Getting an Apostille is a way of getting certification that the document is legal. For example, if your Marriage Certificate or your University Diploma is translated into a foreign language, but there is no Apostille for the translation, then the other country may consider it to be an invalid document. If you are going abroad or sending documents abroad intending to approach the other country’s institutions, then getting an Apostille may be quite necessary for you.
The offices of UAB Baltijos vertimai can help you get all the necessary information and arrange to get Apostilles for your documents, saving you time!
What does getting an Apostille involve?
An Apostille iscertification of the document, attached to the original or a notarised copy. The Apostille certifies the veracity of signatures on the document, validates the professional office or position of the person or persons who have signed the document, and the seal of the institution. It is needed to make a document issued in one country legally valid in another. Documents bearing an approved Apostille are valid in all countries that are signatories to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. If the country to which you are going is not a signatory to the Hague Convention, your documents will need to be legalised. In certain instances, under the Republic of Lithuania’s international treaties and European Union legislation, a document may be exempt from the need for an Apostille or legalisation.
What do I need to know before trying to legalise a document or to obtain an Apostille?
The document you wish to legalise or obtain an Apostille for must be issued in the Republic of Lithuania. If it was issued here before 11 March 1990, it must be re-issued. It must be in good order, and if it consists of several pages, it will only be accepted if the pages are bound (sewn) together or if each page is signed separately. Each document has to be approved separately.
If your document was issued abroad, it is advisable to try to legalise it or to obtain an Apostille for it in the issuing country or to contact the nearest diplomatic mission or consular office of the relevant country!
What is legalisation of a document and how does it differ from getting an Apostille?
If the country to which you are going is not a signatory to the Hague Convention and your document is not exempt from the need for an Apostille or legalisation, it needs to be legalised. Legalisation of a documentis a double process, taking place both in Lithuania and the country where the document will be presented. Unlike getting an Apostille, there are two steps to legalisation.
Steps to legalisation of documents:
1. Legalisation, like getting an Apostille, takes place in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania (likewise in a diplomatic or consular office).
2. The second step of legalisation takes place in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania or a in a consular office of the country to which you are going.
