Legalization of documents issued on the territory of Ukraine is necessary in a number of cases, namely when traveling abroad for the purpose of studying, working, marriage, buying real estate, doing business, and the like. At the same time, for example, diplomas, police clearance certificates, certificates, various permits will not have legal force in the territory of other countries, since their samples are accepted there for all documents, and representatives in these countries are not required to figure out which document is from foreign (for them) is genuine and which is not.

When is consular legalization needed, and when is apostille

That’s just to confirm the authenticity of documents issued in another country, and they came up with a legalization procedure. At the same time, there is consular legalization and there is apostille, as a special simplified procedure that is suitable for countries that have signed the 1961 Hague Convention. In such countries (including most European countries and the USA), the procedure for recognizing the authenticity of documents is much faster and easier.

In most other cases, an apostille will not work, including countries such as China, Brazil and the UAE. In this case, it will be necessary to go through the full procedure of legalization of documents. Therefore, before you start processing documents, you should definitely clarify what procedure is necessary in your case – an apostille or, after all, consular legalization. You can also find out the exact answer to this question from us by calling (097) 003-22-77 or writing to Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp (on the same number).

What documents are not subject to legalization

Even when traveling abroad, there is no need to legalize the originals and copies of documents that contain a photograph (although not all of them, of course). For example, legalization is not subject to:

– Passports;

– Driver license;

– Identity cards;

– Employment books;

– Military tickets;

– Pension books, etc.

Also, you need to keep in mind that in a number of countries documents issued in Ukraine do not have to be legalized at all, even through apostille. Countries that do not normally need this include:

1) States with which Ukraine has concluded an agreement on legal assistance in civil matters, namely Hungary, Vietnam, China, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, Czech Republic, Estonia.

2) Many of the countries of the former USSR that signed the so-called Minsk Convention of 1993, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.

Summing up the intermediate result, it is worth noting that before a long-term trip to other states, it will be necessary to clarify whether they require consular legalization, apostille, or you can do without one or the other.

Stages of consular legalization of documents:

1) Submission of a document for stamping to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine;

2) Stamping of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine;

3) Translation of the document and further notarization;

4) Submission for stamping of the consulate or embassy of the required country.

How long each step takes depends on:

a) the country to which the documents will be submitted;

b) the work schedule of the relevant ministry, how many working days per week they deal with ‘citizens’ issues’. As a rule, the legalization procedure takes from 5 to 15 business days.

If you still have questions about consular legalization of documents and apostille, our managers will be happy to answer them. Write and call (097) 003-22-77, we work on weekdays from 9 to 19 without a break and we are the Translation Agency in Kharkov, which works on Saturdays from 9 to 16.