What is an apostille?
An apostille is a certificate under the 1961 Hague Convention that authenticates the signature, the seal and the capacity of the official who issued a public document. In the countries that have joined the Convention, a Hungarian public document bearing an apostille is accepted without any further diplomatic or consular legalization.
Who issues apostilles in Hungary?
In Hungary, apostilles are issued by different bodies depending on the type of document: notarial deeds are authenticated by the chamber of notaries, court and other public documents by the competent ministry. Some documents – university diplomas, for example – need a preliminary authentication first. We map out this chain and complete it for you, so you do not have to go from office to office.
Apostille and translation – in which order?
Some countries require the apostille on the original and a translation of both; others want the translation itself to be certified as well. We clarify the correct order before starting and prepare the certified translation too.
If the destination country is not a party to the Convention
If the document will be used in a country that is not party to the Apostille Convention, you need consular legalization followed by legalization at that country's embassy. We handle this from start to finish as well.