Apostille and legalisation

Who this page is for

For anyone who has to present a Georgian document in another country, or a foreign document in Georgia.

The specific route for marriage certificates and criminal record certificates is explained on separate pages. Here we cover the general rules and the complicated cases.

Our role

Apostilles and legalisation are done by state authorities - we cannot change them or speed them up by getting around the law.

We find out what the recipient needs, set out the chain of steps, arrange translation and the notary, and keep track of every step.

Why confirmation is needed

A foreign authority cannot know whether a Georgian stamp and signature are genuine.

An apostille and legalisation confirm that the signatory and the stamp are genuine.

They do not check or change the content of the document - only where it came from.

The apostille

An apostille is a one-step confirmation between countries party to the Hague Convention.

It is issued in the country that issued the document and is valid in the receiving country without further confirmation.

Georgia is party to the Convention, and a Georgian document for these countries is prepared with an apostille.

Consular legalisation

If the receiving country is not party to the Convention, consular legalisation is needed.

This is several steps: the issuing country's authority, then the receiving country's consulate.

Legalisation takes longer and often requires a visit to the consulate.

Agreements

Georgia has agreements with some countries that exempt certain documents from confirmation.

In that case you may need neither an apostille nor legalisation.

But the receiving authority does not always know about the agreement, so we check this in advance.

How to work it out

We start with two questions: where the document was issued and where it will be presented.

Then we check which regime applies between those two countries.

Finally we ask the recipient whether it has any additional requirements of its own.

The apostille in Georgia

An apostille on a Georgian document is issued by a state service, and the application is often made at the House of Justice.

For some documents, depending on their origin, the apostille may be done by another authority.

So we identify the right authority for each document in advance.

Which documents

An apostille goes on an official document: a civil status certificate, a certificate, an extract, a notarial act.

A private document - a contract, for example - cannot take an apostille directly; the signature is first certified by a notary.

The apostille then goes on the notary's certification.

Soviet-era documents

A certificate issued in the Soviet period often cannot take an apostille directly.

Usually a duplicate in the new, modern form is needed, issued by today's authority.

A duplicate means finding the record in the archives, and that takes time.

Duplicates

A duplicate is sometimes more convenient than the original: a new form, a clear stamp, ready for the apostille.

A duplicate Georgian civil status certificate is often requested at the House of Justice.

For someone abroad we obtain the duplicate through a power of attorney.

Notarised copies

Sometimes you do not want to send the original - a diploma, for example.

In that case a notary certifies a copy, and the apostille goes on the certification of the copy.

The recipient does not always accept a copy, so we check this in advance.

An apostille on the translation

Some countries require the translation to be confirmed as well.

In that case the notary certifies the translation, and the apostille goes on the notary's certification.

So one document may carry two apostilles: on the original and on the translation.

Court decisions

A court decision - divorce, inheritance, maintenance - often needs recognition in another country.

First a note that it has entered into force is needed, then the apostille.

Recognition in another country sometimes also needs a court procedure there, which the lawyer checks.

Education documents

A diploma and transcript often need confirmation to continue studying or for work.

Sometimes the institution also confirms the diploma's authenticity, before the apostille.

Recognition in the receiving country is a separate procedure, and we plan it in advance.

Company documents

A registry extract, the charter and company decisions are often needed in another country for a branch, a bank or a tender.

An extract often needs to be a new one, issued within the last few days.

We set out the chain for company documents together with the accountant and the lawyer.

Medical documents

A medical certificate or history is sometimes needed in another country for treatment, insurance or a court.

A private clinic's document often needs notarial certification first.

Medical information is confidential, and we handle it only as far as necessary.

Powers of attorney

A power of attorney signed in Georgia that has to work in another country needs an apostille or legalisation.

The wording must suit the receiving country's requirements, and is often better bilingual.

We agree the wording with the authority of the country where it will be used.

Children's documents

When enrolling a child in school abroad or registering a child, the birth certificate often needs an apostille and translation.

Often a parent's consent is added, notarised and confirmed as well.

We prepare all of a child's documents as one pack, in one visit.

Life certificates for pensions

If you receive a pension from abroad and live in Georgia, the pension fund periodically asks for proof that you are alive.

Such a certificate is often signed at a notary and sometimes needs an apostille.

We request the fund's form in advance and remind you of the dates every year.

Tax residency certificates

To use a double taxation agreement, another country often needs a Georgian tax residency certificate.

The certificate is issued by the tax service, and some countries ask for it with an apostille and translation.

We check the certificate's form and period with the accountant.

Civil status certificates

For marriage or inheritance in another country a civil status certificate is sometimes needed.

It shows whether you are married, and often has a limited validity.

We obtain it last, with apostille and translation, taking the recipient's deadline into account.

The steps of legalisation

Usually: the document, sometimes a notary, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finally the receiving country's consulate.

Each step has its own timing and fee.

We confirm the exact list of steps with the receiving country's consulate.

The ministry step

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs checks the signature of the Georgian authority or notary.

Before this step the document must meet all the earlier requirements.

We prepare the ministry visit and application.

The consulate step

The receiving country's consulate does the final step of legalisation.

Some consulates work only by appointment, others keep the document for several days.

We check the consulate's opening hours and requirements in advance.

An embassy in another country

Some countries have no embassy in Georgia, and are represented from a neighbouring country.

In that case the document has to be sent or taken there.

We arrange this step by courier or through a partner, and give you the timing in advance.

Timing

An apostille is often done within a few days, faster if expedited.

Legalisation often takes weeks, especially if the embassy is in another country.

We write out the dates for each step of the chain separately.

Checking an apostille

A Georgian apostille can often be checked electronically, by number or code.

The receiving authority uses this to check that the apostille is genuine.

In some countries an electronic apostille is also valid, and the recipient confirms this in advance.

Foreign documents for Georgia

A foreign document is usually presented in Georgia with an apostille or legalisation and a Georgian notarised translation.

The apostille is issued in the country that issued the document - it cannot be done from Georgia.

So we send you the list before you arrive.

From a non-Hague country

If the document was issued in a country that does not use the apostille, legalisation at a Georgian consulate is needed.

This means the document is checked first at that country's ministry, then at the Georgian consulate.

We request the Georgian consulate's requirements in advance and send them to you.

Translation in Georgia

A confirmed foreign document is translated into Georgian in Georgia, with notarial certification.

Usually both the document and the apostille are translated.

We match the Georgian transliteration of your name to your other Georgian documents.

The document's condition

An authority may refuse to confirm a damaged, torn or hard-to-read document.

Handwritten corrections or stamps over the text often raise questions.

In such cases we request a new duplicate before attempting the apostille.

Laminated documents

An apostille often cannot be put on a laminated document.

Many people only remember this when the document is already at the authority.

So we never laminate documents, and request a duplicate for a laminated one.

A scan is not an original

An apostille and legalisation need a paper original or its official copy.

A photo or scan, however good the quality, will not do.

If the original is in another country, we first plan to bring it here or obtain a duplicate.

Specimen signatures

The authority issuing the apostille checks that the signatory is in its database.

If the official who signed no longer works there, or the stamp is old, confirmation may be delayed.

In such a case a duplicate with a new signature is often the faster route.

The recipient's extra requirements

Some authorities want the document and the apostille issued within the last few months.

Some accept only a translation by their own sworn translator.

We ask for these requirements in writing, so that the chain is done once and correctly.

One document, several countries

If you need one document in two countries, two separate originals are often better.

One country may need an apostille, another legalisation.

We plan the number of originals and the chain for each country separately.

Originals

An apostilled original often stays with the recipient and does not come back.

So it is better to have several originals confirmed at the same time.

That avoids repeating the whole chain for every new application.

Delivery

We send the confirmed document by international courier, with a tracking number.

Before sending, we email you a scan of every page.

We usually do not send originals by ordinary post.

A mistake in the apostille

A mistake in the apostille - a name, a date, the type of document - leads to refusal by the recipient.

We check the apostille as soon as it is issued and request a correction if there is a mistake.

It is better to correct it before the translation, so that the translation is not done twice.

Refusal

An authority refuses confirmation if the document does not meet the requirement or the signature cannot be checked.

Often the way out is a duplicate or a notarised copy.

We find out the reason for the refusal and offer an alternative route.

Fake apostilles

Online you will find offers of "an apostille in one day, no document needed".

A fake apostille cannot be found in the electronic register, and the recipient will notice it at once.

We work only through official authorities.

Changing rules

Countries join the Convention from time to time or change their consular requirements.

What needed legalisation years ago may be done with an apostille today - or the other way round.

So we check the regime each time in a current source.

Common mistakes

Putting an apostille on a laminated or damaged document.

Translating before the apostille, when the recipient needs the reverse.

Confirming one original when two countries are waiting.

What we need from you

A copy of the document and information on where and when it was issued.

Which country and authority it will be presented to, and what for.

Whether you have the original or only a copy, and where you are now.

Price

Fees for the apostille, the ministry and the consulate are official.

Translation, the notary, duplicates and the courier are separate lines.

Our help is agreed in advance, and we add nothing to our partners' prices.