Each of us has faced the situation that certain documents need to be issued within a specific timeframe. Or dealt with certificates that expire within a few months. That is why you may have a question: how long is an apostille valid?
Why do you need an apostille?
First, let's figure out what it is. An apostille stamp is a simplified, standardized form of document legalization. This procedure is necessary when you need to use documents issued in Ukraine abroad.
Apostille confirms the authenticity of the signatures of the persons and seals of the organizations that issued the document. Thus, the foreign country knows that this is an official document. Certificates, references, powers of attorney with apostilles have legal force in another state.
How long is an apostille issued in Ukraine valid?
The process of legalization of documents takes place in Ukraine. It is impossible to pass the procedure in another country. This is the established order. Therefore, when issuing an apostille, our clients often ask about the validity period.
In the Hague Convention, which regulates the legalization of documents through an apostille stamp, there is no information on the validity period. Therefore, the apostille is valid for as long as the document itself. If the document does not indicate the validity period, then it is considered indefinite and requires replacement.
At the same time, different countries have their own requirements for the operation of a number of documents:
- Police clearance certificates can be valid from 1 to 3 months. Bank statements and registration extracts can be valid for up to 6 months. The exact dates need to be clarified with the host.
- Also, in a number of countries there is a special requirement for certificates of birth, marriage, divorce. They must be issued no later than 3-6 months before the submission deadline. In this case, you need to get a duplicate of the certificate in Ukraine and put an apostille on it.
- Educational documents do not have an expiration date, so the apostille will also be permanent.
If there is a requirement directly to the terms of affixing an apostille, then this is illegal. The organization accepting documents has the right to put forward requirements on the validity period only to the documents themselves. If the certificate with an apostille is expired, then, accordingly, the apostille has no legal force.
If you need to legalize documents that have a short validity period, we recommend you to contact our agency. We will go through the procedure for all documents quickly, make all the necessary translations and send the finished package of documents by express services. In this case, you save your time and money.
