FAQ Apostille

1. What is an Apostille?

Apostille is a procedure used by a government of a country that has signed The Hague Convention of 1961 to authenticate a document as genuine, in a way that makes it automatically acceptable in all other states that have signed the same Convention. Once a document has been Apostilled, thereby providing official government authentication of the signatures and stamps appearing on it, it is automatically deemed legalized for use in another member country.

2. What is The Hague Convention?

It is an intergovernmental convention which set about establishing a simplified system to allow documentation originating in one member country to be easily recognized as authentic in another member country. The norms were established at The Hague Convention of 6 October 1961.

3. What are the advantages?

Its simplicity and lack of ambiguity has made the Apostille a favoured form of validation of documents worldwide, even in countries that are not actually signatories to The Hague Conference.

4. Why do I need an Apostille?

Authorities in Greece need proof that foreign documents or the signatures of foreign officials on documents are genuine before they will accept them.

5. On what documents do I get an Authentication or Apostille?

Any document with an original signature on it. That means either the original document or a notarized copy. Any official Government document with an original signature/stamp or seal on it can be Apostilled. If the document is not an official Government document (such as legal documents or medical certificates) the document (or a copy of it) must be notarized by a Notary Public. All business documents must be notarized or certified by the relevant chamber of commerce/industry.

All tertiary education documents must be notarized or verified by the central Student Administration area of the issuing institution. Please note that some universities will not verify their documents with an original signature, in which case the document must be notarized by a Notary Public.

6. Where can I get the Apostille in South Africa?

You may find useful information on the procedure to follow on the website of the Directorate for International Relations and Cooperation (“DIRCO”) of the Republic of South Africa here: http://www.dirco.gov.za/consular/legalisation.htm .

7. I have heard that getting my South African documents Apostilled could be lengthy. Is there any way of avoiding it, in order to speed up the procedures with the Greek authorities (e.g. the registration of my marriage or of the birth of my children)?

Unfortunately not. Only documents properly Apostilled can be accepted.