1961 Hague Convention, such as the UAE, the document must undergo a more complex and costly procedure known as consular legalisation.

Consular legalisation is a multi-stage procedure for verifying the authenticity of a document, used for countries that are not parties to the 1961 Hague Convention. To obtain consular legalisation for an Azerbaijani educational document, the following steps must be completed:

1. Obtain the document;
2. Have the document legalised by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan;
3. Arrange for a notarised translation of the document;
4. Have the document legalised by the consulate or consular section of the embassy of the destination country.

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

Translation of educational documents

When using an Azerbaijani educational document in a foreign country, it must be translated into the official language in accordance with that country's legal requirements. Depending on the jurisdiction, this may require a notarised, sworn, court-certified or certified translation.

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

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

Shipping documents from Azerbaijan

Despite the challenging international situation, it is still possible to arrange for documents to be shipped from Azerbaijan. However, for certain destinations, delivery may only be possible in several stages.

What happens next?

Once you have obtained a legalised diploma and a copy with a notarised translation attached, the documents can generally be considered officially ready for use abroad.

The Russian Federation recognises Azerbaijani diplomas issued before 15 May 1992 and after 24 November 1998. For diplomas issued outside these periods, graduates may, after obtaining a translation where necessary, apply to Russian universities for admission to a master's degree programme or postgraduate studies, provided the university is willing to accept the documents without additional recognition. Alternatively, they may apply to the Federal State Budgetary Institution Glavexpertcentre to have their qualifications recognised. The diploma supplement must also be submitted where applicable.

In countries with which Azerbaijan has no agreements on legal assistance and the recognition of foreign documents, a diploma must undergo a recognition procedure (nostrification) after apostille certification or consular legalisation and official translation before it can be used there.

How can we help?

If you are located outside Azerbaijan, we will be happy to assist you with obtaining an apostille and legalising 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 services required for this process, including obtaining notarised copies, arranging translations, preparing the necessary powers of attorney, legalising documents with government authorities and foreign consulates, and delivering completed documents to most countries worldwide.

For more information about legalisation and apostille certification, please visit our website.