Civil Registry - Apostille

1. What does legalisation or certification by Apostille of a document mean? A document issued in one country to be produced in another country requires legalisation or certification by Apostille. Legalisation/certification by Apostille means certification of authenticity of the signature on the document, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted and the identity of the seal or stamp which it bears.

2. What is the difference between legalisation and certification by Apostille? Unlike certification by Apostille, legalisation is a time-consuming procedure involving participation of several authorities. In case of legalisation the document should be certified by the consular office of the foreign country of destination (consular legalisation); such document shall be produced only in that particular country. Certification by Apostille is a one-step procedure and implies the document certification only by one authority. Under The Hague Convention of 5 July 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents the apostilled document can be used in the territory of any member state.

3. Which documents are subject to legalisation and certification by Apostille? Every country defines itself which documents are subject to legalisation and certification by Apostille. Generally, those are the documents issued by administrative bodies.

4. Who is authorized to legalise and certify by Apostille the documents? Documents are certified by Apostille by the document issuing country. http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=conventions.authorities&cod=41

The process of legalisation involves relevant authorities of the issuing country as well as the Diplomatic Mission/Consular Post of the country of destination accredited in the state where the document is issued.

II. I have a document issued in the territory of Georgia which I intend to use in a foreign country

1. How the documents issued in Georgia have to be produced in foreign countries? Documents issued in Georgia to be produced abroad require legalisation or certification by Apostille or they may not require any of the above-mentioned procedures of authentication. It depends on the foreign country of destination.

2. Which countries accept the documents issued in Georgia without legalisation/certification by Apostille? Documents issued in Georgia are accepted without certification by Apostille/legalisation in the countries, which are the members of the Minsk Convention of 1993 On Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters.

Remark: If, however, the competent authorities of the above-said Member States require legalisation/certification by Apostille of the documents issued in Georgia, please, contact us.

3. To which countries the procedure of certification by Apostille of documents issued in Georgia is applied? The procedure of certification by Apostille of documents issued in Georgia is applied for countries, which are the members of The Hague Convention of 5 July 1961 On Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (for detailed information on the member states of the above-said convention visit the website www.hcch.net).

Remark: The exceptions are Greece and Germany which raised an objection to the accession of Georgia to the above-said convention. For those states the requirement of legalisation is still in force.

3.1 Which authorities are designated to certify by Apostille documents issued in Georgia and what is the procedure of certification by Apostille in Georgia?

The procedure of certification by Apostille in Georgia is a simple procedure and implies a single certification of the document by one of the following authorities:

a) Civil Registry Agency of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia – addr.: 67a, Tsereteli Av., Tbilisi; Tel.: 35-79-93

b) Supreme Court of Georgia – addr.: 32, Dzmebi Zubalashvilebi, Tbilisi; Tel.:93 47 22

c) Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia - addr.: 30, Pekini Str., Tbilisi; Tel.: 38-78-40

d) Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia - addr.: 52, D. Uznadze Str., Tbilisi; Tel.: 96-98-21

4. To which countries the procedure of legalisation of documents issued in Georgia is applied?

Those countries, which are not the members of neither the Minsk Convention of 1993 on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters nor The Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 on Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, require legalisation.

4.1 Which authorities are designated to legalise the documents issued in Georgia and what is the procedure of legalisation in Georgia?

In Georgia legalisation is carried out in several steps. The first step is carried out by:

a) Civil Registry Agency of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia – addr.: 67a, Tsereteli Av., Tbilisi; Tel.: 35-79-93

b) Supreme Court of Georgia – addr.: 32, Dzmebi Zubalashvilebi, Tbilisi; Tel.:93 47 22

c) Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia - addr.:30, Pekin Str., Tbilisi; Tel.: 38-78-40

d) Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia - addr.: 52, D. Uznadze Str., Tbilisi; Tel.: 96-98-21

Remark: Depending on the type of the document to be legalized one of the abovementioned authorities should be applied.

At the second stage all kinds of documents are legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia - addr.: 4, D. Chitadze Str., Tbilisi; Tel.: 28 47 47.

The final stage of document legalisation is certification of the document by the Diplomatic Mission/Consular Post of the foreign country of destination accredited in Georgia (consular legalisation).

5. What documents are subject to legalisation/ certification by Apostille?

- Documents issued by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia and the bodies of its system as well as the documents of the licensed educational institutions issued within their competence;

- Documents issued by the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia and the authorities of its system as well as the documents of the medical institutions issued within their competence;

- Documents issued by judicial bodies;

- Notarial acts;

- Documents issued by the administrative bodies of Georgia;

- Attestation paper certifying identity of a copy to the original issued by the administrative bodies;

- Administrative translation of a document subject to certification by Apostille.

- Both the original document and the notarized copy of a document are subject to certification by Apostille as well as the attestation paper certifying identity of a copy to the original issued by the administrative body.

6. What kind of documents is legalised and certified by Apostille by the designated competent authorities?

a) In Georgia legalisation/certification by Apostille of documents is carried out by the following authorities within their competence:

- Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia - Documents issued by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia and the authorities of its system as well as the documents of the licensed educational institutions issued within their competence;

- Supreme Court of Georgia – Documents issued by judicial bodies;

- Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia - Documents issued by the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia and the authorities of its system as well as the documents of the medical institutions issued within their competence.

b) Legalisation/certification by Apostille of the documents which do not refer to the competence of the abovementioned authorities is carried out by: The Legal Entity of Public Law of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia -Civil Registry Agency

7. Where the translation of the document shall be legalised/certified by Apostille and who is authorized to translate documents?

If a citizen needs legalised/certified by Apostille translation of a document issued by the administrative body for submission in a foreign country, document shall be translated by the administrative body. Certification of translation is carried out by the administrative body, where the document is translated. One of the authorities responsible for translation is the Civil Registry Agency, namely, the Apostille and legalisation Division.

8. What documents are not subject to legalisation/certification?

• Documents issued by the Diplomatic Missions and Consular Posts accredited abroad;

• Documents issued by Legal Entities of Private Law (except medical and licensed educational institutions) ;

• Documents issued by the administrative bodies related to customs and commercial operations;

• Identity document, its copy and photocopy (except copy of a passport of the citizen of Georgia certified by the issuing body);

• Military Service Record Card;

• Motor vehicle registration document (registration certificate) and driver’s license;

• Receipts issued by administrative bodies;

• Notarial acts verifying the identity of the copy to the original document and authenticity of translator’s signature;

• Regulatory acts registered in the State Register of Statutory Acts of Georgia;

• Documents issued by de facto authorities and officials of Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia and the former South Ossetian Autonomous Region.

Remark: If you have the documents issued by the above-said de facto authorities and officials, please, contact us.

9. In what cases legalisation/certification by Apostille may be refused?

Legalisation and certification by Apostille of a document may be refused if:

- The text of a document is not readable or illegible;

- The document is signed with pencil;

- Copies of a document are not certified;

- Corrections made in a document are not certified or signs of forgery are evident;

- Necessary specimens of signature, seal or stamp cannot be obtained or authenticity of a signature on the document, capacity of the signatory person and authenticity of seal or stamp cannot be ascertained;

- There is a postscript, seal or stamp irrelevant to the document observed on the document;

- It is evident that the form or the content of a document explicitly contravenes the Georgian legislation or/and is issued by unauthorized body/person.

III. I have a document issued in a foreign country which I intend to produce in Georgia

Documents issued in a foreign country to be produced in Georgia are subject to legalisation, certification by Apostille or they do not require any special certification.

Certification by Apostille of documents is carried out in the document issuing country.

Legalisation process involves relevant bodies of the document issuing country and Diplomatic Missions/Consular Posts of Georgia accredited in the document issuing country.

a) In Georgia a document is accepted without legalisation/certification by Apostille, if it is issued in the member States of the Minsk Convention of 1993 on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations on Civil, Family and Criminal Matters.

b) Documents issued by the Member States of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirements of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents are subject to certification by Apostille in the document issuing country for use in Georgia.

c) If the country is not the member of the above-said conventions the document executed in that country shall be legalised for use in Georgia. In every country legalisation procedure is defined according to the laws of that country, the final stage of which is its certification by Georgian Consulate accredited in that country. Afterwards the document can be used in Georgia.

Remark: Although Germany and Greece are the members of The Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 on Abolishing the Requirements of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents”, the documents executed in those countries require legalisation for use in Georgia.

See the list of bodies authorized to issue the Apostille in foreign countries at the website: http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=conventions.authorities&cid=41.

For information on the legalisation procedure existing in foreign countries contact Georgian Consulate accredited in that country.

In case if there is no Georgian Consulate in the country, for additional information please, contact Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.

IV. I have a document issued in a foreign country which I intend to use in another foreign country

For detailed information contact the competent authorities of the document issuing or receiving country.

V. I have a document issued by the Diplomatic Mission /Consular Post accredited in Georgia

If you intend to use mentioned documents in Georgia apply to Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia for authentication.

VI. I have a document issued by Georgian diplomatic Mission/Consular Post accredited in foreign countries

If you intend to use mentioned documents in Georgia, they shall be accepted without any certification (legalisation, certification by Apostille).

If you intend to use mentioned documents in a foreign country, for advice apply to Diplomatic Mission/Consular Post of Georgia accredited in that country or the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.

VII.Terms and Conditions of Legalisation and Apostille certification Service in the Civil Registry Agency

1. Who can submit the documents for legalisation/certification by Apostille to the Civil Registry Agency? Should the document be submitted by a person concerned personally?

Document(s) can be submitted to the Civil Registry Agency by the person concerned as well as by any other interested person. Power of Attorney is not required.

2. What is the price of legalisation/certification by Apostille?

The price of the service for document legalisation/certification by Apostille at the Civil Registry Agency is as follows:

Legalisation/certification by Apostille of one document, its translation or a copy:

Within 10 calendar days - 20 GEL

Within 5 calendar days - 40 GEL

Within 2 calendar days - 70 GEL

Within 1 day - 100 GEL

Translation of a document - 20 GEL per page.

3. When are the documents for legalisation/certification by Apostille received at the Civil Registry Agency?

Reception hours of citizens for submission of documents for legalisation and certification by Apostille at the Civil Registry Agency are: 09:30 a.m. – 17.00 p.m. in working days.

For further information, please, contact us:

Hotline: 40 10 10

Apostille and Legalisation Division – 35 79 93; 35 79 82 (83)

VIII. Which states are the members of the Minsk Convention of 1993 on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil,Family and Criminal Matters

Member States of the Minsk Convention of 1993 on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters:

Azerbaijan

Armenia

Belarus

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Moldova

Russia

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

Ukraine

Georgia

IX. Which states are the members of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirements of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents?

Member States of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirements of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents are: Albania; Andorra; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Armenia; Australia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahamas; Barbados; Belarus; Belgium; Belize; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Brunei Darussalam; Bulgaria; Cape Verde; China (Hong Kong); China (Macau); Colombia; Cook Islands; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Dominica; Republic of Dominica; Ecuador; El Salvador; Estonia; Fiji; Finland; France; Macedonia; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Grenada; Honduras; Hungary; Iceland; India; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Kazakhstan; Republic of Korea; Latvia; Lesotho; Liberia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malawi; Malta; Marshall Islands; Mauritius; Mexico; Monaco; Mongolia; Montenegro; Namibia; Netherlands; New Zealand; Niue; Norway; Panama; Poland; Portugal; Republic of Moldova; Romania; Russian Federation; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; San Marino; Serbia and Montenegro; Seychelles; Slovakia; Slovenia; South Africa; Spain; Suriname; Swaziland; Sweden; Switzerland; FYR of Macedonia; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Turkey; Ukraine; United Kingdom (U.K.); United States of America; Vanuatu; Venezuela.

Legal Base: 1. Decree of the President of Georgia N404 of 14 July 2009 on Approval of the Regulations of Document Apostillisation. 2. Decree of the President of Georgia N406 of 14 July 2009 on Approval of the Regulations of Document legalisation. 3. Minsk Convention of 1993 on Rendering of Legal Assistance and Legal Relations on Civil, Family and Criminal Matters 4. Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirements of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents.

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APOSTILLE AND LEGALIZATION

Apostille and legalize
Certified Documents

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