It’s not difficult when it’s necessary – Full document legalization

Document legalization (also known as “full legalization”) indicates that your documents have been internationally validated in accordance with the Law on the Legalization of Documents in International Traffic. What does this imply? This means that these certificates verify the legitimacy of the signatures on the documents as well as the authenticity of the seals contained therein. All of this applies to documents issued in our country, and the original document is most commonly validated. In some instances, it may also be a previously notarized copy of the document with an acting Notary Public.

Countries that have not signed the Hague Convention require full legalization, including China, Singapore, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, Pakistan, Libya, Jamaica, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Afghanistan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and others.

So, what exactly is the process for acquiring completely legalized documents?

This is maybe the most relaxing phase because it is quick and requires no previous appointment. Contact a qualified translator to get papers properly translated usually within a single business day. These documents meet all legal requirements and are recognized in international legal transactions.

On this bureaucratic-administrative journey, the court is the second destination. The president of the local court or a designated judge certifies the documents issued by authorities subject to the jurisdiction of that court with their signature and seal. It is best to make an appointment with the court ahead of time for this step! The translation and the original document are hereby notarized together.

Don’t forget to request two copies of the translation from the certified translator since the court retains one for its archives.

We have the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia in this stage. The Ministry of Justice further authenticates the signature of the court president on documents issued in Serbia, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs certifies the Ministry of Justice’s signature and seal. It may sound complicated, but it’s not. The good news is that both ministries offer postal counters where you may pay for your certifications. Overall, the procedure is well-organized.

This too is a supplemental authentication stage in which the foreign authority, i.e. the diplomatic or consular representative of the nation where the documents are submitted, is the last to authenticate the documents. They carry out the final legalization, validating the accuracy of prior certificates issued by our authorities. If you’re lucky enough, this should be the last of your bureaucratic woes.

If you’re not interested in the aforementioned turquoise oceans, shopping malls, or futuristic structures, and your destination is some other country, it’s a good idea to find out right away if that country is a signatory to the Hague Convention.

The Hague Convention is a treaty between countries that eliminates the requirement for document legalization; if such a treaty exists, an Apostille stamp from the court on the document would suffice.

You may get more information on getting this stamp HERE.

An Apostille is immediately affixed to the original document or its addendum.

A document bearing an Apostille stamp is exempt from any further authentication and is valid for use in all countries that are SIGNATORIES OF THE HAGUE CONVENTION.

Documents relating to economic or customs affairs, as well as those issued by diplomatic or consular agents (embassies) do not require an Apostille.

An Apostille is a court-issued certification that looks like a stamp and contains information regarding the legitimacy of the signature, the capacity of the person signing, and the seal on the document.

You can learn all about the Apostille stamp on our BLOG.

Consider yourself fortunate if Serbia and the country you’re visiting have an international agreement that exempts you from any type of legalization.

There are nations who have ratified bilateral agreements with Serbia on mutual exemption of document legalization (in certain situations, only specified categories of paperwork are exempt from legalization and the Apostille, therefore it’s best to check on this). Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Iraq, Cyprus, Hungary, Mongolia, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, the Russian Federation, Slovenia, and Ukraine are among the countries covered by such agreements.

Finally, there are times when it is impossible to legalize or affix an Apostille to a document. This is logically related to the nature and character of the document itself or the sort of document, such as passports, identification cards, and similar…

As was previously mentioned, it’s not hard to do when you have to. If you plan ahead of time, this “full document legalization” procedure should take no more than three days. Gather proper information and arm yourself with patience.

And how can we assist you?

While we cannot get an Apostille stamp on your behalf, but we may manage the entire document legalization procedure for you.

Don’t waste your time, we’ll take care of getting your papers legalized.