What is a consular legalization?

Consular legalization is the process of verification of the authenticity of documents, signatures of officials and stamps. This procedure is required for all official documents issued in Ukraine and which are intended to be submitted overseas.

The procedure for legalization

When conducting consular legalization one should pass four stages:

• To certify a copy at a notary’s office. This step is relevant for those documents, which are subject to such a legitimization.
• To legalize them in the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. This is required only if there is a notarized copy.
• To legalize documents at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
• To legalize the papers in the appropriate consulate in Ukraine.

Please bear in mind that the legalization procedure varies in different countries. So, some consulates allow the possibility of providing the documents directly with a certified translation. Others require legalizing the document at first, and only then to legalize its translation.

It is important to mention that the documents obtained in the territory of other states are not subject to consular legalization in our country. In such situations it is necessary to certify the paper in a foreign consulate of Ukraine. If there is no such an institution in the country that issued the document, you should contact the Department of Consular Service of the MFA of Ukraine.

As we see, the legalization procedure involves many pitfalls and nuances. To avoid difficulties and violations of international law, it is necessary to trust the professionals. Experienced lawyers of translation agency Apostil i Tochka will do everything for you quickly and at a reasonable price.

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