The Hague Convention means repealing of the requirement for legalization of official documents, issued by foreign countries which are members of the organization. /enforced on 05.10.1961/. It puts a special mark (stamp), affixed on the certificates, developed in the same country and which are subject to submission to another country, replacing the procedure for the consular legalization – the apostille.
The apostille-certified certificates in one of the countries listed in the Convention should be taken by another participant without any restrictions.
Basic content of the Convention
The participants in the Agreement mutually reject the requirements for consular legalization of official certificates performed on the territory of one of the negotiating countries and which are to be presented on the territory of another negotiating country. Official documents, for the purposes of the agreement are the following:
- provided by an authority or an official subordinate to the jurisdiction of the country, including the ones provided by the Prosecutor's Office, the Court secretary or the judicial enforcement agent;
- administrative (especially Civil Status Act registration certificates);
- title deeds;
- for registration; visa; proof of specific date; legalization of signature not certified by a notary.
The agreement based on its literal meaning shall not be valid for non-official documents (that means that they are not provided by authorities of territorial directorates and don't have certification provided by a notary). For example, the apostille is not affixed on commercial letters of foreign companies.
Which countries are the participants in the agreement?
| Australia | Belarus | Germany | Iceland | Lesotho | Moldova |
| Austria | Belize | Grenada | Spain | Liberia | Mongolia |
| Azerbaijan | Belgium | Greece | Italy | Lithuania | Monaco |
| Albania | Bulgaria | Georgia | Cabo Verde | Lichtenstein | Namibia |
| Andorra | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Honduras | Kazakhstan | Luxembourg | the Netherlands |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Botswana | Denmark | Cyprus | Mauritius | New Zealand |
| Argentina | Brunei Darussalam | Dominican Republic | China | Macedonia | Norway |
| Armenia | Vanuatu | Israel | Columbia | Malawi | Cook Islands |
| the Bahamas | Hungary | India | Korea | Малта | Панама |
| Барбадос | Венецуела | Ирландия | Латвия | Mexico | Peru |
| Poland | Portugal | Romania | Salvador | Samoa | San Marino |
| Swaziland | Seychelles | Saint Lucia | Serbia | Slovakia | Slovenia |
| Great Britain | USA | Suriname | Tonga | Trinidad and Tobago | Turkey |
| Ukraine | Uruguay | Fiji |
Why should you trust Intellect Agency?
We've been dealing with translation and legalization of any type of documents for more than 10 years and we have a large database of qualified and certified translators who accomplish their tasks in a fast way and of good quality. Therefore, if you need to travel abroad and you need a translation and legalization of specific certificates, do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to assist you.