Procedure for consular legalization of documents in the Republic of Armenia
In the modern context of globalization, many people are faced with the need to change their country of residence for a variety of reasons, or the need to produce documents issued in the Republic of Armenia to the public authorities of other countries. Usually, it is in these moments that the intensive work on gathering all the necessary documents begin. It is clear that the document issued by the state body of the Republic of Armenia will not be recognized, in the UK for a number of objective reasons.
Yet this does not mean that a marriage certificate issued in the Republic of Armenia cannot be valid in the United Kingdom, or any other country. In order for the document to be recognized in a foreign state, it is necessary that the document passes certain procedures that will enable it to operate on the territory of foreign countries. Among these procedures, important ones are consular legalization and apostille stamp.
In theory, the consular legalization and the apostille stamp are equal in strength. Yet unlike the latter, the consular legalization is carried out in a more complex bilateral manner. A document submitted to a foreign state first needs to be translated into a language of that state and certified by a notary office. Then the signature of the notary office is further certified by the state bodies of the Republic of Armenia and the document is sent to the consulate of the country in which the document will be used. Foreign documents intended for use in the Republic of Armenia will be legalized in the Republic of Armenia consulates at that foreign country, after legalization by The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or other authority of the state of origin of the document.
The Apostille stamp:
Legalization is quite a complicated and time-consuming process. To this end, the 1961 Hague Convention was adopted ‘Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Documents’ in the states that have acceded to it. For countries that are not parties to this Convention, the legalization is carried out through diplomatic and consular offices in the order listed above.
An Apostille stamp may be placed on official documents executed in the territory of one of the acceded States. In a formal sense, the Hague Convention refers to:
- The documents emanating from authorities and officials who are subject to the jurisdiction of the State, including the ones that came from the clerk of a court or a bailiff;
- Administrative documents;
- Notarial acts;
- Official marks for registration, visas, to certify signatures that have not been attested by a notary.
The Convention does not apply to:
- Documents emanating from consular and/or diplomatic agents;
- Documents relating to the commercial and customs operations.
In the Republic of Armenia, an Apostille stamp is affixed by The Ministry of Justice of the RA. For example; if you are going to France and want your marriage certificate to be valid on French territory, it is necessary to affix an Apostille stamp in Yerevan. This procedure takes a short period of time and is more convenient. For certain documents, an Apostille stamp may be affixed by other state bodies. For example; an Apostille stamp on a diploma, University degree, or on certificates is stamped by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, which is located in the capital – Yerevan.
In the Republic of Armenia, an Apostille stamp may be affixed directly on the document(s), such as certificates, diplomas, University degrees, or court decisions and on a separate sheet attached to the document, in case of documents and/or acts about the civil status. This Apostille stamp must contain a headline in the French language «Apostille (Convention de la Haye du 5 October 1961)”. The content of the Apostille stamp should be written in an official language of the country issuing the document.
The signatures, stamps, and seals stamped by the officials of The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia on the certificate will no longer require certification in the future. To apply one must provide the document(s), a statement of an Apostille stamp, as well as, the receipt for payment of the state duty. The application may be rejected if a document filed is sent to a country which is not a party to Hague Convention of 1961, or this type of document cannot be Apostille stamped, or it is contrary to the laws of the Republic of Armenia.
Should you need to have an Apostille stamp on documents issued to you in Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor and/or other towns and cities of the Republic of Armenia and want to get a positive result in the shortest time please get in touch with our legal office. We will quickly and professionally implement an Apostille stamp on the birth certificate, marriage certificate, diplomas, certificates, legal acts and other documents.