Apostille from Any Country

APOSTILLE: a public document bearing an apostille can be used before any authority in the territory of any other party to the Apostille Convention without further verification. In the Slovak Republic, apostilles are issued by the regional offices and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Superlegalisation

SUPERLEGALISATION. Where the document is to be used in a state that has not signed the Convention, such as the United Arab Emirates, superlegalisation is required. It is a fairly complex procedure: the document first has to be certified by a regional court or the Ministry of Justice, then submitted to the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finally to the embassy of the country where it will be used.

Apostilles for documents from any country

An apostille can only be issued by the competent authority of the country where the document originated. A Slovak birth certificate is apostilled in Slovakia, a British company document in the United Kingdom and an American diploma in the relevant US state. This rule often causes difficulties for people who live in one country but hold documents from another. We help bridge that gap by arranging apostilles in many jurisdictions on your behalf.

Choosing between an apostille and superlegalisation

The first question is always where the document will be used. If both the country of origin and the destination country apply the Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille is normally sufficient. If the destination country does not apply the Convention, the document must be superlegalised through a chain of certifications ending at the embassy or consulate of that country. Because the status of individual countries can change, we check the correct procedure for each case.

Preparing the document

Not every document can be apostilled in its existing form. Some must first be certified by a notary, a court or another authority, and some authorities require a recent original rather than an older certificate. We review your document before starting, so that it meets the requirements of both the issuing authority and the institution that will receive it.

What we can arrange

• Obtaining originals or duplicates of public documents
• Notarial certification where required
• Apostilles in the country of origin
• Superlegalisation for countries outside the Convention
• Official translations into the required language

Tell us which document you have, where it was issued and where it will be used. Contact us and we will recommend the right procedure and take care of the apostille or superlegalisation for you.