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Guide

Do I need an apostille for my Ukrainian documents?

It depends on the country you are submitting to. Choose it below and you will see the route that actually applies — apostille, translation only, or full consular legalisation.

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In short. An apostille is needed for most countries in the Hague Convention. For countries that have a legal assistance treaty with Ukraine it is not needed at all — a translation with notarial certification is enough. The exceptions to that rule are what most often send documents back.

Check your country


Exceptions worth knowing

Poland

The treaty applies, but Polish authorities require an apostille on educational documents and on papers submitted for the Karta Polaka, karta pobytu (residence permit) and citizenship. A sworn translation is often required as well.
partly required

Canada

In the convention since January 2024, but in practice Ukrainian documents are accepted without an apostille — a notarised translation is enough. Occasional exceptions do happen. Canadian documents for use in Ukraine do need an apostille.
depends on direction

Vietnam

Joins the Hague Convention on 11 September 2026 as its 129th member. Until that date documents go through full consular legalisation; from that date a single apostille is enough.
changes 11.09.2026

Apostille required

Members of the Hague Convention that have no legal assistance treaty with Ukraine:

Region Countries
Western Europe Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, the United Kingdom
Southern Europe Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Albania
Northern Europe Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland
Central Europe Slovakia
Americas United States, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay
Asia and Oceania Israel, Türkiye, Japan, South Korea, China, India, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand
Africa South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria (from 9 July 2026), Mauritius and other convention members

Country guides: Germany · Italy · USA · Canada — Global Lingo Canada

No apostille required

Countries that have signed legal assistance treaties with Ukraine — official Ukrainian documents are accepted directly:

Region Countries
Central Europe Czechia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria
Balkans Serbia, North Macedonia
Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia
Eastern Europe and the Caucasus Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan
Central Asia Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia
For these countries a translation with notarial certification is enough. That saves both time and money: an apostille costs from 1,200 UAH and takes several days at minimum.
New: Vietnam from 11 September 2026. Vietnam has acceded to the Hague Convention as its 129th member. From 11 September 2026 an apostille is enough for Vietnam — the long consular legalisation route is no longer needed. Until that date the previous procedure applies.
Thailand from 28 February 2027. Thailand joined the Hague Convention in June 2026, but the apostille will only apply to it from 28 February 2027. Until then documents for Thailand still need consular legalisation.

If your country is on neither list

That means it has not joined the Hague Convention, and your document needs consular legalisation instead. It is a longer route through several authorities, and the chain depends on the destination country — the full sequence is set out on our consular legalisation page. Write to us and we will confirm the exact order of steps for your document.

What to do next

1Work out whether an apostille is needed for your country and your type of document
2If it is — apostille the original first, and only then translate it
3If it is not — go straight to translation with notarial certification
Order matters. The apostille goes on the original document, and the stamp itself has to be translated too. Translate first and you will pay for the translation twice — the second time with the apostille included. This is the single most common reason people pay for the same document twice.
Do not guess. Requirements depend not only on the country but on the specific institution and the type of document. Tell us where you are submitting and we will confirm free of charge. A mistake here costs weeks of waiting and a second payment.
Office: Olzhycha St 9, office 14, Zhytomyr, Ukraine

Hours: Mon–Fri 09:00–16:00 (EET)

Phone: +380 98 748 2944 (office) · +380 96 221 3310

Telegram: @global_lingo_ukraine

WhatsApp: +380 96 221 3310

Email: igodovskyi@global-lingo-group.com

Document issued abroad? To have its translation notarized in Ukraine, it needs an apostille from the issuing country: foreign documents without an apostille — why a Ukrainian notary refuses.

An answer in a few minutes

Send us the destination country and the type of document — we will tell you whether an apostille is needed in your case
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