What documents are subject to an Apostille Stamp in the RA?
In the Republic of Armenia an Apostille Stamp legally confirms the position, signature, seal and stamp on official documents.
The Hague Convention of 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents sets the number of documents on which the Apostille stamp must be present in the Republic of Armenia. The Apostille stamp is issued by The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia for the following documents:
- On documents issued by notary offices, such as certificate of inheritance;
- On documents issued by the authorities of the Republic of Armenia registrar, such as birth certificate, marriage certificate, certificate confirming and/or denying marital status and more;
- Documents issued by the service departments of courts for compulsory enforcement, such as enforcement order;
- Documents issued by the courts of the Republic of Armenia, such as judgment, decision or court sentences;
- Documents certified and issued by other bodies of the Republic of Armenia.
Please note, the Apostille stamp is only required on documents that are sent to countries participants of the Hague Convention of 1961. An Apostille stamp is not required on documents that are sent to CIS countries, as well as, to other countries provided for in international treaties of the Republic of Armenia.
On what state body performs certification by Apostille stamp in the Republic of Armenia:
In the Republic of Armenia an Apostille stamp is issued by The Registry Offices of The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia. The application may be rejected if:
- The document does not meet the requirements established by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia;
- The document does not meet the requirements established by the Ministry of Justice of Armenia;
- The document is to be sent to a country that is not party to the Hague Convention of 1961;
- The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia has no authority to issue an Apostille stamp on that document.
In the case of refusal to issue an Apostille stamp, the applicant receives the refusal in writing, as well as, the original application and the receipt of payment of the State duty. This is returned within one business day from the date of submission of the application. The application may be submitted by any person to The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia. In order to be granted an Apostille stamp, one must submit the following:
- The application;
- The original and a copy of the document, which is to be assured by an Apostille stamp;
- The receipt of payment of the State duty.
On the time frame required for the certification by Apostille stamp in the Republic of Armenia:
An Apostille stamp is issued in Yerevan within two working days after the submission of the application to The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia. The applicant may obtain the document on the second working day starting from 10:00 AM. There is an accelerated procedure for issuing an Apostille stamp, subject to extra payment. In this case the applications submitted from 10:00 AM to 13:00PM, may be obtained from 10:00 AM the next business day, the applications submitted from 14:00 PM to 17:00 PM, may be obtained from 14:00 PM the next working day.
The total period may be extended by the head of the relevant department to five working days when there is a need for clarification of certain documents. The time frame can also be extended to ten days by the Deputy Minister of Justice and to fifteen days by the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia. If the deadline has been extended, the applicant receives a corresponding response in writing giving reasons for the delay(s).
The member countries, signatories and parties to the Hague Convention of 1961:
Australia, The Republic of Austria, The Republic of Azerbaijan, Albania, The Principality of Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, The Antilles, The Argentine Republic, The Republic of Armenia, The Bahamas, Barbados, The Republic of Belarus, Belize, Bermuda, Bulgaria, The Kingdom of Belgium, The Republic of Botswana, The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, The State of Brunei Darussalam, The British Virgin Islands, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, The Republic of Hungary, The Republic of Venezuela, The Virgin Islands, The Federal Republic of Germany, Grenada, The Hellenic Republic, The Republic of Georgia, Gibraltar, Honduras, Hong Kong (China), Guam, The Kingdom of Denmark, Dominica, The State of Israel, India, The Republic of Ireland, Iceland, The Kingdom of Spain, The Italian Republic, The Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Comoros, Republic of Korea, The Cook Islands, The Republic of Latvia, The Kingdom of Lesotho, The Republic of Liberia, The Republic of Lithuania, The Principality of Liechtenstein, The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , The Republic of Mauritius, The Republic of Macedonia, The Republic of Malawi, Macau (China), The Republic of Malta, The Republic of the Marshall Islands, The Republic of Moldova, Kazakhstan, Colombia, The United states of Mexico, The Principality of Monaco, The Mozambique, Namibia, The Kingdom of the Netherlands, The Kingdom of Norway, New Zealand, New Caledonia, The Republic of Panama, Poland, The Portuguese Republic, Puerto Rico, Romania, The Isle of Man, The Russian Federation, The Republic of El Salvador, The Republic of San Marino, Samoa, Saint Lucia, The Saint Kitts and Nevis, Swaziland, The Republic of Seychelles , The Republic of Serbia, The Republic of Slovenia, The Republic of Slovakia, The United States of America, The Republic of Suriname, The Kingdom of Tonga, The Republic of Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago, The Republic of Fiji, The Republic of Montenegro, The Czech Republic, The Republic of Finland, The Falkland Islands, The French Republic, The French Polynesia, The Republic of Croatia, The Switzerland Confederation, The Kingdom of Sweden, The Ukraine, Ecuador, The Republic of Estonia, South Africa, The Empire of Japan.