Apostille and legalization of Ukrainian documents for use abroad in 2026

An apostille is a stamp that certifies the authenticity of the signature and seal on an official document so that it is accepted in other countries without additional legalization. In Ukraine, the apostille is issued by three different authorities, and the choice depends solely on the type of document. Choosing the wrong authority is a common reason for documents being returned.

Which authority issues the apostille for your document

• Ministry of Justice — documents issued by courts, notaries and state registration authorities: civil-registry certificates (birth, marriage, divorce, death), notarized copies and translations, notarial powers of attorney, court decisions, extracts from registers.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) — police clearance certificates, medical certificates and certain certificates of residence and registration (i.e. documents that are neither educational nor notarial/court/registration documents).
• Ministry of Education and Science (MES) — educational documents: diplomas (bachelor's, master's, specialist) and their supplements, secondary-education certificates with supplements, academic transcripts, training certificates.

The Ministry of Justice's new procedure from 1 February 2026

Ministry of Justice Order No. 3177/5 of 20 November 2025 approved a new procedure for issuing the apostille, which entered into force on 1 February 2026 and replaced the procedure in effect since 2015. Key changes:

• The apostille is issued via the Electronic Register of Apostilles, into which the Ministry of Justice, its territorial bodies, the State Archival Service and the courts enter specimen signatures, seals and digital certificates.
• Turnaround — the apostille or a decision to refuse is processed within 3 working days.
• The fee is tied to the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons as of 1 January of the year of submission (for 2026 — UAH 3,328) and is rounded to UAH 10. That is UAH 670 for individuals (0.2 of the subsistence minimum) and UAH 1,160 for legal entities (0.35 of the subsistence minimum).

Electronic apostille with a QR code (from 2 March 2026)

From 2 March 2026, Ukraine launched the electronic apostille under the international e-APP programme (with EU support, the DT4UA project). How it works:

• Together with the paper apostille, an electronic apostille is generated free of charge — a PDF file with a qualified electronic signature (ASiC-E format), a unique identifier and a QR code.
• You can download and verify it in the Electronic Register at apostille.minjust.gov.ua — enter the apostille number and the date of issue.
• The electronic apostille may be submitted to the competent authorities of states party to the Hague Convention, but first check whether the destination country accepts the electronic form: some states still require a paper copy.

Step by step: how to obtain an apostille

1. Determine the authority by document type (Ministry of Justice / MFA / MES — see above).
2. Prepare the original. For educational documents, the apostille is placed only on the original. If you need an apostille on a copy or translation, first have it certified by a notary (then it falls within the Ministry of Justice's remit).
3. Pay the fee (for the Ministry of Justice — UAH 670 for individuals in 2026) and submit the document in person, through a representative with a notarial power of attorney, or through an agency that provides this service remotely.
4. Receive the result — a paper apostille and, from 2 March 2026, a free electronic apostille with a QR code.
5. Order a translation if the destination country requires it; sometimes the translation must also be notarized and separately apostilled.

When an apostille is not enough: consular legalization

The apostille is valid only in 129 states party to the 1961 Hague Convention. If the destination country is not part of the Convention (for example, the UAE, Qatar, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon), full consular legalization is required instead of an apostille: certification by Ukraine's Ministry of Justice/MFA, followed by certification at the destination country's diplomatic mission. This is a longer and more expensive procedure; check the requirements with the relevant country's embassy. Note: mainland China acceded to the Convention in November 2023 and now accepts the apostille — consular legalization is no longer required for it.

Practical tips

• Check the details immediately. An error in a name or number in the document itself will mean it is not accepted abroad — verify the spelling against your foreign passport before submitting for an apostille.
• Do not translate before the apostille unless necessary. Sometimes a country requires the apostille on the original and only then the translation — otherwise you will have to pay twice.
• Keep the apostille number. Using the number and the date, anyone can verify the document's authenticity online in the Ministry of Justice register.