EU Document Apostille

Apostille for EU Documents — All Member States

Updated: March 2026 · Written by the Apostilla Antecedentes team

Every EU country has its own Hague Convention apostille authority. We know each one. Birth certificates, criminal records, and degrees from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and beyond.

  • All 27 EU member states covered
  • Partner network across Europe
  • Electronic apostille systems
  • Certified translation for all EU languages
Laura Chen
Reviewed byLaura ChenLegal Document Expert

Which EU country issued your document?

Step 1 of 4

Which EU country issued your document?

Before you pay: between EU countries, certain public documents — birth, marriage, death and others covered by Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 — do not require an apostille. Check whether you can use a multilingual standard form before paying.

EU apostille authorities by country

Between EU countries, certain public documents — birth, marriage, death and others covered by Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 — do not require an apostille. Check whether you can use a multilingual standard form before paying.

There is no single EU-wide apostille system. Each member state has its own designated authority. Here are the most commonly requested:

Germany BfAA (federal) · designated Land authority (state docs) Federal documents go to the Bundesamt für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten (BfAA). For documents issued at Bundesland level, the designated authority varies by Land and document type — regional court presidents, state ministries or others.
France Notaires de France apostille service (since 1 May 2025) Apostille formalities are handled through the notariat rather than the former Cour d'appel / Procureur route. Verify the current designated authority for your document type.
Italy Prefettura or Procura della Repubblica Prefecture (Prefettura) or Public Prosecutor's Office depending on document type.
Spain Designated Ministry of Justice offices, TSJ Government Secretariats and Notarial Colleges; Supreme Court and National Court judicial documents have their specific designated secretariats Spain: Hague Apostilles are issued by designated Ministry of Justice offices, TSJ Government Secretariats and Notarial Colleges according to the document type. The Foreign Ministry is not an apostille issuer.
Netherlands Rechtbank (district courts) District courts issue apostilles for Dutch public documents.
Portugal Procuradoria-Geral Distrital (district prosecutor) Portugal issues apostilles through district prosecutors' offices.
Poland Ministry of Foreign Affairs Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the central apostille authority.
Romania Tribunale (county courts) Romanian county courts issue apostilles for documents from their jurisdiction.

Don't see your country? Contact us — we cover all 27 EU member states.

Who needs this service?

🇪🇺 EU nationals needing documents apostilled for use outside the EU

EU birth certificates, criminal records, and degrees frequently need apostille for use in non-EU countries. Each EU country has its own apostille authority — we know them all.

🌍 People with EU documents for use in Latin America

Most Latin American countries are Hague Convention parties (not all — e.g. Cuba is not); an EU apostille authenticates the document's origin where the Convention applies between both countries, while each receiving authority sets its own requirements. We handle the submission.

🇺🇸 EU documents for use in the United States

The US accepts apostilles for qualifying documents from EU member states where the Convention applies. EU criminal records, birth certificates, and degrees apostilled for US visa and immigration purposes.

Required documents

DocumentIssuing authorityEstimated timeNotes
Original EU document (or certified copy) Relevant EU government authority Varies by country and document type Must be an official document issued by a competent public authority in the EU member state.
Apostille from the competent authority of the issuing country, only where authentication is required Varies by country — courts, ministries, prefectures Depends on the authority, document and channel — check the authority’s published timeline EU Regulation 2016/1191 removes apostille requirements for covered public documents and properly certified copies presented between EU Member States. For other documents or destinations, each EU country has its own apostille authority and process; there is no single EU-wide apostille body.
Certified translation (if required) Sworn / certified translator 1–3 business days Where the destination procedure requires translation, it is normally needed for a different official language. Between covered intra-EU public documents, Regulation 2016/1191 also offers multilingual standard forms as a translation aid — check the receiving authority's requirements. We provide translations for all EU languages.

How the process works

1

First check the issuing and receiving countries and the document type. EU Regulation 2016/1191 removes apostille requirements for covered public documents presented between EU Member States. For other documents or destinations, we check the issuing country's competent apostille authority and applicable treaty route.

2

We prepare your document for submission to the correct authority. Some EU countries allow online submission; others require physical documents. We use our EU partner network for in-person submissions.

3

Processing times vary by country, authority, document and channel; we confirm the competent authority’s published timeframe before quoting. We track status and keep you updated.

4

Translation coordinated in parallel if needed. Apostilled documents delivered by tracked international courier to your address worldwide.

Example scenarios

Illustrative examples based on common situations; names and details are changed.

IE
Indian Expat, Hong Kong

from India to France

Apostille
The problem was…

An Indian expat living in Hong Kong had their Indian birth certificate notarized and apostilled by Hong Kong authorities, but France rejected it.

We solved it…

Documents can only be apostilled by the competent authority of the country that originally issued them. The applicant had to restart the process in India.

Result

In this example, the application was resubmitted with the correct apostille from India — the issuing country's competent authority.

CA
California Applicant

from USA to International

Apostille
The problem was…

A private affidavit notarized by a California notary was rejected for a state apostille because the notary stamped their seal on a blank white space instead of over the printed text of the affidavit.

We solved it…

The applicant had to reprint a fresh original of the private affidavit and ensure the notary followed state-specific seal placement guidelines perfectly before resubmitting.

Result

In this example, the document was resubmitted with the correct notary seal placement for the state office to review.

WS
Wrong State Apostille

from USA to Mexico

Apostille
The problem was…

A user paid a third-party service for a California birth certificate apostille, but received a Kansas apostille attached by a proxy notary, which was rejected in Mexico.

We solved it…

The applicant had to dispute the credit card charge and apply properly directly through the California Secretary of State.

Result

In this example, the fix is to dispute the third-party charge and apply directly through the California Secretary of State.

View all cases →

Official sources & authorities

Information on this page is based on procedures from recognized government and intergovernmental bodies — not third-party estimates.

Hague Conference — Apostille Country Profiles Official database of all Hague Convention member countries and their designated apostille authorities. View source →
e-APP — Electronic Apostille Pilot Programme HCCH's initiative for electronic apostille issuance. Many EU countries participate, including Germany, France, Spain, and Portugal. View source →
e-Justice — Public documents in EU civil matters (Regulation 2016/1191) Official EU guidance on intra-EU exemptions from apostille, requests for certified copies, translations and multilingual standard forms. View source →
European Commission — Public documents in the EU Official Commission page on intra-EU public documents: apostille exemption and multilingual standard forms under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191. View source →

Related guides

Guide
EU document apostille for Spain: country-by-country guideLaura Chen · February 2026
→

Related services

🌐Certified translationSworn certified translations for all EU languages

Apostille services by country

USAMexicoColombiaArgentinaUKBrazilPeruChile
Laura Chen

Reviewed by

Laura Chen

Legal Document Expert

Specialist in documents for the English-speaking market with a focus on fast and secure processing.

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Frequently asked questions

Is there a single EU apostille authority?

No. The EU does not have a unified apostille system. Each EU member state has its own designated apostille authority under the Hague Convention. For example, Germany uses the BfAA (Bundesamt für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten) for federal documents and designated Land authorities for state documents — not a single court. France routes apostille formalities through the Notaires de France apostille service since 1 May 2025; Italy uses Prefetture. Spain: Hague Apostilles are issued by designated Ministry of Justice offices, TSJ Government Secretariats and Notarial Colleges according to the document type; Supreme Court and National Court judicial documents have their specific designated secretariats. The Foreign Ministry is not an apostille issuer.

Are EU apostilles accepted by other countries?

Apostilles issued for qualifying EU-country public documents authenticate their origin in destination jurisdictions where the Convention applies — including Hague members such as the US, the UK, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru. They do not guarantee that every receiving office will accept the document for any procedure; check exemptions and the office's substantive requirements. Separately, covered public documents presented between EU Member States are exempt from apostille under EU Regulation 2016/1191, so no apostille is needed in those cases. Some non-Hague countries require consular legalization instead.

How long does an EU apostille take?

Electronic eligibility and processing depend on the country, issuing authority, document and filing channel. Spain's full online apostille service currently supports only certain Justice Ministry certificates. We check the relevant authority's published timeline before quoting rather than advertising a universal state timeline.

Do EU documents need a certified translation for use outside the EU?

Mostly, it depends on the destination country's official language and the receiving office: Spanish-speaking authorities generally accept Spanish-language EU documents without translation, while the US, UK, and other English-speaking destinations commonly require a certified translation of non-English EU documents. Confirm the current requirement with the receiving office; for covered intra-EU procedures, Regulation 2016/1191 also offers multilingual standard forms as a translation aid. We provide certified translations for all EU languages.

Can I get an EU document apostilled if I live outside the EU?

Yes. Many EU countries offer online apostille systems. For countries requiring physical submission, we use our partner network across EU member states. We confirm the applicable submission channel (online or physical) for your document before starting, and manage the process remotely where that is possible.

Which EU countries have electronic apostille systems?

Some EU countries participate in the HCCH e-APP (Electronic Apostille Pilot Programme) and issue electronic apostilles verified through the issuing authority's designated verification mechanism. Eligibility varies by country and document type — check the HCCH e-APP directory and the issuing authority's current rules before relying on an e-Apostille (for example, Spain's online apostille currently supports only certain certificate types). Valid e-Apostilles enjoy the same force under the Hague Convention as paper ones.

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Laura Chen Legal Document Expert
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