Superlegalisation of a Birth Certificate

Below you will find information on how to obtain superlegalisation of a birth certificate, both abroad and in Slovakia. Superlegalisation is genuinely not an easy procedure, particularly if you have to go through it in another country.

This article explains how superlegalisation differs from an apostille, which documents you need to apply for superlegalisation in the Slovak Republic and abroad, when a birth certificate has to be superlegalised, and plenty of other important details to help you complete superlegalisation successfully.

Broadly speaking, there are two situations in which a birth certificate has to be superlegalised.

If you were born abroad and want to use your certificate in Slovakia, whether for personal or work purposes, you must have it superlegalised in Slovakia. This is also needed when applying for child-related support, registering a marriage, submitting documents for temporary residence abroad or for dual citizenship, and in other situations.

What matters when having a birth certificate superlegalised in Slovakia

The first and most important condition for completing the whole superlegalisation process successfully is to submit a valid original. It must have been issued within the last three years, and sometimes within the last 6 months, and it has to be the original rather than a copy, as state authorities will not accept a certified copy for superlegalisation. If the original has been lost, a duplicate of it is submitted instead, again no older than the limit stated above.

Once you have a valid original birth certificate, it has to be verified by the competent authorities of the country that issued it. That verification must then itself be verified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country concerned.

You then file an application for superlegalisation with the embassy, which involves completing a form. The embassy holds superlegalisation accreditation for the country of issue, and it will also tell you what to do next.

The specialists at Apostille.sk will handle everything for you quickly and correctly. Leave the process to us.

Superlegalisation abroad

If you need your birth certificate superlegalised abroad, time and experience are essential. Entire applications for superlegalising a birth certificate are sometimes rejected because forms were filled in incorrectly or the wrong form was chosen altogether.

Follow the steps below.

What to put in the envelope when applying for superlegalisation in another country

You must also include the following: postage stamps of the country concerned to the value of the return shipment, a return envelope with the addressee’s details filled in correctly, and payment in the currency of that country, a cheque or that country’s revenue stamps in the required amount.

You need to enclose both postage and revenue stamps to the exact value set by the country concerned for the act of superlegalisation. Without this payment your application will not be processed and will be returned to you. Remember to include a suitable self-addressed return envelope as well.

Foreign postage stamps can be hard to get hold of, and courier companies abroad usually do not allow foreigners to book a delivery to the addressee and back. So either put in the hard work or contact apostille.sk, who will organise the whole process for you quickly and reliably, from submission through to the return of the superlegalised document.

Application forms

Other countries, other customs: the saying holds true for superlegalisation as well. Every country has its own application forms, and there is of course no common form shared by all countries. Local requirements make it harder to put together the document package correctly.

One of the hurdles may be the language of the country where you are applying for superlegalisation, as the application has to be completed in that language. There are also legal and technical terms you need to understand at least in outline to fill in the form correctly. A form that is incomplete or unclear will be rejected automatically, so your best option is to ask us for help.

Another issue is choosing the right form to download, as many out-of-date versions are freely available. Forms abroad are kept up to date by the diplomatic mission of the Slovak Republic.

Check the issue date of the document you attach to your superlegalisation application

For superlegalisation of a birth certificate, you must supply the original document, which must be less than three years old. Public authorities are strict these days, and by respecting their requirements you will save both time and money.

Federal or state superlegalisation

In countries where powers are divided between federal and state authorities, you have to establish at which level superlegalisation is needed, in other words whether it is federal or state superlegalisation. Working out correctly which one applies to you can be tricky and may take extra time.

Paying for superlegalisation

Payment by bank transfer or credit card is not an option. If you live abroad, revenue stamps are the most common method.

If you know someone locally who can help, however, they may be able to pay the required sum in cash at the office, or pay by cheque instead. The cheque must be drawn on a foreign account holding enough funds to cover the payment.

Apostille

The Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents applies in most countries of the world. If a country is party to the Hague Convention, there is no need to apply for superlegalisation, and an apostille, which is a simpler way of verifying a birth certificate in Slovakia and abroad, will be enough. You can find out whether a particular country is covered by the Hague Convention by consulting the list of countries that recognise the apostille.

If all this information leaves you confused, or you lack the language skills or expertise to manage the process, our team at apostille.sk can help and take care of everything from start to finish. We look forward to hearing from you.