Superlegalisation of a Marriage Certificate

Before you can use a marriage certificate abroad with authorities or embassies, it has to be superlegalised for the specific country in which it will be used. So how does this process work?

Superlegalisation in your home country

Superlegalising a marriage certificate in Slovakia is a fairly involved procedure. Naturally, you will need the original marriage certificate, and it must be no more than three years old; a copy of any kind cannot be superlegalised. If required, you can obtain an official duplicate, which counts as a single document that can be superlegalised. Bear in mind, though, that the law allows thirty days for a duplicate to be issued and that an official administrative fee applies, so remember to request the duplicate in good time. We can obtain a new marriage certificate on your behalf quickly and reliably.

When superlegalisation is needed

Your marriage certificate is the key document for dealing with state institutions and local authorities abroad, including ministries and embassies. Everyone who has been married at least once holds one. If this applies to you, you will need the certificate in superlegalised form in order to handle your affairs successfully at the relevant offices.

What you may encounter when superlegalising a marriage certificate abroad

A marriage certificate can be superlegalised outside your home country too. Keep in mind, however, the age limit for the certificate mentioned above and the requirement that it be an original. Not least, you also need to allow for the fees involved in arranging superlegalisation.

Payment

In Slovakia you can pay for superlegalisation by payment card, bank transfer, cash or revenue stamps. Many offices abroad, however, will not take card payments or bank transfers. In such cases you will need cash in the currency of the country concerned, revenue stamps or a cheque. Government, state and federal offices are typical examples: they may accept payment only by cheque (which must be drawn on a local bank account in the local currency and, of course, have sufficient funds), by revenue stamps or in cash.

Options for superlegalisation

To have a document superlegalised abroad, you have to supply the original. If you want it posted back to you afterwards, the authorities will need a return envelope with the correct foreign postage and the recipient’s address. Alternatively, you can use a courier company that accepts payment by bank transfer and will take care of the rest. Be aware, though, that even some well-known couriers do not offer this service to foreign customers. Our company specialises in superlegalising marriage certificates and other documents, so get in touch with your request and we will set out the correct procedure for you.

Superlegalisation or apostille?

In some countries, verifying and legalising documents can be extremely complicated. When you complete the application form, you need to know exactly what level of verification is required, because an apostille may be enough in one country while another demands superlegalisation. This issue often comes up when a business is bought or sold abroad. Preparing the right kind of verification also calls for knowledge of local law, so always ask an expert to help you with the application.

When superlegalisation is required

A superlegalised marriage certificate is needed, for example, when claiming child benefit for a child born abroad, when you were born abroad and are planning to marry (in which case a citizenship certificate must also be superlegalised), for dual citizenship, for a temporary stay abroad, and for local official procedures that require a marriage certificate.

Issues that arise during superlegalisation

A marriage certificate can be superlegalised outside your home country too. Keep in mind, however, the age limit for the certificate mentioned above and the requirement that it be an original. Not least, you also need to allow for the fees involved in arranging superlegalisation.

Getting hold of the original document

If you ask for a criminal record or marriage certificate to be superlegalised, the document that the superlegalisation will cover has to be obtained first, in addition to the superlegalisation itself. Furthermore, some certified documents are valid only for a limited time, as official institutions generally accept only documents issued within the last 3 years, and in exceptional cases within the last six months.

Watch the processing times

Banks, offices and institutions often require documents to be no more than 3 months old. If you are setting up a company this way, for instance, timing becomes a problem, because a foreign bank will want a superlegalised extract from the commercial register, also no older than 3 months, to verify the company’s account. The difficulty lies not only in the age of the register extract, since neither document may be more than 3 months old from the date of superlegalisation.

Registering temporary residence is a similar case: it requires a superlegalised criminal record certificate issued within the last three months. Processing individual documents can take far longer than expected, particularly when everything is handled remotely.

Completing the application forms for superlegalising a marriage certificate

Every country has its own application forms for superlegalising a marriage certificate, which differ in content and are usually in that country’s language. The key to successful verification is completing these applications correctly and in full, bearing in mind that each country may ask for slightly different information. An incorrect or incomplete form will very probably be rejected, and you will have to start all over again.

Make sure, too, that the forms you use are current. Just as in Slovakia, application templates abroad are updated in line with current requirements and legislation. Even a fairly recent form may therefore be out of date, and if it does not meet the legal requirements the institution will reject your superlegalisation application.

Filling in the questionnaire for superlegalising a marriage certificate also requires knowledge of a foreign language, including specialist and legal terminology. Otherwise you may find yourself back at square one „just“ because the application was filled in incorrectly, making the whole effort longer and more costly.

Does your case involve state or federal superlegalisation?

In some countries a single standard procedure is enough. You do, however, need to find out whether the country where you are applying to superlegalise your marriage certificate has a federal system (such as the USA), in which each state also has its own laws and regulations. Even when filling in the questionnaire, then, you must understand the terms and be able to tell federal superlegalisation apart from state superlegalisation.

The same confusion can arise in other cases too, for example when certificates, diplomas or other educational documents, criminal records and so on have to be verified in this way. We therefore advise you to study all the instructions on what your application must contain very carefully. If you can already see that the whole process is only going to drag on, do not wait: contact us with confidence, as specialists in arranging superlegalisation quickly and without unnecessary expense.

Nostrification of certificates and diplomas

Planning to work or study outside Slovakia? An excellent idea. In either case, though, remember that your qualifications must be officially recognised, a process known in professional terms as nostrification.

This form of verification is used specifically for documents relating to education and training, such as academic degrees, student record books, certificates and diplomas. To have such academic documents verified, you first need to establish which documents are required for nostrification. The procedure takes time, so plan ahead and get it started early.

We can take care of all of the above on your behalf as quickly as possible and without extra commission. You can safely leave it to us to superlegalise or apostille your marriage certificate, determine whether an apostille is sufficient, nostrify your academic documents, obtain originals and arrange the necessary translations.