Old-style birth certificate – is it possible to affix an apostille?

Old-style birth certificate – is it possible to affix an apostille?

When moving abroad, as well as while studying or working in another country, Ukrainians may face the need to legalize their documents. One of these documents is a birth certificate. Many citizens had a birth certificate issued in the USSR. Is it possible to put an apostille on it?

First you need to understand what an apostille is. An apostille is an international seal that is necessary for a document issued in one country to have legal force in another. With the help of such a seal, certificates, certificates, diplomas, etc. will be considered legal abroad. Apostille is recognized in most countries of the world: in the EU, CIS, USA, Australia, South Korea, Japan.
It can be affixed only in the country of issue of the document. However, what if this country was the USSR?

An apostille cannot be affixed to a birth certificate issued in the USSR. But other options are offered:

• 1. Apostille on a notarized copy of the birth certificate. In this case, a notarized copy of the old-style document is made, and then a sheet with an apostille is attached to it. This option has its drawbacks – not all countries accept an apostille on a copy of the certificate.
• 2. Apostille on a duplicate birth certificate. To do this, you need to contact the registry office – take a new duplicate of the document, and already put an apostille on it.

Where is the apostille made?
On the birth certificate, an apostille is affixed to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.

Will I need a translation later?
Most likely, the apostilled birth certificate will need to be translated. In this case, some nuances should be taken into account, which depend on the country for which the document is being translated.
For example, Italy, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain, Portugal, Switzerland, Israel, Spain require a double apostille – that is, the seal is placed first on the document, and then on the translation.
There are also cases when a country accepts a translation made only by an accredited translator (Italy).

UST-group company provides apostille affixing, translation and notarization services. For consultation, call 044-222-59-73 or contact us via Viber/WhatsApp/Telegram at this number: 063-224-08-18