Apostille, legalisation and recognition of diplomas issued in Tajikistan

Diplomas, certificates, school-leaving certificates and other educational documents issued in Tajikistan have official legal validity abroad (albeit subject to certain reservations). However, for them to be recognised and subsequently used in most other countries around the world, they must first be legalised.

If you intend to use a Tajik diploma in a country that is a signatory to the 1961 Hague Convention, you can legalise it for university admission through a simplified procedure known as apostillisation.

Why and when is an apostille required?

An apostille is a special stamp certifying 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 perform such functions.

Commercial documents cannot be apostillised. Therefore, if you have obtained a certificate for completing an educational course offered by a private company that does not hold an educational licence, it cannot be certified with an apostille. Only documents issued by accredited educational institutions holding an official state licence can be legalised through apostillisation.

It should be borne in mind that apostillisation confirms that the document has been issued and that the signature of the authorised official is genuine. However, it does not automatically grant the right to work in regulated professional fields (such as medicine, law, etc.) and does not replace the recognition of higher education qualifications (nostrification).

An apostille can only be affixed in the country where the document was issued. It is not possible to obtain one through diplomatic or consular missions.

When is an apostille not required?

Most commercial organisations do not require employees applying for positions that do not involve special access to information to have their diplomas or other educational documents legalised through apostillisation. Furthermore, a diploma does not need to be apostillised if a special mutual recognition regime for diplomas and academic degrees is in force between Tajikistan and another country, affecting the possibility of university admission or employment in the relevant profession.

For example, Tajikistan is a party to the 1993 Minsk Convention and the 2002 Chisinau Convention. Therefore, diplomas obtained in Tajikistan 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 you intend to use the document is sufficient.

However, Ukraine withdrew from the Minsk Convention in December 2022, and Moldova made a similar decision in 2026. Therefore, diplomas and school-leaving certificates issued in Tajikistan must be apostillised for use in those countries.

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

Educational documents issued in Tajikistan

Educational documents in Tajikistan 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 Tajikistan are:

• Certificate of Basic General Education – issued to graduates of basic general education institutions (9 years of schooling);
• Certificate of Secondary General Education – issued to graduates of secondary general education institutions (11 or 12 years of schooling);
• Certificate of Vocational Qualification (grade, class or group) – issued to individuals who have completed vocational training in accordance with the established procedure;
• Diploma of Primary Vocational Education – issued to graduates of primary vocational education institutions;
• Diploma of Secondary Vocational Education – issued to graduates of secondary vocational education institutions;
• Diploma of Higher Professional Education (Bachelor’s, Specialist or Master’s Degree) – issued to graduates of higher professional education institutions.

Students with exemplary conduct who graduate from educational institutions with distinction are awarded special state-standard documents: a universal certificate (school-leaving certificate) accompanied by a gold or silver medal, a certificate with distinction in a particular field accompanied by a gold or silver medal, or a diploma with distinction bearing an honours insignia.

In addition, Tajikistan has officially approved the formats of certificates of postgraduate training, certificates conferring academic titles and diplomas conferring academic degrees.

In certain cases, students are also issued certificates or other statements confirming their studies.

The main educational documents in Tajikistan are issued in Tajik and Russian.

Procedure for apostillising diplomas and school-leaving certificates in Tajikistan

The apostillisation of educational documents in Tajikistan falls within the competence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. To have documents apostillised in Tajikistan, applicants must contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The following documents must be submitted for apostillisation:

1. An application for an apostille, submitted by the applicant or an authorised representative acting under a power of attorney;
2. The applicant’s identity document (to be presented);
3. The official document to be apostillised (submitted in two copies – the original and a copy; the original is returned to the applicant bearing the apostille);
4. A copy of the taxpayer identification number certificate;
5. Documents confirming payment of the state duty and fee (receipts).

The apostillisation of documents in Tajikistan is governed by the ‘Regulations on Uniform Rules and Conditions for Affixing Apostilles to Official Documents Issued by State Authorities of the Republic of Tajikistan’ (approved by Government Resolution No. 699 of 27 November 2015), as well as other regulatory legal acts.

Consular legalisation of diplomas and school-leaving certificates from Tajikistan

If the country in which you intend to use an educational document issued in Tajikistan is not a party to the 1961 Hague Convention, such as the UAE, the document must undergo the more complex and costly procedure of consular legalisation. The same requirements apply if a country does not recognise Tajikistan’s accession to the Hague Convention (for example, Austria, Belgium and Germany).

Consular legalisation is a multi-stage procedure for certifying the authenticity of a document. It is used for countries that are not parties to the 1961 Hague Convention.
To have a Tajik diploma or school-leaving certificate consularly legalised, the following steps must be followed:

1. Obtain the document;
2. Have the document legalised by the Main Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan;
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 is lengthy and quite costly. Some countries do not have consulates in Tajikistan, so the final stage of legalisation may have to be completed in another country where the relevant consulate is located.

Translation of educational documents

When using an educational document issued in Tajikistan in a foreign country, it must be accompanied by an official translation (notarised, sworn, court-certified or certified), in accordance with the legal requirements of that country.

The translation must undergo a mandatory verification process. This involves sending the prepared 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 reproduced correctly, as inaccuracies may arise during translation.

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

Sending documents from Tajikistan

Despite the challenging international situation, it is still possible to send documents from Tajikistan. However, certain destinations can only be reached through a multi-stage delivery process.

What happens next?

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

In countries with which Tajikistan has no agreements on legal assistance and the recognition of foreign documents, diplomas must undergo nostrification after apostillisation or consular legalisation and official translation.

How can we help?

If you are outside Tajikistan, we will be happy to assist you with apostillisation 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 in this field, including obtaining notarised copies, translation, preparing the required powers of attorney, legalising documents with government authorities and consulates of foreign states, and delivering completed documents to most countries worldwide.

You can find out more about the legalisation and apostillisation procedures on our website.