Where to put an apostille on a birth certificate?

What it is?

On the territory of the Russian Federation, a citizen only needs to have identification papers obtained from the government authorities of the country. When moving abroad, you need to provide certificates that do not raise doubts among people who do not know the Russian language.

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Apostille is the legalization of a document. Confirmation of its authenticity, necessary for use in another state.

Thus, the birth certificate is brought into compliance with the norms of international law, which allows the authorities of other countries to recognize its legality.

An apostille is placed when:

• emigration;
• obtaining a study or work visa;
• married to a foreigner.

Which states recognize apostille?

The Hague Convention provides for the possibility of using documents on the territory of countries that have signed it. Instead, it will be enough to affix a certain stamp, which will confirm the authenticity of the document itself.

These countries include:

1. European countries: Austria, Albania, Andorra Turkey, Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Portugal, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Malta, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, San Marino, Finland, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Liechtenstein.
2. North American countries: El Salvador, Mexico, USA.
3. Countries in Asia: China (Macau and Hong Kong), Korea, Seychelles, Japan, Brunei, Israel.
4. African countries and nearby islands: Namibia, Oman, Ecuador, South Africa, Botswana, Cape Verde, Lesotho, Liberia, Mauritius, Malawi, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Swaziland.
5. States of Australia, Oceania and related islands: New Zealand, Australia, Vanuatu, Marshall Islands, Niue, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji.
6. Countries in South America: Argentina, Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, Suriname.
7. Countries located in the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Honduras, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago.

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Where to do it?

An apostille is placed in the region of the country where the original certificate was issued . The Ministry of Justice and regional registry offices are competent to legalize documents.

For example, if a person was born in St. Petersburg and lives in Kazan, then he needs to apply for an apostille at the registry office in St. Petersburg. To facilitate communication with government agencies, citizens are encouraged to use the help of intermediaries, which are Multifunctional Centers called MFCs and the online portal “Government Services”.

MFC

The Single Window principle allows you to express your requirements on a territorial basis.

Procedure:

1. Appear at the department with documents - the applicant’s passport, birth certificate, subject to legalization.
2. A request for an apostille is drawn up and the documents are handed over to the employee.
3. The readiness period is set.
4. On the appointed day, the applicant comes to collect the completed document.

When contacting an MFC branch, the process of obtaining a response takes much longer compared to direct contact with the registry office. This is due to technical issues that arise during shipping and processing.

The decision may take 28 days according to the regulations.

Public services

Receiving services online has become a reality with the advent of the portal. With its help, you can make various applications for registration, but you need to receive the paper itself from the authority authorized to issue it.

To apply you need:

1. Register on the portal.
2. Log in with your username and password.
3. In the catalog of services, find the tab - Placing an apostille on a document on state registration of a civil status act subject to export abroad.

4. Apply on the website.
5. The system will register in the electronic queue. He will offer details for paying the state fee, the date and time of registration for a personal visit.

At the appointed time, you must appear at the specified address and bring original documents. That is, it is physically impossible to obtain an apostille online .

What does the stamp look like?

Apostille looks different in different countries. On the territory of the Russian Federation, it is a stamp certified by the seal and signature of an official. The necessary data is entered into it. It can be placed on both the original and the duplicate.

The stamp is square with sides of at least 9 cm. The data is entered clearly. Prints are legible and not blurry.

Apostille on the back of the birth certificate

What information does it contain?

The confirmation consists of 10 items, each of which must be completed. The title always contains the inscription “apostille” in French.

Information in the columns is entered in the following languages:

• French;
• English;
• official language of the state that issued the apostille.

Let's look at the stamp point by point:

1. a country;
2. employee's last name;
3. job title;
4. transcript of the seal of the government agency that certified the production
5. the city in which the document was certified;
6. date of;
7. surname of the employee who certified the apostille;
8. registration number;
9. seal;
10. signature.

Important to remember!

The information must be clearly distinguishable and not raise doubts when read. It is acceptable to certify legality by affixing a stamp using office equipment. A prerequisite in this case will be certification with a blue seal and an original signature.

Options

Most are sure that only the document originally issued is subject to legalization. But sometimes it is necessary to provide papers to various authorities.

To the original

Placing an apostille on the original certificate is the most common situation. A duplicate issued to replace a lost one is often certified.

A mistake people make is laminating papers for safekeeping. According to the law, such a certificate is considered unusable and must be replaced .

Issued by a government agency, registered in the vital records and endowed with the authority of the original. The form is stamped “Duplicate”.

To a notarized copy

An apostille is placed on such a document upon presentation of the original. There is no need to put it on the main form

On the translated document

In order to apostille such papers, a number of conditions must be met. The translation should be:

• made by a specialist;
• notarized.

This is the only way to confirm legitimacy with the help of an apostille.

Double apostille

The confirmation differs from the usual one only in that the stamp is affixed to both forms:

• original or duplicate, thereby confirming legality;
• a notarially certified translation.

The procedure requires more time, since the original is initially apostilled and then the translated copy. When providing such papers abroad, it is necessary to clarify the rules in advance so that you do not have to correct errors.

Is it possible to use an old certificate?

The birth document issued in the USSR is a facing book. You cannot put a stamp on it. On the cover this is technically impossible, but on the double page the information will be blocked.

The apostille is placed on a separate sheet attached to the certificate. This is reminiscent of the firmware of notary papers.

Apostille for old birth certificate

Options for affixing an apostille

According to the same Hague Convention, there are several options for placing a standardized stamp on a certificate issued at birth. Each of them has some features that should be taken into account during the procedure.

Apostille on the original document

Most often, legalization of the original is required when traveling abroad. This is required so that, while already in the country of permanent residence, you can obtain a notarized copy of this document, and you do not have to return to your homeland to have it apostilled.

It is also necessary to take into account where the certificate was issued. For example, if you want to legalize a document in Moscow, but it was issued in any other region, you will have to go to the place of civil registration.

Difficulties can also arise if you are in a hurry. In such a situation, you will first have to issue a duplicate of this document, and then legalize it.

Legalization of a copy certified by a notary

To certify a birth certificate with an apostille, its original is not always required. Sometimes a copy is enough. But first, this copy will have to be legalized by a notary. To do this, you need to take the certificate itself, make a copy of it and go to the notary’s office.

Make sure that the duplicate received using a photocopier is legible. There should be no missing or darkened letters or black stripes on it. Otherwise, the copy will have to be redone.

And one more important point: before you go to legalize your documents, check with the consulate of the country in which you will present it what exactly needs to be apostilled - the original certificate or its copy.

Apostille on document translation

It should also be remembered that the certificate issued at birth is filled out in the official language of the country where the baby was born. It often happens that representative offices of other countries ask not only for the original, but also for a translation of this document. It goes without saying that the translation must also be legalized, otherwise there is no guarantee that it was the certificate that was translated.

The algorithm of actions in this case should be as follows:

1. Take the original document.
2. Go to a translation agency.
3. With the received translated document and again the original, you go to a notary and have the translation certified.
4. And only then do you go to apostille the translated certificate.

Check again in advance whether there is such a need for this entire event.

Double apostille

Very often, the requirements of many countries include the provision of a certificate with a double apostille. It goes without saying that many questions arise as to what this means.

When faced with this problem, know that you have to do the following:

1. Place an apostille on the original certificate.
2. Then go to a translation agency and translate the document into the required language.
3. Next, you need to go to a notary and have the translation certified.
4. After this, you need to go again to the authorized authority and apostille the already received translation.

This procedure cannot be called simple, and therefore do not be lazy to once again clarify at the place where the document is presented what exactly they want to see there.

Registration procedure

To confirm legality you need:

• collect documents;
• pay the state fee;
• contact the appropriate authority with a statement.

List of required papers:

• document confirming the identity of the applicant;
• birth certificate;
• receipt of payment of state duty.

Deadlines

The apostille is affixed within 5 working days from the date of registration of the application in the Archives and Information Department of the Civil Registry Office.

This is official information given by employees. But in practice the process happens faster.

When applying to the civil registry office in the Moscow region, the apostille is affixed on the same day. A number of companies that provide brokerage services for a fee may offer an expedited process.

Validity period and reasons for refusal

Usually, affixing an apostille to a birth certificate makes such a document permanent, i.e.
An apostille does not have a validity period. In most cases, an apostille is affixed without problems, but there are situations when the applicant is refused to receive it:

1. The state fee was paid incorrectly.
2. The identity document does not meet the standards.
3. The document that needs to be certified is damaged, torn, laminated or has smudges and is unreadable.

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An apostille on a birth certificate completely legalizes this document in the territory of another state. To obtain it, you need to collect a small package of documents and contact a government agency.