Apostille
Use of documents in a foreign country
If you wish to use a document issued in Estonia in a foreign country, it may require an apostille.
About the notarial act
If you wish to use a public document issued in Estonia in a foreign country, the recipient of the document may require it to be certified with an apostille.
An apostille certifies the authenticity of a signature on a document, the authority of the signatory and, where applicable, the authenticity of any seal or stamp on the document. An apostille does not certify the accuracy of a document’s content.
In Estonia, documents are apostilled by notaries. If you need a document apostilled, choose a notary and contact the notary’s office directly.
Which documents are apostilled?
Public documents can be apostilled, such as:
- administrative documents such as school diplomas, certificates, attestations, statements or notifications;
- documents issued by a court or a court-related authority, such as a copy of a judgment, a copy of a court order or a document issued by a bailiff;
- a register extract, such as an extract from the Commercial Register, an extract from the Land Register or a certificate from the Criminal Records Database;
- a document issued by a notary or a sworn translator, such as a notarised power of attorney, a notarised copy or a translation certified by a sworn translator.
How do I request an apostille?
Contact a notary’s office of your choice if you need an apostille for a document.
Submit the following to the notary:
- your apostille request;
- the document that requires the apostille.
You can use the forms below for your request.
You can submit your request and the document requiring an apostille in person at a notary’s office, by post, by email or via the self-service portal of the Apostille Register.
A notary may only accept a request for processing once the document requiring an apostille has been attached to the request.
How does the apostille process work?
Once the request and the document requiring an apostille have been submitted, the notary checks whether the document can be apostilled. This involves checking whether the document in question is a public document subject to be apostilled and whether the signature, seal or stamp on the document can be certified with an apostille.
If the document meets the requirements, the notary will certify it with an apostille.
An apostilled document will be ready within five working days of the request being accepted for processing.
If the requestor wishes to have the apostilled document returned by post, it will be sent by registered mail with any attachments to the address specified in the request.
Notary fee
The notary fee for having a document apostilled is €27.71, including VAT.
If an apostilled document is returned by post, postage costs will be added to the notary fee.
Frequently asked questions
Is an apostille always required when a document is used abroad?
No. An apostille is not always required.
An apostille may be required if a public document issued in Estonia is to be used in a foreign country. In general, an apostille is used in countries that are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. A list of countries that have acceded to the Convention can be found on the website www.hcch.net.
It is worth checking with the recipient of the document whether an apostille is required in the given case. The requirement may depend on the country, the type of document and the procedure in which the document is used.
If a public document has been certified with an apostille, it can generally be used in all countries that are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention.
An apostille is not required if an exemption applies to the use of the document. If the document is to be used in a country that is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, it may be necessary to legalise the document instead of obtaining an apostille.
For more information on exceptions and legalisation, see the question ‘Which documents are not apostilled?’.
Does the original document need to be apostilled or is a copy sufficient?
In general, it is the original document that is certified with an apostille.
Before requesting an apostille, it is worth checking with the recipient of the document whether they require the original document or will also accept a certified copy.
In the case of a document intended for single use, only the original document is certified with an apostille. Examples of such documents include a certificate confirming the absence of any impediments to marriage and a certificate from the Criminal Records Database.
Does an apostilled document need to be translated?
In most cases, an apostilled document must also be accompanied by a certified translation into a language accepted by the recipient of the document. You must contact a sworn translator to have the document translated.
Before translating the document, it is worth asking the recipient:
- in which language the document will be accepted;
- whether the translation has to be made by a sworn translator;
- whether a document with the standard European Union format will be accepted.
A translation is not required in certain cases. For example, under European Union Regulation 2016/1191, a document to be submitted to another Member State of the European Union does not need to be translated if it is drawn up in a language accepted by the receiving country.
A translation is generally not required when a EU standard form is attached to the document. The standard form is a multilingual support form that helps the receiving authority understand the content of the document.
In Estonia, the EU standard forms are issued as follows:
- vital statistics, family events or documents certifying citizenship, and proof of life, issued by the vital statistics officers of local authorities in county centres;
- printouts from the Criminal Records Database by the Centre of Registers and Information Systems.
When a document issued by another Member State of the European Union is submitted to an Estonian public authority in Estonian, English or Russian, a translation of the document may generally not be required. If the document is in another language but is accompanied by an EU standard form, a translation is generally not required either.
Which documents are not apostilled?
A document will not be apostilled if an exemption applies instead of the apostille, or if the document does not meet the requirements for an apostille.
- Legal assistance agreements and special agreements. An apostille is not generally required if the document is to be used in a country with which Estonia has a mutual legal assistance agreement or other agreement under which public documents do not need to be certified with an apostille. For example, exceptions may apply to documents relating to Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine or Finland.
- Exceptions within the European Union. An apostille is not required for certain public documents submitted to an authority in another European Union Member State pursuant to European Union Regulation 2016/1191. This regulation applies, for example, to documents proving birth, death, name, marriage, marital status, life, place of residence, citizenship or the absence of a criminal record.
- Special arrangements for Finland. Under a special agreement between Estonia and Finland, certain extracts from the Population Register and vital statistics do not require an apostille, such as extracts relating to births, deaths, marriages, divorces, capacity to marry, changes of name and extracts from the Population Register.
- Countries that are not parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. If the document is to be used in a country that is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, it may be necessary to legalise the document instead of obtaining an apostille. Further information on legalisation can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under ‘International relations and legalisation of public documents’.
- Documents that do not meet the requirements. A document that does not meet the requirements for apostilling cannot be apostilled. For example, an apostille is not affixed to a document that has been tampered with, an administrative document directly relating to commercial or customs procedures, a document issued by a diplomatic or consular representative, or a document lacking the necessary details regarding the signatory.
If you are unsure whether your document can or must be apostilled, seek advice from a notary’s office or the recipient of the document.
Can I request an apostille online?
Yes. A request to have a public document issued in Estonia apostilled can be submitted via the self-service portal of the Apostille Register at www.notar.ee/apostill.
When submitting a request, you must specify whether the apostille is to be affixed to a paper document or a digital document, and whether the apostille is to be issued on paper or as an e-apostille.
On the self-service portal, you can choose from four options:
- certifying a paper document with a paper apostille;
- certifying a paper document with an e-apostille;
- certifying a digital document with a paper apostille;
- certifying a digital document with an e-apostille.
If you are unsure which option to choose, seek advice from a notary’s office or the recipient of the document before submitting your request.
Can an apostille be verified online?
Yes. An apostille issued in Estonia can be checked via the self-service portal of the Apostille Register at www.notar.ee/apostill.
You can check via the register whether the apostille has been entered in the register. In the case of an e-apostille, the document certified with the apostille can also be viewed via the register.
Once a notary has issued an apostille for a document, a link to the Apostille Register can be sent to the recipient of the document, such as a foreign public authority.
An e-apostille is digitally signed by a notary, and no additional software needs to be downloaded to open the document via the register.
Useful links
Contact and help
If you have agreed on a transaction or need advice, please contact a notary.