Schmidt & Schmidt offers you a qualified apostille service for your public documents issued in the European Union and other countries in Europe. All the countries within Europe are nowadays Member States to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents.
The apostille is a stamp of a rectangular shape. The heading "Apostille (Convention de la Haye du 5 octobre 1961)" written in French is a mandatory requirement for the apostille's validity. The Hague apostille confirms the authenticity of the signature, the position in which the signer has acted, and the authenticity of the seal or stamp with which the document is attested. Each apostille is registered and contains the issue date and a unique number. In each country the apostille is issued by competent authorities designated for each document type.
The apostille has to be obtained in the country that has issued your document. You can find the detailed information about the country-specific requirements for the apostillization in the country information sections.
Country information
Recognition of the authenticity of public documents within the EU
The circulation of public documents within the EU is facilitated by both bilateral agreements and EU-level regulations, which streamline the processes authorities must follow when handling foreign-issued documents.
Bilateral international agreements
Germany has entered into bilateral treaties with several European countries that allow for the simplified recognition of specific public documents. Under these agreements, certain documents do not require either an apostille or consular legalization, as long as they are properly issued and stamped by the relevant administrative body.
Typically, these arrangements cover documents such as civil status certificates, educational records, and various official attestations. However, the scope and specific conditions of each agreement may differ depending on the partner country and the document type.
Countries with which Germany has such agreements include Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, and Switzerland. Within the framework of these treaties, documents bearing the official seal of a competent authority are accepted without further authentication.
❗️ Please note: Not all agreements are enforced equally by both sides. For instance, Belgium does not consider its agreement with Germany binding, meaning in practice, an apostille may still be requested. Likewise, the 1907 agreement between Germany and Switzerland excludes notarial documents, which still require an apostille.
Multilingual Documents (under the CIEC Agreement)
Certain civil status documents are exempt from legalization requirements if they are issued in multilingual form based on the templates of the International Commission on Civil Status (CIEC).
Under the Vienna Convention of 8 September 1976 (on the issuance of multilingual extracts from civil status registers), documents such as birth, marriage, and death certificates are accepted without apostille in the following countries: Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, France, Italy, Cape Verde, Croatia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey.
Similarly, under the Munich Convention of 5 September 1980 (concerning multilingual certificates of no impediment to marriage), the following countries recognize these documents without further legalization: Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, and Turkey.
Regulation on public documents (EU) 2016/1191 of 6 July 2016
This EU regulation, effective since 6 July 2016, simplifies the circulation of specific public documents between EU Member States. It removes the requirement for apostilles on many types of public documents issued in one Member State and presented in another. The goal is to reduce bureaucratic obstacles and lower costs for citizens moving or working across the EU.
⚠️ Important limitation: Corporate or business-related documents are not covered by this regulation. Such documents still require legalization or an apostille.
Digitalisation Directive II
On 31 March 2023, the European Commission introduced a proposal (COM [2023] 177) aimed at enhancing the use of digital solutions in EU company law. One of the core objectives is to remove the need for apostilles for company-related documents across the EU, making cross-border corporate processes more efficient.
If adopted, this directive would be a significant move toward a digitalized and streamlined internal market, eliminating administrative hurdles and supporting business mobility within the EU.
We continue to monitor these legal developments and are ready to advise you on how to take advantage of the existing simplifications for international document use.
