Legalization and Apostile

Legalization of documents 

What does consular legalization mean?

Consular legalization - confirmation of compliance of documents and acts with the current legislation of the state of their origin. Consular legalization - certification of the signature of an official and seal of an authorized state body on documents and acts with a view to using them in another state.

Diplomatic missions and consular representatives of the Republic of Tajikistan abroad legalize documents and acts of the hosting state intended for use in the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan. Documents and acts submitted for legalization must first be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or another authorized official institution of the receiving state.

Documents and acts are accepted for legalization, both in originals and in notarized copies.

Documents and acts submitted for legalization must be written clearly. Signatures of officials and seals must be distinct.

Documents and acts not subject to legalization

The originals of the following documents and acts are not subject to legalization:

Passports, identity cards, union cards, military tickets, work books, documents on belonging to estates and faiths, driver's licenses, as well as technical passports for registration of vehicles.

How to get an official document legalized

       Make sure you have enclosed:

• Application form;
• Copy of identity documents (ID, passport);
• Original copy and a photocopy of the document to be legalized;
• Receipt on the payment of consular fee.

Fees payable to:

Embassy of Tajikistan

BANK DETAILS:

Name of the Bank: ING Bank

Account Name: Embassy of Tajikistan

IBAN: BE37 3631 6787 6728  

SWIFT/BIC: BBRUBEBB 

The above listed documents should be submitted to the Embassy (in person or by post).

Apostille

On February 20th, 2015, Tajikistan acceded to the Apostille Convention and became the 108th member of The Hague Convention abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents, concluded October 5, 1961.

The Apostille Convention has entered into force on 31st October 2015 for Tajikistan. Therefore, all types of official documents, certified and sealed by a Notary Public, when affixed or attached with an Apostille Certificate issued by the British Government, will automatically be accepted for legal use in foreign countries signatories to The Hague Convention, i.e. Tajikistan.

Documents with Apostille do not require any further legalization.

The Apostille is a stamp/seal/certificate established by the Hague Convention, placed in documents by a competent authority of the country in which the document was issued.

Before certain Tajik Soviet Socialistic Republic or Republic of Tajikistan issued documents can be used overseas, document legalisation or authentication may be necessary. It is required by overseas officials who are not able to determine on sight the authenticity of Tajik Soviet Socialistic Republic or Republic of Tajikistan issued documents.

The following documents cannot be apostilled:

-          documents signed/sealed/issued by the Diplomatic missions and Consulates of the Republic of Tajikistan abroad

-          administrative documents dealing directly with commercial or customs operations (e.g., certificates of origin or import or export licenses)

-          documents which cannot be sent abroad (e.g., military docs, IDs)

The Republic of Tajikistan has two tiers of authorities competent to issue the apostille certificate:  

1. The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan affixes apostilles to the following documents:

-   Tajik civil documents issued by the Civil status registry office (ЗАГС / САҲШ)

-   official documents issued by the state notaries public

-          documents issued by courts and execution procedure authorities

-          documents issued by office of public prosecutor

1. The Ministry of Foreign affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan issues apostille for all other documents, except those mentioned above.

How long it takes

It normally takes op to 10 business days to verify an official's signature/seal and placing an apostille on the document. For urgent enquiries it will take up to 3-5 business days.

As some applications may require further enquiries, these applications may take longer than our quoted average turnaround time.

How to get an apostille certificate

       Make sure you have enclosed:

-          The application form or a covering letter

-          ID + copy

-          the document to which the Apostille is to be attached + copy

-          certificate of taxpayer + copy (for Tajik taxpayers)

-          certificate of incorporation (for legal entity only)

-          Receipt of payment   

Fees payable to:

Embassy of Tajikistan

BANK DETAILS:

Name of the Bank: ING Bank

Account Name: Embassy of Tajikistan

IBAN: BE37 3631 6787 6728  

SWIFT/BIC: BBRUBEBB 

Apostille verification

To verify your Apostille please visit www.apostille.tj