The Irish authorities have updated the name of the body responsible for issuing apostilles, as well as the procedure for document legalization. These changes are reflected on the official website of the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
Recently, the Greek authorities made 170,000 diplomas from one of the country’s leading universities accessible through the official government portal, reports Greek City Times.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) is a prestigious international education system recognized in over 110 countries. Graduation documents from the DP and CP programs open doors to top universities, but for official use abroad, an apostille or consular legalization is often required. In this article, we explain in detail how the IB diploma legalization process works, which countries have special requirements, and what graduates should pay attention to.
International education opens wide opportunities — admission to universities worldwide, participation in global career projects, or relocation abroad. To avoid university rejections or visa delays, it is crucial to take care of proper diploma legalization in advance.
In this article, we explain why legalization is needed, the different forms it can take, and how bachelor’s degree holders can ensure their education is recognized across different regions of the world.
France has updated its online portal for ordering document apostilles, and it is now working again. Earlier, French experts said that after the legalization reform, the portal was not working.
In Texas, USA, the procedure for getting documents apostilled will change starting August 5, 2025. This update comes from the official website of the Texas Secretary of State.
As part of the ongoing digital transformation of corporate law in the European Union, procedures related to the legalization, apostille and translation of documents are being significantly simplified. A new initiative by the European Commission, introduced under Digitalisation Directive II, aims to implement digital powers of attorney, ensure mutual recognition of official documents without the need for re-legalization or re-apostille, and eliminate translation requirements—provided that documents are authenticated via EU Trust Services.
Israel has resumed the operations of its diplomatic missions and the provision of consular services abroad. This is confirmed by reports from media reports and official embassy websites.
A pilot project on electronic apostilization has been launched in the People's Republic of China. This is reported by the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.
The German Federal Foreign Office has announced an adjustment to the fees for apostille certification of documents. The official statement was published on the ministry’s website.
The international express delivery company DHL has temporarily suspended its services in several Middle Eastern countries. The company has issued a corresponding notice to its clients.
In light of the escalating geopolitical tensions, Israel has temporarily closed its diplomatic missions and suspended all consular services, including the legalization of documents. The announcement was made by Israeli diplomatic missions operating abroad.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates has updated the section on the consular legalization procedure on its official portal. At the same time, the UAE Embassy in London has issued several clarifications regarding the legalization of documents in the United Kingdom and neighboring countries.
In Finland, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (Digi- ja väestötietovirasto) has been officially designated as the competent authority for issuing apostilles. This information has been published on the official portal of the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
The Director of Legalization and Apostille has been designated as the primary contact person at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic for matters related to the authentication of documents for use abroad. The corresponding update has been published on the official portal of the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
The Colombian government has given the authority to certify documents within the Office for the Coordination of Apostille and Legalization to the Ambassador in Charge and Head of Operations. The relevant changes are posted on the official portal of the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
Indonesia’s Minister of Justice, Supatman Andi Agtas, has called on Malaysia to consider acceding to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents, also known as the Apostille Convention. This was reported by Indonesia’s news agency Antara
As part of its ongoing reform of the document legalization process, the French Ministry of Justice has issued an order regulating the fees charged for apostille services. The text of the regulation is available on the Legifrance portal.
Schmidt & Schmidt is proud to announce the opening of our new office in Shanghai, China, a key move in our global expansion strategy. This office will serve as a hub for East Asia, offering businesses and individuals vital services, including document legalization, commercial information procurement, and professional translation services.
On March 30, 2025, the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (commonly known as the Apostille Convention) entered into force for Bangladesh. This was reported by the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
Certified translations are translations that are officially recognized for legal or official purposes. A certified translation is performed by a professional translator who guarantees the accuracy and completeness of the translated document. The translator typically provides a signed statement, known as a certification, affirming that the translation is a true and accurate representation of the original document.
The State Chancellery of the canton of Zurich has published current clarifications on the procedure for the legalization of documents for their use abroad on its official portal.
The Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) has published a report on the activities of the organization in 2024. The report places significant emphasis on the development of document legalization through apostille.
The U.S. state of Iowa has transitioned to a new "unified" document legalization form for use abroad starting in 2025. This was announced by the official website of the state's Secretary of State.
The U.S. Embassy is ending the practice of issuing affidavits on civil status documents, which allowed American citizens in Vietnam to bypass the consular legalization process, the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam reported on its website.
In 2024, the Australian Government updated the terms of service for the legalization of documents for use abroad, including through apostille certification. These updates reflect a shift in how the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) handles document legalization requests, aiming to make the process more efficient while still ensuring the authenticity of documents.
Azerbaijan is set to introduce an automated consular legalization system, part of the country’s broader digitalization efforts aimed at streamlining government services. This initiative will simplify the legalization process for documents to be used internationally, reducing bureaucratic delays and making the procedure more efficient for citizens and businesses. The new system is expected to allow applicants to submit and track their documents electronically, aligning Azerbaijan with international standards for document verification and legalization.
The State Council of the People's Republic of China (also known as the Central People's Government of the PRC) has posted a section on its official portal dedicated to apostille and consular legalization of documents.
More than 1.2 million documents have undergone consular legalization in Cuba in 2024. This is an important historical milestone, says the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, writes the CubaHeadlines publication.
The authorities of the People's Republic of Bangladesh officially deposited their instruments of accession to the Convention of 5 October 1961 for the Abolition of the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, also known as the Apostille Convention, with the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) on July 29, 2024. The official website of the Hague Conference reports this.
The Ecuadorian authorities have announced that they are starting to carry out apostille and consular legalization procedures for documents digitally. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of the Republic is handling this issue. The department has distributed the corresponding statement in the media.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry is making fundamental changes to the apostille system. According to the SAMAA portal, this is being done in order to "fight the agent mafia."
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On the legalization of Russian and foreign official documents and on the requisition of personal documents.” A message about this was posted on the official website of the head of state. Previously, the law was adopted by State Duma deputies and approved by the Federation Council of the Russian Federation. One of the fundamental innovations of the law will be the abolition of the ban on the export of certain personal documents of citizens from the country, which has been in force since Soviet times.
Before receiving government services falling under the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, local citizens of military age will have to report to the military registration and enlistment office.
On 5 June 2024, the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, also known as the Apostille Convention, came into force for Rwanda.
The Bangladesh Cabinet formally approved the state's accession to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents of 5 October 1961 (also known as the Apostille Convention).
The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Dmytro Kuleba, has confirmed that he was the one who ordered to limit consular services for Ukrainians abroad.
On 11 January 2024, the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, also known as the Apostille Convention, entered into force for Canada.
China joined the Hague Conference in 1987, but for a long time did not ratify the Apostille Convention, being the largest country in the world without the simplified document legalization procedure. Now everything has changed.
The system in Japan for foreign-educated individuals seeking admission to educational institutions reflects flexibility in acknowledging diverse educational backgrounds while maintaining standards
The recognition of educational documents issued in Ukraine is an important step for individuals who intend to utilize their qualifications in Europe and the United States. Certain procedures such as apostille, legalization, and recognition need to be carried out to ensure the recognition of Ukrainian diplomas in other countries.
On May 12, 2023, Canadian authorities officially deposited with the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) the instruments of accession to the Convention of October 5, 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, also known as the Apostille Convention.
Degrees, certificates and other educational documents issued in Spain have no legal force abroad. Therefore, an apostille may be required in a number of cases, most notably when enrolling in graduate or post-graduate studies.
Degrees, certificates and other educational documents issued in Switzerland have no legal force abroad. Therefore, an apostille may be required in a number of cases, most notably when enrolling in graduate or post-graduate studies.
On March 23, 2023, the Convention of October 5, 1961, abolishing the requirement for legalization of foreign official documents, entered into force for the Republic of Senegal. The corresponding statement is posted on the website of the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
Degrees, certificates and other educational documents issued in Germany have no legal force abroad. Therefore, an apostille may be required in a number of cases, most notably when enrolling in graduate or post-graduate studies.
Degrees, certificates and other educational documents issued in France have no legal force abroad. Therefore, an apostille may be required in a number of cases, most notably when enrolling in graduate or post-graduate studies.
The Chinese government formally deposited its instrument of accession to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, also known as the Apostille Convention, with the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) on 5 October 1961.
Certificates, degree and other educational documents issued in the USA have no official legal validity outside the country. Therefore, an apostille may be required in a number of cases, especially when enrolling in undergraduate or postgraduate studies.
Translation of official documents for use abroad may at first seem like a simple and uncomplicated procedure. After all, there are many translation agencies in almost every country. But it is not that simple, and therefore we are often contacted by people who have already tried to translate documents on their own, lost time and money, and eventually have to do everything in a proper way.
Nowadays, the need to legalise medical documents is becoming more and more frequent. This may be required in various situations: for example, when arranging treatment in a foreign clinic or explaining the reasons for absence at your workplace, also when confirming satisfactory state of health for admission to higher education institution or signing an employment contract.
Question about enrolling children in a foreign school is very relevant nowadays. The reasons for sending a child to study abroad may vary. In some cases, this is due to the parents moving to another country, in other cases – to broaden the children’s horizons and give them the opportunity to study certain subjects deeper. In addition, many parents consider studying abroad as a good way to give their children language practice.
Getting a baby is always a wonderful joyful moment, and it’s very important not to overshadow it with any legal problems. Moreover, in many countries the registration of a newborn is a rather complicated bureaucratic procedure.
So what should you start with?
Today the world is getting smaller and opening up new possibilities for us. Every year, more and more people are getting college degrees away from home. What should be considered when studying abroad?
Those who are just starting out in foreign trade are often faced with an unexpected problem - the impossibility of legalization of commercial documents for use abroad through the apostille or consular legalization. What can be done if the business partners expect the submission of officially certified documents?
The legalization of documents with the apostille is an alternative procedure in many situations. But unfortunately it sometimes happens that the authorized authorities refuse to affix an apostille.
What do we need – an apostille or consular legalization? What is the difference between apostille and consular legalization? Why can't I just apostille my documents when traveling to China? And above all: Why do I need all this anyway?
Nowadays, many people want something out of the ordinary, and that is why couples often prefer to get married abroad. Incidentally, this does not only apply to couples in which one of the partners is a citizen of another country. Many people want to break out of everyday life and swear an oath of eternal love to the sound of the waves on one of the Mediterranean islands or the sound of the north wind on a glacier in Greenland.
Unfortunately, quite often people lose documents, including those with apostille. Therefore, customers regularly contact us with the question, what should they do in this case?
The approach depends on the location and circumstances of the document loss. It is easiest if it is lost on the territory of the issuing country, it is a little more difficult if it is abroad, especially if you do not have the opportunity to collect it. But don't worry, this is almost always a solvable problem.
On July 22, 2022, the Hague Conference on Private International Law issued a press release stating that Senegal deposited an instrument of accession to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents.
We are currently receiving regular reports from individuals and companies who have fallen victim to scammers using schemes related to document legalization services.
Schmidt & Schmidt has launched the Turkish version of the website to thereby consult customers from Turkey in their native language and to participate in the Turkish business life.
Turkey, with its geopolitical position and dynamic demographic structure, is one of the countries that has been the heart of trade for years. Turkey's fertile lands, constantly developing industry and location in both Asia and Europe have always made it a magnet for people all around the globe.
As you probably already know, political unrest broke out in Kazakhstan in early January after New Year's Eve, some of which resulted in outbreaks of violence and military actions.
Currently, curfew has been imposed on a number of settlements on the territory and the work of government agencies, delivery services and other services have been suspended.
With a new decree, the Government of France is reforming the procedure for consular legalization of documents and affixing apostille, significantly expanding the powers of the notary.
On January 5, 2021, Presidential Decree No. 2 on the ratification of the Hague Convention came into force in Indonesia. It means that the legalization of foreign public documents is no longer necessary.
The 3% reduction of VAT to 16% introduced by the German government as part of the economic stimulus package to combat economic damage caused by the Corona crisis will end at the end of this year.
On August 6, 2020, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation submitted a draft resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation for public discussion, which stipulates the possibility of the use of electronic apostilles on Russian official documents.
