Schmidt & Schmidt covers the full spectrum of legalization services for documents issued in Croatia.

Croatia joined the Hague Convention on the Simplified Authentication of Documents on 23 April 1993; the Convention entered into force on 8 October 1991.

The apostille, or the “Hague apostille” is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document (e.g., a birth, marriage or death certificate, a judgment, an extract of a register or a notarial attestation). It confirms the authenticity of the signature and the authority of an official who signed the public document.

Documents issued in Croatia are certified with an apostille in accordance with the Hague Convention of 1961 are recognized in all Member States of the Hague Convention and do not require any other form of certification, such as consular legalization, which considerably reduces the costs and time required for the certification of documents. So far, more than 120 states have joined the Convention.

The apostille is not sufficient for use in the states that are not party to the Hague Convention. In this case, consular legalization applies to a public document.

Designated Competent Apostille Authorities in Croatia

In Croatia, the responsibility for issuing apostilles lies with the Ministry of Justice or Local Courts. To obtain an apostille in Croatia, applicants can approach either the Municipal Courts or the Ministry of Justice and Administration.

Regarding the fees, the Ministry of Justice charges 30 kuna for each Apostille, as prescribed by the Croatian administrative tax Act. For services rendered by the Municipal Courts, the court tax varies between 50 to 60 Croatian kuna. The price depends on whether the text is in the Croatian language (50 kuna) or requires translation (60 Croatian kuna), as specified in the Act of court tax.

The apostille in Croatia is a square stamp in Croatian with the obligatory heading "Apostille" and a reference to the 1961 Hague Convention in French (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961). The apostille certificate’s sides will be at least 9 centimeters long.

Types of documents

Specific aspects and document requirements for the apostille in Croatia

Croatia is among the 120 countries that recognize and issue apostilles in accordance with the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961. The apostille serves as a confirmation of the official status of a document.

The apostille process can vary depending on the sender and recipient country, but typically to obtain an apostille for a document in Croatia, you must go through the following steps:

• The document must be an original or a certified copy issued by the competent authority.
• The document should contain all relevant and accurate information.
• The document must be in the official language of the issuing country or translated into the official language of the country where the apostille is sought
• The apostille must be affixed by the designated competent authority in accordance with regulations.

This process can be time-consuming, especially if it includes multiple documents and different countries. To ensure a smooth and accurate apostille process, it is recommended to seek guidance from specialists familiar with the requirements and procedures. Their expertise can help avoid delays and errors in obtaining documents apostille.

Document requirements that might apply:

• The document must be an original or a certified copy issued by the competent authority.
• The document should contain all relevant and accurate information.
• The document must be in the official language of the issuing country or translated into the official language of the country where the apostille is sought
• The apostille must be affixed by the designated competent authority in accordance with regulations.

The apostille is issued in a uniform format. In Croatia, it has the form of a printed sticker with a handwritten signature of an official, an official seal, and a hologram.

In cases where apostilles are not recognized, holders of foreign documents will need to legalize them instead. However, If the country of destination of the document recognizes and issues apostilles, then legalization is unnecessary.

Legalization of Croatian educational documents for use abroad

In order for educational documents issued in Croatia, such as school reports, university degree certificates, transcripts of records, enrollment certificates, and other certificates from schools or universities, to be valid and recognized abroad, they must undergo a process of certification through legalization or apostille. The certification process is carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Croatia, along with Croatian diplomatic missions/consulates. This authorization is governed by the Act on Legalization of Documents in International Legal Transactions

Legalization is required when the laws of the destination country demand it, or when there is no bilateral or multilateral treaty between Croatia and that country that simplifies or abolishes the legalization process.

To complete the legalization procedure, the stamp and signature of the issuing institution - in this case - educational authority - must undergo the following steps:

• At the municipal court, according to the address of the authenticator (e.g., general register office, notary public, court interpreter, university, etc.).
• At the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Croatia, located at Vukovarska Street 49, 10000 Zagreb.
• At the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, specifically at the Directorate for Consular Affairs, Sector for International Legal Assistance, Citizenship and Travel Documents, Division for International Legal Assistance, Petretićev trg 2, 10000 Zagreb.
• Finally, at the foreign diplomatic mission to Croatia representing the country where the document is intended to be used.

Recognition of the authenticity of public documents within the EU

Documents from countries with which Croatia has bilateral agreements for exemption from legalization are not required to undergo any form of legalization procedures. Some of the countries include:

• Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.

Multilingual documents (under CIEC Convention)

Civil status certificates and certificates of marriageability, which are issued by one of the contracting states according to the model of the Convention of the International Commission (CIEC Convention) for Civil and Civil Status Affairs (CIEC), are exempt from any formality in Croatia.

Regulation on public documents (EU) 2016/1191 of 6 July 2016

Furthermore, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of 6 July 2016 on public documents simplifies the circulation of certain public documents that must be presented in an EU Member State and have been issued in another EU Member State, thus exempting public documents from the confirmation of authenticity with the Apostille with the aim of reducing administrative burden and costs for citizens.

Consular legalization of Croatian documents for use abroad

Consular legalization is the process of authenticating or certifying a legal document so a foreign country's legal system will recognize it as with full legal effect that is carried out by the diplomatic or consular mission of the country in which the document is to be used.

This procedure is required when the destination country does not recognize or accept the apostille certification. One needs to submit the original document, along with any required copies or supporting materials, to the respective consular office. The consular officials will review the document, verify its authenticity, and affix their seal or stamp to certify its validity.

The consular legalization process may require additional steps like obtaining translations of the document into the language of the destination country or providing additional supporting documentation as requested by the consular office.

It is up to the diplomatic mission to decide about the authentication procedure.
The specific requirements and procedures for consular legalization may vary depending on the regulations of the destination country.

The main differences between an apostille and consular legalization of documents

The common feature between apostille and consular legalization is that they authenticate an official document for presentation to institutions in another country. However, they have many differences.