What an apostille is
An apostille is a certificate issued under the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. It confirms the authenticity of the signature and seal on a document and the capacity of the person who signed it. A document with an apostille can be used in every country that is party to the Convention without further certification at an embassy.
Who issues it
In Slovakia the competent authority depends on the type of document – civil registry certificates, court and notarial deeds and school documents are each authenticated by a different office. An apostille for a foreign document must always be obtained in the country that issued it. We work out the correct procedure, file the application and collect the document – in Slovakia and abroad.
The order of steps matters
One certification is often not enough. A typical chain looks like this: notarised copy, apostille, certified translation and sometimes an apostille on the translation too. If the steps are done in the wrong order, the institution rejects the document and you start again. That is why we always check the receiving institution's requirements first.
Documents within the European Union
Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 removed the apostille requirement for certain public documents used between EU member states, such as documents on birth, marriage or a clean criminal record. If you don't need an apostille, we will tell you – saving you time and money.
Most common documents
- birth, marriage and death certificates
- criminal record extracts
- diplomas and academic transcripts
- notarial deeds and certified copies
- court decisions
- commercial register extracts
- powers of attorney with certified signature