Apostille and legalisation of documents
For companies/partnerships and individuals planning to use important commercial, court and official documents outside Poland, TIAS’s experts provide professional services in the field of legalisation of and applying for an apostille clause for documents. Depending on whether the country where the document will be used is subject to the Hague Convention[1] or not, a distinction is made between the procedure for granting an apostille (Hague Convention signatories) or the procedure for legalising the document (other countries).
What is an apostille?
It is the certification that the document in question comes from the competent office,
is authentic and may be used in the territory of a particular country. The apostille is issued by the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs. The procedure only applies to those countries that are signatories to the abovementioned Hague Convention (e.g. South Korea, countries of the European Union, Ukraine, Serbia, Norway, USA).
Image 1: Apostille in the form of a printed sticker, with a handwritten signature of an official, an official seal and a hologram.
What is document legalisation?
It is the certification that the document in question comes from the competent office and is authentic. This allows the document to be used abroad. The document legalised at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may be submitted to the competent authorities of another country only following additional authentication at a diplomatic representation or consular office of the country of destination of the document, accredited on the territory of the Republic of Poland[1]. Legalisation of documents applies to the remaining countries, i.e. such that are not a party to the aforementioned Hague Convention (e.g. Egypt, Turkmenistan, Cuba).
Image 2: Legalisation in the form of a printed sticker, with a handwritten signature of an official, an official seal and a hologram.
Which documents are subject to legalisation procedure or the procedure of affixing an apostille clause?
Such documents are official documents in paper form or letters containing official attestations. These include among other things:
- court documents,
- commercial documents,
- notarial acts,
- copies from the National Court Register (Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy),
- copies from the Central Register and Information on Economic Activity (Centralna Ewidencja i Informacja o Działalności Gospodarczej CEIDG),
- documents issued by higher education institutions (e.g. diplomas),
- doctoral and postdoctoral diplomas issued by the Polish Academy of Sciences (Polska Akademia Nauk – PAN) and Scientific Institutes,
- Documents issued by art schools,
- school certificates/diplomas, A-level certificates (matura diplomas) and certificates issued by the Regional Examination Boards (Okręgowa Komisja Egzaminacyjna),
- certificate of Clean Criminal Record,
- documents concerning qualifications in medical professions,
- master craftsman’s certificates and craftsman’s certificates,
- other official documents.
Scope of services of TIAS
In order to obtain legalisation or an apostille, a number of legal, official or administrative steps need to be taken. It is also spread out over time. Often, depending on the type of the document, a certified translation
or previous authentication thereof is required, e.g. at the Notary Office, Polish Chamber of Commerce, in the court, at the ministry, or in other institution or office.
Experts from TIAS deal with handling document legalisation and applying for an apostille clause. Below, we are presenting the most important services rendered in respect of the service:
- consultations on how to prepare documents, on the course of the procedure, its cost and duration,
- notarial certifications,
- making appointments at government offices,
- visits on behalf of the client to competent offices, courts, institutions, ministries and consulates,
- submitting applications
- making stamp duty payments,
- certified translations of documents,
- sending documents to the country of destination on behalf of the client.
What are the benefits of having the documents legalised and of having an Apostille clause obtained with the help of TIAS?
- Multi-stage and time-consuming process is handled in its entirety in one place, i.e. by a professional TIAS’s team,
- Providing all services, handling formalities, office fees, visits at government offices with no need to involve the client,
- Quick and efficient service thanks to the competence, knowledge and experience of Tias experts.
This complex, time-consuming and demanding process can proceed quickly and efficiently.
Contact us!
1 Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, done at The Hague on October 5, 1961
2 Legalisation – Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Portal Gov.pl (www.gov.pl)
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