Apostille

What is the purpose of an Apostille?

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Apostille eliminates the need to have documents legalized through a complex certification process. It certifies the authenticity of signatures, seals or stamps placed on documents.

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What documents can be certified with an Apostille?

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Apostille can only be placed if:

• The document is of public nature

• Seals, stamps and signatures on the documents are legible

• It is to be produced in an  Apostille Convention member country

Click here for the list of member countries.

 

If a state is not a party to the Hague Convention, the legalization of documents is carried out through consular channels.

 

Apostille is not placed on documents which are to be sent to the Commonwealth of Independent States /CIS/ member countries acceded to the Minsk Convention of 22 January 1993 “On Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters” (Former Soviet Union states: Armenia, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, etc.)

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Which government bodies issue an Apostille?

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Apostille can be placed by: 

• The Civil Status Acts Registration Agency of the Ministry of Justice (Address: Vazgen Sargsyan St., Building 3/8, Yerevan, Armenia)

• The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Address: Vazgen Sargsyan St., Building 3, Yerevan, Armenia)

 

The procedure of certifying a document with an Apostille is very similar in both cases with some minor differences. The main difference is the scope of the documents on which each of these government bodies may place an Apostille.

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Which documents can be Apostilled by the Ministry of Justice?

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The Ministry of Justice may place an Apostille on the following documents:

1. Documents issued by a notary, notarized documents, notarized translations of documents or

2. Documents concerning the registration of civil status (birth, death, marriage certificates, etc.)

3. Documents issued by courts or bailiff’s office

 

Apostille may also be placed by the Ministry on documents issued by other bodies where the authenticity of the signature placed on them is notarized. For example, an Apostille may be placed on a charter of a private organization if the translation of that document has been notarized.

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Which documents can be Apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

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The Consular Department of the Ministry of foreign affairs may place an Apostille on the following documents:

1. Originals, excerpts of documents issued by the Ministry of Education or educational institutions of the Republic of Armenia or references issued on the basis thereof

2. Certificates concerning criminal record or being under investigation issued by the ministry of foreign affairs

3. Other official documents and acts issued by government agencies which are not subject to being certified by the ministry of justice

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What documents are required?

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The following documents are required:

1. Application stating the applicant's name, surname (patronym), place of residence, telephone number (if available), titles of documents subject to Apostille certification

2. A true copy of the document subject to Apostille certification or notarized document

3. Photocopy or copy of the document subject to Apostille certification

4. Receipt for the payment of the state duty (normally in the amount of AMD 5000 per document)

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How long does the procedure take?

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Normally the Ministry of Justice places an Apostille on a document within two business days following the submission of the documents (in the case of ministry of foreign affairs it takes three working days). Apostilled documents are given to applicants starting from 16:00 to 17:00 of the 2nd working day. Apostille may also be issued by the Ministry of Justice within one business day if an additional AMD 8000 payment is made. In special cases, the time period for placing an Apostille may be extended for up to 10 or 15 days.

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Who can submit the documents for an Apostille?

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The documents can be submitted not only by the person whom the documents belong to but also by any other person.

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In case of certificates concerning criminal records and being under investigation, the application must be submitted either by the person concerned or by his parent, sibling, spouse, child or an authorized representative. The power of attorney given to the representative does not have to be notarized. 

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How can the state duty be paid?

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The state duty can either be paid to a bank account, through a payment terminal placed at the reception where documents are submitted or through the website www.e-payments.am. In case the applicant wants to have the documents in a shorter time period, an additional payment must be made.

 

The validity of an Apostille can be checked at:

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www.e-apostille.am

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Lawyers at Counsel.am can assist you by having your documents certified with an Apostille.

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Disclaimer

​Reading these articles and acting in accordance with them does not create an attorney-client relationship.  For simplicity, the articles on this website skip rules concerning certain less common situations and may not express strictly accurate legal wording. The information here is based on our own understanding and interpretation of legal provisions, and in some cases, may not reflect recent changes in the legislation and practice. You can contact us for more information

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