Legalisation of Docs

Weddings in the Pacific

International Conventions on legalisation of Documents

Thre are a number of international conventions drawn to regulate the legalisation of documents among international states.

List of conventions
Convention concerning the issue of certain extracts from civil status records to be sent abroad Convention concerning the issuance free of charge of copies of civil registration documents and the waiver of legalisation requirements relating thereto Convention on the extension of the competence of authorities qualified to receive acknowledgements of children born out of wedlock Convention abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents European Convention on the abolition of legalisation of documents executed by diplomatic agents or consular officers Convention on legitimation by marriage European Convention on social security Convention concerning the issue of plurilingual extracts from civil status records Convention waiving legalisation of certain certificates and documents Convention on the issue of a certificate of capacity to contract marriage, and appendices Convention concerning international cooperation in administrative assistance to refugees 1 Convention concerning the issue of certain extracts from civil status records to be sent abroad

Austria	01.10.65	Germany*	23.12.61	Portugal	27.02.82
Belgium	08.03.75	Italy	07.12.68	Slovenia	31.12.92
Bosnia-Herz.	20.12.91	Luxembourg	20.05.60	Switzerland	12.11.58
Croatia	22.10.93	Macedonia	17.09.91	Turkey	16.07.58
France	15.03.58	Netherlands	15.03.58

Annexed to this Convention is a standard form, in seven languages, to be used for extracts from birth, marriage or death certificates. The form is accepted in the contracting States (and many others) without requiring translation or legalisation.

Most contracting States signed a new Convention (no. 8) concerning the issue of plurilingual extracts from civil status records (Vienna on 8 September 1976) The Convention referred to above is no longer applicable to those states.

2 Convention concerning the issuance free of charge of copies of civil registration documents and the waiver of legalisation requirements relating thereto

Luxembourg, 26 September 1957 (Treaty Series 1958, 168)

Aruba	03.01.60	Germany*	24.12.61	Neth. Antilles	03.01.60
Austria	10.10.65	Italy	07.12.68	Portugal	27.02.82
Belgium	12.06.66	Luxembourg	13.07.60	Switzerland	01.12.60
France	03.01.60	Netherlands	03.01.60	Turkey	14.03.63

The parties to the Convention undertake to issue to the other contracting States, free of charge and without requiring legalisation, extracts from civil registration documents in cases where such documents are requested for administrative purposes or on behalf of indigent persons.

3 Convention on the extension of the competence of authorities qualified to receive acknowledgements of children born out of wedlock

Rome, 14 September 1961 (Treaty Series 1962, 96)

Aruba	29.07.63	Greece	22.07.79	Portugal	04.07.84
Belgium	16.09.67	Italy	05.08.81	Spain	05.08.87
France	29.07.63	Netherlands	29.07.63	Switzerland	29.05.64
Germany*	24.07.65	Neth. Antilles	29.07.63	Turkey	21.07.65

Pursuant to this Convention, in the territory of the contracting States whose legislation provides only for acknowledgement with filiation, nationals of other contracting States, whose legislation provides for acknowledgement without filiation, are allowed to sign an acknowledgement with filiation. The converse also applies. The declarations of acknowledgement do not require legalisation, providing they bear the seal of the authority issuing them in the territory of contracting States.

4 Convention abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents

The Hague, 5 October 1961 (Treaty Series 1963, 28)

Andorra	31.12.96	Germany	13.02.66	Norway	29.07.83
Antigua & Barbuda	01.11.81	Greece	18.05.85	Panama	04.08.91
Argentina	18.02.88	Hungary	18.01.73	Portugal	04.02.69
Armenia	14.08.94	Hong Kong	24.01.65	Romania	16.03.01
Aruba	30.04.67	Ireland	09.03.99	Russian Federation	31.05.92
Australia	16.03.95	Israel	14.08.78	St. Kitts & Nevis	14.12.94
Austria	13.01.68	Italy	11.02.78	Samoa	13.09.99
Bahamas	10.07.73	Japan	27.07.70	San Marino	13.02.95
Barbados	30.11.66	Kazakhstan	30.01.01	Seychelles	31.03.79
Belorussia (White Russia)	31.05.92	Latvia	30.01.96	Slovenia	08.10.91
Belgium	09.02.76	Lesotho	04.10.66	South Africa	30.04.95
Belize	11.04.93	Liberia	08.02.96	Spain	25.09.78
Bosnia-Herz.	06.03.92	Liechtenstein	19.07.72	Surinam	25.11.75
Botswana	30.09.66	Lithuania	19.07.97	Swaziland	06.09.68
Brunei Darus.	03.12.87	Luxembourg	03.06.79	Sweden	01.05.99
Bulgaria		Macedonia	17.09.91	Switzerland	11.03.73
Colombia	30.01.01	Malawi	01.12.67	Tonga	04.06.70
Croatia	08.10.91	Malta	02.03.68	Trinidad & Tobago	14.07.00
Cyprus	30.04.73	Marshall Isl.	14.08.92	Turkey	29.09.85
Czech Rep.	16.03.99	Mauritius	12.03.68	United Kingdom	24.01.65
El Salvador	31.05.96	Mexico	14.08.95	United States	15.10.81
Estonia	30.09.01	Namibia	30.01.01	Venezuela	16.03.99
Fiji	10.10.70	Netherlands	08.10.65	Yugoslavia (Fed. Rep.)	11.04.92
Finland	26.08.85	Netherlands Antilles	30.04.67
France	24.01.65	Niue	02.03.99

This Convention abolishes the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents, which is often time-consuming and expensive.

For the purposes of the Convention, the following are deemed to be public documents:

documents emanating from an authority or an official connected with the courts or tribunals of the State, including those emanating from a public prosecutor, a clerk of a court or a process server;
administrative documents (including deeds and extracts from civil status records);
notarial acts;
official certificates which are placed on documents signed by persons in their private capacity and which record the registration of a document or the fact that it was in existence on a certain date and legalisations of signatures.

The Convention does not apply:

to documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents;
to administrative documents dealing directly with commercial or customs operations.

The contracting States have abolished legalisation of documents by diplomatic or consular authorities. In order to certify authenticity, a standard certificate is appended to the document by an authority designated by each State. In the Netherlands, the Act of 10 March 1965, Bulletin of Acts and Decrees 105, designates the registrar of the court in the court district in which a deed was drawn up as the authority competent to issue the certificate.

5 European Convention on the abolition of legalisation of documents executed by diplomatic agents or consular officers

London, 7 June 1968 (Treaty Series 1969, 168)

Aruba	10.10.70	Ireland	09.03.99	Poland	12.04.95
Austria	10.07.73	Italy	19.01.72	Portugal	14.03.83
Cyprus	14.08.70	Liechtenstein	07.02.73	Spain	11.09.82
Czech Rep.	25.09.98	Luxembourg	30.06.79	Sweden	28.12.73
France	14.08.70	Netherlands	10.10.70	Switzerland	20.11.70
Germany*	19.09.71	Neth. Antilles	10.10.70	Turkey	23.09.87
Greece	23.05.79	Norway	20.09.81	United Kingdom	14.08.70

This Convention applies to documents which have been executed by diplomatic agents or consular officers of a Contracting Party, acting in their official capacity and exercising their functions in the territory of any State, and which have to be produced:

a) either in the territory of another Contracting Party, or

b) to the diplomatic agents or consular officers of another Contracting Party exercising their functions in the territory of a State which is not a party to this Convention.

It also applies to official certificates, such as those recording the registration of a document or the fact that it was in existence on a certain date, and legalisations of signatures, appended by diplomatic agents or consular officers to documents other than those referred to above. Documents to which this Convention applies are exempt from legalisation.

6 Convention on legitimation by marriage

Rome, 10 September 1970 (Treaty Series 1972, 61)

Aruba	31.07.77	Greece	21.02.87	Netherlands	31.07.77
Austria	08.02.76	Italy	05.08.78	Neth. Antilles	31.07.77
France	08.02.76	Luxembourg	10.08.83	Turkey	02.05.76

Under this Convention notifications of legitimation by marriage and any appended documents are exempt from the requirement for legalisation within the territories of the Contracting States.

7 European Convention on social security

Paris, 14 December 1972 (Treaty Series 1976, 54)

Aruba	01.01.86	Italy	12.04.90	Portugal	19.06.83
Austria	01.03.77	Luxembourg	01.03.77	Spain	25.04.86
Belgium	22.04.86	Netherlands	09.05.77	Turkey	01.03.77

8 Convention concerning the issue of plurilingual extracts from civil status records

Vienna, 8 September 1976 (Treaty Series 1977, 70)

Austria	30.07.83	Germany	18.07.97	Portugal	30.07.83
Belgium	02.07.97	Italy	30.07.83	Slovenia	31.12.92
Bosnia Herz.	06.03.92	Luxembourg	30.07.83	Spain	30.07.83
Croatia	22.10.93	Macedonia	08.09.91	Switzerland	18.04.90
France	16.01.87	Netherlands	26.04.87	Turkey	30.06.85

This Convention concerns the issue of international (plurilingual) extracts from civil status records. The Convention specifies the form in which such extracts must be issued. These plurilingual extracts are accepted by the Contracting States without requiring legalisation.

The Convention (no. 1) signed in Paris on 27 September 1956 concerning the issue of certain extracts from civil status records to be sent abroad ceases to apply between States in which this Convention has come into force.

9 Convention waiving legalisation of certain certificates and documents

Athens, 15 September 1977 (Treaty Series 1978, 19)

Austria	01.07.82	Luxembourg	01.11.81	Spain	01.05.81
France	01.08.82	Netherlands	01.05.81	Turkey	01.08.87
Italy	01.03.82	Portugal	01.02.85

The Contracting States undertake to waive the requirement of legalisation for any documents relating to civil registration, family status, nationality, domicile, residence or marriage, provided that they are dated and bear the signature and, where appropriate, the seal or stamp of the authority which has issued them.

If there is serious doubt about the authenticity of a signature, stamp or seal, verification may be requested free of charge from the country in which it originated. The plurilingual form appended to the Convention must be used for this purpose.

Amended as of 26 April 2000 as follows:

The Contracting States hereby undertake to accept without legalisation or any similar formality:

1. Certificates and documents issued by the register of births, deaths and marriages, or relating to the legal capacity, status under family law, nationality or place of residence of natural persons, whatever use such documents may be intended for;

2. all other certificates and documents submitted for the purposes of the solemnisation of a marriage or in order to draw up a certificate to be issued by the register of births, deaths and marriages.

provided that they are dated and bear the signature etc. etc.

10 Convention on the issue of a certificate of capacity to contract marriage, and appendices

Munich, 5 September 1980 (Treaty Series 1981, 71)

Aruba	01.01.86	Luxembourg	01.02.85	Spain	01.06.88
Austria	01.10.85	Netherlands	01.02.85	Switzerland	01.06.90
Germany	01.11.97	Neth. Antilles	01.02.85	Turkey	01.06.89
Italy	01.07.85	Portugal	01.02.85

The Contracting States undertake to issue a certificate of capacity to contract marriage to any of their subjects who may request such a document with a view to celebrating their marriage in another State and who satisfy the conditions for doing so, according to the law of the State issuing the certificate. Such certificates shall be exempt from the requirement for legalisation.

11 Convention concerning international cooperation in administrative assistance to refugees

Basel, 3 September 1985 (Treaty Series 1985, 147)

Aruba	01.03.87	France	01.03.87	Spain	01.08.87
Austria	01.08.87	Italy	01.10.89
Belgium	01.06.87	Netherlands	01.03.87

The forms annexed to this Convention (concerning the status of refugees) are exempt from the requirement for legalisation, as are documents which are to be submitted by refugees and issued by their country of origin concerning their identity and civil status.

A Convention was concluded between Belgium and the Netherlands in The Hague on 2 May 1924 which provides that copies of and extracts from civil status records drawn up in either State need not be authenticated in order to be used in the other State. This Convention came into effect on 15 May 1924 and remains in force (Bulletin of Acts and Decrees 1924, 249).

* These Conventions have been applicable to Germany (including the former GDR) since 3 October 1990.