Degrees, certificates and other educational documents issued in France have no legal force abroad. In practice, this means that if such a document is not legalized, it will not be possible to enter graduate or post-graduate programs, or to get a job at a public institutions.
If you plan to use your France diploma in a country that is a signatory to the 1961 Hague Convention, it can be legalize it through a simplified procedure known as Apostille.
Why and in what cases is an apostille needed?
The apostille, or the “Hague apostille” is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document (e.g., a birth, marriage or death certificate, a judgment, an extract of a register or a notarial attestation). It confirms the authenticity of the signature and the authority of an official who signed the public document.
Commercial documents cannot be apostilled. Therefore, if you received a certificate of educational courses from a private company, which does not have an educational license, you will not be able to certify it with an apostille. Only documents from certified educational institutions with an official state license can be legalized through the apostil procedure.
At the same time, it should be kept in mind that Apostille confirms the fact of document issue and authenticity of signature of an authorized official, but it does not imply automatic access to work in specialized spheres.
An apostille stamp can only be affixed in the territory of the country in which the document was issued. It cannot be done through diplomatic or consular offices. The system of certifying documents by apostille in Spain is quite simple: the apostille is placed either on notarized copies of degrees, which are taken from local notaries, at the notarial board of the autonomous region where the notary is registered. Or on the original diploma, when the university itself certifies the degree in the office of the decedent. The second way is much more complicated and expensive, although for foreign authorities, as a rule, there is no difference whether the apostille is on the notarial copy or on the original.
When is an apostille not needed?
Most commercial organizations, when hiring employees for positions that do not require special access, will not require them to legalize their diploma through an apostille. In addition, the degree does not need to be apostilled if there is a special treatment between Switzerland and another country (such as in the case of EU countries, where there is a unified educational system throughout the EU).
The process of obtaining an apostille for degrees in France
The apostille certification system in France is relatively simple:
The first step is to obtain a notarized copy from the nearest notary public.
The second step is to obtain an apostille from the Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel) in the departmental capital where the notary is registered.
Note that since the Court of Appeal is only authorized for its own municipal district, for example, it is not possible to obtain an apostille for a diploma copy from Marseille in Paris. It is also important to note that in France, the diploma and its supplement are apostilled as two separate documents. Stitching the diploma and supplement together and certifying them with a single apostille is impossible.
The notary confirms the authenticity of the diploma only when the original diploma is presented to them. When the copy is notarized, information about the notary is written on the back of the diploma, their seal is affixed, and they sign it.
Notarizing documents typically takes 1-2 business days.
After notarization, the documents for apostille certification must be submitted to the Court of Appeal in the departmental capital where the notary is registered.
Usually, obtaining an apostille from the court takes 1-5 business days. However, the timing may vary depending on the workload of the court.
Documents required for legalization:
- The original degree;
- If necessary, the original diploma supplement.
The appearance of an apostille in France is standardized. However, often the country for which the apostille is issued is indicated on the apostille itself. Some foreign authorities may not pay attention to this fact, but some may have questions about it. Therefore, we recommend correctly indicating the country where you intend to use this diploma.
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 & Schmidt will assist you! We provide apostille services in more than 100 countries worldwide.
The appearance of the apostille in Switzerland is unified in all areas and differs only in the stamp of the collegia.
If you need to have a document issued in a foreign country apostilled, contact Schmidt & Schmidt.
We provide apostille services in more than 100 countries around the world.
Document delivery
Since in Spain notarized copies are only taken with the original document, it will be necessary to send the document directly to Switzerland. The cost of such courier delivery is calculated according to the rates of courier services.
Consular legalization
If your diploma is to be used in a country that is not a party to the Hague Convention, such as China, the United Arab Emirates, or Egypt, the document is subject to consular legalization. This is a more complicated procedure than apostilization. The consular legalization procedure for diplomas in Switzerland takes place in several steps:
- Taking a notarized copy of the diploma.
- Certified translation of the notarized copy into the official language of the country of destination.
- Verification by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the French Republic.
- Attestation at the Consular Section of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- The certification at the embassy of the country of destination.
The first three steps, can be performed at the level of the local municipality where the notary who made the notarized copy of the diploma is registered. However, the last two must be certified in Paris (Ile de France).
It is necessary to note that the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs must be notarized by the country of the document's destination. It is not possible to legalize one notarized copy for several countries.
Translation of an education documents
In order to use an education document abroad, after legalization it is necessary to make an official notarial translation. If the translation is made by a certified translator in France, the official authorities will not accept it.
The translation of the document must necessarily go through a verification procedure. This is a process in which the prepared translation is sent to the graduate to verify the correct spelling of the first and last name, the disciplines studied and the topics of research papers, since there may be inaccuracies in the translation.
A notarized translation can be laced with an apostilled notarized copy.
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.
You can always contact Schmidt & Schmidt, we have extensive experience in the legalization of a variety of documents and we provide all the necessary services in this area, including the making of notarized copies, translation, preparation of the necessary powers of attorney, legalization of documents before government agencies and foreign consulates, as well as delivery of finished documents to most countries in the world.
