The beautiful word “apostille” is a special stamp, which is put down by special bodies on official non-commercial papers issued by the institutions of the states parties to the convention in The Hague. This Convention was dedicated to leveling the requirements of legalization of official papers of foreign countries. This agreement was signed on October 5, 1961. The apostille as a stamp just confirms the current signature and the role in which the person acted, signing the paper.
It arose as a universal procedure for confirming the legality of foreign documents. Unlike legalization carried out by consulates, less time is spent on this procedure, and documents with an apostille are valid in different countries, and not just in one. In order for your documents to take effect abroad, they must undergo the apostille affixing procedure if there is no agreement between our countries on cancellation of the legalization procedure.
What bodies in Russia have the right to affix an apostille?
In Russia, the state has granted the right to affix an apostille to the following bodies:
- The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - for documents on military service;
- The Ministry of Justice - for all official documents issued by public authorities;
- The Federal Service for Supervision of Science and Education - for archival extracts, certificates, copies;
- REGISTRY OFFICE - for all documents registering acts of civil status;
- The Ministry of the Interior and the Prosecutor General.
What exactly does the apostille of documents look like?
The apostille is essentially an ordinary stamp of 10 by 10 centimeters, it is affixed either on the document itself, or on a separate special paper, which is stitched together with the document.
The Ministry of Education puts an apostille only on the originals of education documents (certificates, diplomas, additions to them, certificates). Copies with upstile are not recognized as valid. Pay special attention - the documents must comply with the state model, which was adopted in the country at the time of issue of the document.
All About Apostille on Birth Certificate
It is necessary to put a confirmation stamp on the certificate, it is not discussed, and two countries require it - Russia and the country where you live. You will be given a stamp on the certificate only in the registry office where you received it, and in no other. If it’s problematic for you to go there, you can do it using a power of attorney.
It will not be put directly on the certificate, but on a sheet of additional paper, which is stapled with the original, if your certificate is in the form of a book. If the document is paper, then the stamp is placed on its back clean side.