Apostille

Legalization (apostille) of educational documents obtained in Ukraine

Apostilling is one of the legal regimes for recognizing the legal validity of Ukrainian documents intended for use abroad. Apostille emerged as an alternative and universal procedure for confirming the validity of foreign documents. Unlike consular legalization, apostilling takes less time, and documents with an apostille can be used in various countries, not just one.

If you are returning to your country or going to another country for study or work, you may need educational documents that you obtained in Ukraine. To ensure that your documents are valid abroad, they must undergo consular legalization or the apostille procedure if there is no agreement between our countries to abolish or simplify their legalization process.

Consular legalization of official documents is a procedure for confirming the validity of original official documents or certifying the authenticity of the signatures of officials authorized to certify signatures on documents, as well as the validity of the stamps and seals affixed to the document.

The apostille certifies the authenticity of the signature of the person who signed the document, as well as the authenticity of the seal or stamp that verifies it. An apostille is a stamp measuring no less than 10x10 cm, which is affixed either on the document itself or on a separate special sheet that is sewn together with the document.

To carry out consular legalization of an educational document, one must first contact the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine with a letter of request from the educational institution for the verification procedure. After the verification mark is applied to the letter of request, the original documents are submitted to the General Directorate of Consular Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. After legalization at the General Directorate of Consular Service, the educational documents must be certified at the diplomatic representation of the country where they will be used.

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine affixes apostilles on educational documents or academic degrees issued by educational institutions, state bodies, enterprises, institutions, and organizations. Such documents include certificates, diplomas and their appendices, references and educational plans, certificates and qualifications confirmations, diplomas for academic titles, etc.

An apostille is affixed only on original educational documents. Copies are not accepted for apostilling. Furthermore, a document will not be accepted for processing if:

• the document is intended for use in a country that has not joined the Hague Convention or is a participant in the Convention but has expressed objections against Ukraine's accession according to Article 12 of the Convention;

• the text of the document is unreadable due to damage;

• the document is written or signed in pencil, or received via facsimile means;

• the document contains unqualified corrections or additions;

• the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine does not have the authority to affix an apostille on this document;

• the document, specifically: the archive reference, educational plan, or reference does not contain the signature of the rector or prorector and is not certified with a state seal;

• if the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine was unable to obtain samples of the relevant signatures, seals, and/or stamps to confirm the issuance of the educational document;

• if the signature on the document does not correspond to the specified position, surname, first name, and patronymic of the head of the educational institution or organization.

List of sources used:

1. List of countries participating in the Convention on the Abolition of the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (Hague, 1961) URL: https://apostille.in.ua/index.php/en/about-the-apostille/list-countries

2. Procedure for consular legalization of official documents. URL: https://mfa.gov.ua/konsulski-pitannya/dokumenti-ta-notarialni-diyi/legalizaciya