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Legalized translation for Italy: what a double apostille is

For a residence permit, family reunification or citizenship in Italy, a Ukrainian document is filed together with an Italian translation. The question is which translation the Italian office will accept. The simplest route is a legalized translation made in Ukraine, also called a translation with a double apostille. Here is how it works and how long it takes.

Why there are two apostilles

  • The first apostille goes on the document itself. It confirms that the certificate was issued by a genuine Ukrainian authority. It can only be placed on the original.
  • Then the Italian translation. The translator translates the document together with the first apostille stamp, and a notary certifies the translator’s signature.
  • The second apostille goes on the notarial certification. It confirms that a genuine Ukrainian notary certified the translation. That is why an Italian office can accept a translation that was not made in Italy.

The order matters: the translation is made after the first apostille, because the apostille stamp is translated too. Translate too early and you will have to translate again.

How long it takes

For civil registry documents — birth, marriage and divorce certificates — the first apostille takes about 14 calendar days. Then come the translation and the notary, and the second apostille takes another 2–3 days. Allow about three weeks in total.

For other documents the first apostille is issued by a different authority: the Ministry of Education for diplomas, the Ministry of Internal Affairs for police clearance certificates. We will give you the timeline for your document before you pay.

If the document is missing or laminated

A laminated document cannot be apostilled, and we check older certificates before filing. If your document is not suitable or has been lost, we can obtain a duplicate certificate with the apostille already on it, without you travelling to Ukraine. Why lamination is a problem: see our article on laminated documents.

When this route does not work

Registering a marriage in Italy has different requirements, and a legalized translation from Ukraine is not accepted there. If you are planning a wedding, write to us and we will tell you what your case needs.

The other route is to have the document translated in Italy and sworn before a court (traduzione asseverata). The Ukrainian document still needs its own apostille, though, and that can only be done in Ukraine.

Step by step

  1. Ask the office you are filing with — the questura or the comune — exactly which documents they need.
  2. Send us photos of the documents: we check whether they can be apostilled and quote the timeline and price.
  3. Send the original by Nova Poshta — you do not need to come to Ukraine.
  4. We obtain the first apostille, translate into Italian, have it notarized and obtain the second apostille.
  5. We send the finished documents to you — within Ukraine or to Italy.

Everything about documents for Italy is on the page Ukrainian documents for Italy. Send a photo of your document on Telegram and we will tell you what you need.