Diplomas, certificates, school-leaving certificates and other educational documents issued in Georgia have official legal validity in Georgia (albeit with certain reservations). However, to be recognised and subsequently used in most other countries, they must first be legalised.
If you intend to use a 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 institutions, local authorities, educational institutions and organisations that have been granted special powers by the state.
Commercial documents cannot be apostilled. Therefore, if you have obtained a certificate for completing an educational course provided by a private company that does not hold an educational licence, it cannot be certified with an apostille. The apostille procedure can be used only for documents issued by accredited educational institutions holding an official state licence.
It is important to note that apostille certification 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 professions, such as medicine or law, nor does it replace the recognition of higher education qualifications (nostrification).
An apostille can be affixed only in the country where the document was issued. It is not possible to obtain one through diplomatic missions or consular offices.
When is an apostille not required?
When hiring employees for positions that do not involve special restrictions on access to information, most commercial organisations will not require them to have their diplomas or other educational documents legalised by means of apostille certification. Furthermore, a diploma does not need to be apostilled if a special mutual recognition arrangement for diplomas and academic degrees is in force between Georgia and another country. Such arrangements can affect eligibility for university admission or employment in a field corresponding to the qualification.
For example, Georgia is a party to the 1993 Minsk Convention and the 2002 Chisinau Convention. Therefore, an apostille is not required on diplomas obtained in Georgia for use in most CIS countries. A notarised translation of the diploma into the official language of the country where you intend to use the document is sufficient.
However, Moldova is currently withdrawing from the Minsk Convention. Therefore, it is advisable to have Georgian diplomas and school-leaving certificates apostilled before using them in Moldova.
Before using a Georgian educational document, it is advisable to check with the receiving country whether apostille certification is required.
Educational documents issued in Georgia
Educational documents in Georgia are issued upon completion of higher education institutions, vocational and technical schools, general education schools, courses and other educational programmes.
The main types of educational documents issued in Georgia are:
- Certificate of Basic Education;
- Certificate of Complete General Education;
- Diploma of Secondary Vocational Education;
- Specialist Diploma;
- Bachelor’s Degree Diploma;
- Master’s Degree Diploma.
In addition, Georgia has officially approved the forms of certificates confirming postgraduate medical training, the award of academic titles and the award of academic degrees.
In certain cases, students are also issued certificates or other documents confirming their studies.
Some educational documents issued in Georgia, such as school-leaving certificates, may also be available in electronic form.
How to obtain an apostille on diplomas and certificates in Georgia
Responsibility for apostilling educational documents in Georgia lies with the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement under the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia.
Applications for apostille certification in Georgia are submitted through local public service centres known as Houses of Justice.
Georgia maintains an electronic apostille register that allows the authenticity of an apostille to be verified online.
Apostille certification of educational documents in Georgia is governed by Joint Order No. 93/N–No. 170 of 10 August 2016, issued by the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia and the Minister of Justice of Georgia, as well as by other legal acts.
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.
Consular legalisation of Georgian diplomas and school-leaving certificates
If the country in which an educational document issued in Georgia is to be used is not a party to the 1961 Hague Convention, such as the United Arab Emirates (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 have a diploma or school-leaving certificate issued in Georgia consularly legalised, the following steps must be taken:
- Obtain the document;
- Have the document legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia;
- Obtain a notarised translation of the document;
- Have the document legalised by the consulate or consular section of the embassy of the destination country.
Because the procedure involves several stages, it can be time-consuming and expensive. Some countries do not have consulates in Georgia, so the final stage of legalisation may need to be completed in another country where the relevant consulate is located.
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.
Translation of educational documents
When using an educational document issued in Georgia in a foreign country, an official translation must be prepared in accordance with the legal requirements of that country. Depending on the jurisdiction, this may be a notarised, sworn, court-certified or certified translation.
The translation must undergo a mandatory verification process. During this process, the completed translation is sent 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 can occur during translation.
Depending on the requirements of national law, the official translation may be attached to a notarised copy of the document bearing an apostille.
Shipping documents from Georgia
Despite the complex international situation, it is still possible to ship documents from Georgia. However, some destinations can be reached only through multi-stage shipping arrangements.
What happens next?
Once you have obtained your diploma with the required legalisation, together with a copy to which a notarised translation has been attached, the documents can generally be considered ready for official use abroad.
An agreement dated 15 September 2004 between the governments of the CIS member states, entitled “On the Mutual Recognition of the Equivalence of Documents on Secondary (General) Education, Primary Vocational Education and Secondary Vocational (Specialised) Education”, applies between these countries and Georgia.
For diplomas that fall outside the periods covered by this agreement, you may submit the diploma and its supplements, with a translation where necessary.
In countries with which Georgia has no agreements on legal assistance and the recognition of foreign documents, a diploma may need to undergo a recognition procedure (nostrification) after apostille certification or consular legalisation and official translation.
How can we help?
If you are outside Georgia, we will be happy to assist you with apostille certification and legalisation of your 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 necessary services, including obtaining notarised copies, translation, preparing the required powers of attorney, legalising documents with government authorities and foreign consulates, and delivering completed documents to most countries worldwide.
Find out more about the legalisation and apostille procedures on our website.
