Апостилирование документов

Апостилирование документов

What is apostille
Apostille refers to a simplified means to legalize a document for international use under the terms of the 5 October 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. The Convention established special authentication (a stamp), attached to public documents, issued in one signatory country and subject to submission in another signatory country, replacing the procedure of consular legalization. To obtain an apostille, it is required to provide original documents, In some cases notarized copies may be apostilled.
Apostille certifies a signature, position of the person, signing the document, and, in some cases, the authenticity of the stamp or seal on the document. The documents, apostilled in one of the Convention signatory countries, are admitted in the other Convention signatory countries without any restrictions.

A document is apostilled in one governmental body, which facilitates the procedure compared to consular legalization.

Double Apostille
Some countries require double apostille on legalized documents. It means that:

First original documents are apostilled;
Then the documents are translated into the language of the country where they will be submitted and notarized;
The notarized translation is also apostilled.
This double apostille procedure is demanded in some Hague Convention signatory countries, e.g. Austria, France, Switzerland, and Belgium.