Apostille – document authenticity certification (legalisation) means certification of an official's seal and signature, so that public documents issued in one country would obtain legal effect in another country.
Since July 1, 2019, public documents issued in Latvia can be certified with an Apostille by any Latvian Notary Public. This is required for documents intended for use in countries party to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents of October 5, 1961. Documents certified with an Apostille can be submitted to institutions of the required country with no additional certification. If the document is intended for use in a country that is not party to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents of October 5, 1961, it has to be legalised by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia or by a diplomatic or consular mission of the Republic of Latvia, and then by a competent authority of the country where the document is going to be served (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a diplomatic or consular mission of such foreign country).
What is an Apostille?
The Apostille Convention allows simplified certification of public documents (including notarised documents) for use in countries party to the Convention. Documents intended for use in Convention countries and territories thereof have to be certified by an official of the jurisdiction where the document is executed.
As provided for by the Apostille Convention, all Apostille certifications are numbered successively, and each issued Apostille is given its unique number. An Apostille of the authorised standard contains a seal and 10 mandatory references:
country of origin of the document,
first name and surname of the signatory,
office or position in which the signatory acts,
if the document is not signed – the institution that has affixed the seal or stamp,
place of certification,
date of certification,
name of the certifying authority,
certification number,
seal or stamp of the certifying authority,
signature of the employee of the issuing authority.
Prior to the introduction of Apostille, international courts and organisations had to deal with considerable load when recognising the authenticity of foreign documents. On October 5, 1961, the Hague Convention has abolished the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents. The Convention reduces the entire scope of formalities related to legalisation to the mere issuance of a special certificate called "Apostille" by government authorities of the country where the document has been issued. This certificate is attached to the document itself, dated, numbered and registered. Its registration can be quickly verified by means of a simple request to the issuing authority.
Law on Apostille
The purpose of Apostille is to ensure efficient international exchange of public documents and verification of authenticity thereof at the same time.
A public document issued in Latvia cannot be legalised if:
it fails to meet the document execution requirements provided for by regulatory acts;
it is technically impossible to certify due to the actions of the submitter, e.g. if the submitter has had the document laminated;
an electronic document fails to meet the regulatory requirements towards document execution and exchange;
the document is a proof of identity of its submitter, that is, a passport or any other ID, or a translation thereof.
In order for a document derivative or a translation of a foreign public document issued in Latvia to become appropriate for legalisation, this foreign public document must be legalised in its country of issuance. More information about the Document Legalisation Law is available here .
Apostille certification price
RT Tulkojumi Translation Agency offers full-service translation, so, having entrusted your document to us, you will get a translation legalised or certified with an Apostille. To learn the price of legalisation of a public document, please complete the application form, and we will get back to you within 20 minutes!