Countries
Apostille or legalisation: the rule for each country
196 countries: which regime applies to Russian documents, since when, and whose translation is accepted. Three regimes, three colours.
| Country | Regime | Basis | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Albania | Apostille | 9 May 2004 | not verified |
| Algeria | No legalisation | the treaty of 23 February 1982 between the USSR and Algeria on mutual legal assistance | not verified |
| Andorra | Apostille | 31 December 1996 | not verified |
| Angola | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Apostille | 1 November 1981 | not verified |
| Argentina | Apostille | 18 February 1988 | sworn translator in the country |
| Armenia | No legalisation | 14 August 1994 | not verified |
| Australia | Apostille | 16 March 1995 | not verified |
| Austria | Apostille | 13 January 1968 | not verified |
| Azerbaijan | No legalisation | 2 March 2005 | not verified |
| Bahamas | Apostille | 10 July 1973 | not verified |
| Bahrain | Apostille | 31 December 2013 | not verified |
| Bangladesh | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Barbados | Apostille | 30 November 1966 | not verified |
| Belarus | No legalisation | 31 May 1992 | not verified |
| Belgium | Apostille | 9 February 1976 | not verified |
| Belize | Apostille | 11 April 1993 | not verified |
| Benin | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Bhutan | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Bolivia | Apostille | 7 May 2018 | not verified |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | No legalisation | 6 March 1992 | not verified |
| Botswana | Apostille | 30 September 1966 | not verified |
| Brazil | Apostille | 14 August 2016 | sworn translator in the country |
| Brunei | Apostille | 3 December 1987 | not verified |
| Bulgaria | Apostille | 29 April 2001 | not verified |
| Burkina Faso | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Burundi | Apostille | 13 February 2015 | not verified |
| Cambodia | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Cameroon | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Canada | Apostille | 11 January 2024 | sworn translator in the country |
| Cape Verde | Apostille | 13 February 2010 | not verified |
| Central African Republic | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Chad | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Chile | Apostille | 30 August 2016 | not verified |
| China | Apostille | 7 November 2023 | Russian notarised |
| Colombia | Apostille | 30 January 2001 | not verified |
| Comoros | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Costa Rica | Apostille | 14 December 2011 | not verified |
| Côte d’Ivoire | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Croatia | Apostille | 8 October 1991 | not verified |
| Cuba | No legalisation | the 1984 treaty between the USSR and Cuba on legal assistance in civil, family and criminal matters | not verified |
| Cyprus | Apostille | 30 April 1973 | not verified |
| Czechia | Apostille | 16 March 1999 | sworn translator in the country |
| Denmark | Apostille | 29 December 2006 | not verified |
| Djibouti | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Dominica | Apostille | 22 October 2002 | not verified |
| Dominican Republic | Apostille | 30 August 2009 | not verified |
| DR Congo | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Ecuador | Apostille | 2 April 2005 | not verified |
| Egypt | Legalisation | the treaty of 23 September 1997 between Russia and Egypt on mutual legal assistance and legal relations in civil, commercial and family matters, in force since 30 October 2002 | not verified |
| El Salvador | Apostille | 31 January 1996 | not verified |
| Equatorial Guinea | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Eritrea | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Estonia | Apostille | 30 September 2001 | sworn translator in the country |
| Eswatini | Apostille | 6 September 1968 | not verified |
| Ethiopia | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Fiji | Apostille | 10 October 1970 | not verified |
| Finland | Apostille | 26 August 1985 | not verified |
| France | Apostille | 24 January 1965 | not verified |
| Gabon | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Gambia | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Georgia | Apostille | 14 May 2007 | not verified |
| Germany | Apostille | 13 February 1966 | sworn translator in the country |
| Ghana | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Greece | Apostille | 18 May 1985 | not verified |
| Grenada | Apostille | 7 April 2002 | not verified |
| Guatemala | Apostille | 18 September 2017 | not verified |
| Guinea | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Guinea-Bissau | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Guyana | Apostille | 18 April 2019 | not verified |
| Haiti | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Honduras | Apostille | 30 September 2004 | not verified |
| Hungary | Apostille | 18 January 1973 | not verified |
| Iceland | Apostille | 27 November 2004 | not verified |
| India | Apostille | 14 July 2005 | not verified |
| Indonesia | Apostille | 4 June 2022 | not verified |
| Iran | No legalisation | the treaty of 5 March 1996 between Russia and Iran on legal assistance and legal relations in civil and criminal matters | not verified |
| Iraq | No legalisation | the treaty of 22 June 1973 between the USSR and Iraq on mutual legal assistance | not verified |
| Ireland | Apostille | 9 March 1999 | not verified |
| Israel | Apostille | 14 August 1978 | not verified |
| Italy | Apostille | 11 February 1978 | not verified |
| Jamaica | Apostille | 3 July 2021 | not verified |
| Japan | Apostille | 27 July 1970 | not verified |
| Jordan | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Kazakhstan | No legalisation | 30 January 2001 | not verified |
| Kenya | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Kiribati | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Kosovo | Apostille | 14 July 2016 | not verified |
| Kuwait | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Kyrgyzstan | No legalisation | 31 July 2011 | not verified |
| Laos | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Latvia | Apostille | 30 January 1996 | sworn translator in the country |
| Lebanon | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Lesotho | Apostille | 4 October 1966 | not verified |
| Liberia | Apostille | 14 February 1996 | not verified |
| Libya | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Liechtenstein | Apostille | 17 February 1973 | not verified |
| Lithuania | Apostille | 19 July 1997 | sworn translator in the country |
| Luxembourg | Apostille | 3 June 1979 | not verified |
| Madagascar | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Malawi | Apostille | 2 December 1967 | not verified |
| Malaysia | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Maldives | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Mali | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Malta | Apostille | 3 March 1968 | not verified |
| Marshall Islands | Apostille | 14 August 1992 | not verified |
| Mauritania | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Mauritius | Apostille | 12 March 1968 | not verified |
| Mexico | Apostille | 14 August 1995 | sworn translator in the country |
| Micronesia | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Moldova | No legalisation | 16 March 2007 | not verified |
| Monaco | Apostille | 31 December 2002 | not verified |
| Mongolia | No legalisation | 31 December 2009 | not verified |
| Montenegro | No legalisation | 3 June 2006 | not verified |
| Morocco | Apostille | 14 August 2016 | not verified |
| Mozambique | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Myanmar (Burma) | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Namibia | Apostille | 30 January 2001 | not verified |
| Nauru | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Nepal | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Netherlands | Apostille | 8 October 1965 | not verified |
| New Zealand | Apostille | 22 November 2001 | not verified |
| Nicaragua | Apostille | 14 May 2013 | not verified |
| Niger | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Nigeria | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| North Korea | No legalisation | the 1957 treaty between the USSR and North Korea on legal assistance in civil, family and criminal matters | not verified |
| North Macedonia | No legalisation | 17 September 1991 | not verified |
| Norway | Apostille | 29 June 1983 | not verified |
| Oman | Apostille | 30 January 2012 | not verified |
| Pakistan | Apostille | 9 March 2023 | not verified |
| Palau | Apostille | 23 June 2020 | not verified |
| Palestinian Territories | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Panama | Apostille | 4 August 1991 | not verified |
| Papua New Guinea | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Paraguay | Apostille | 30 August 2014 | not verified |
| Peru | Apostille | 30 September 2010 | not verified |
| Philippines | Apostille | 14 May 2019 | not verified |
| Poland | Apostille | 14 August 2005 | sworn translator in the country |
| Portugal | Apostille | 4 February 1969 | not verified |
| Qatar | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Republic of the Congo | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Romania | Apostille | 16 March 2001 | not verified |
| Rwanda | Apostille | 5 June 2024 | not verified |
| Samoa | Apostille | 13 September 1999 | not verified |
| San Marino | Apostille | 13 May 1995 | not verified |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Apostille | 13 September 2008 | not verified |
| Saudi Arabia | Apostille | 7 December 2022 | not verified |
| Senegal | Apostille | 23 March 2023 | not verified |
| Serbia | No legalisation | 27 April 2001 | not verified |
| Seychelles | Apostille | 31 March 1979 | not verified |
| Sierra Leone | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Singapore | Apostille | 16 September 2021 | not verified |
| Slovakia | Apostille | 18 February 2002 | not verified |
| Slovenia | Apostille | 25 June 1992 | not verified |
| Solomon Islands | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Somalia | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| South Africa | Apostille | 30 April 1995 | not verified |
| South Korea | Apostille | 14 July 2007 | not verified |
| South Sudan | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Spain | Apostille | 25 September 1978 | sworn translator in the country |
| Sri Lanka | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| St Kitts and Nevis | Apostille | 14 December 1994 | not verified |
| St Lucia | Apostille | 31 July 2002 | not verified |
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | Apostille | 27 October 1979 | not verified |
| Sudan | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Suriname | Apostille | 25 November 1976 | not verified |
| Sweden | Apostille | 1 May 1999 | not verified |
| Switzerland | Apostille | 11 March 1973 | not verified |
| Syria | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Taiwan | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Tajikistan | No legalisation | 31 October 2015 | not verified |
| Tanzania | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Thailand | Legalisation | from 28 February 2027 | not verified |
| Timor-Leste | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Togo | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Tonga | Apostille | 4 June 1970 | not verified |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Apostille | 14 July 2000 | not verified |
| Tunisia | No legalisation | 30 March 2018 | not verified |
| Türkiye | Apostille | 29 September 1985 | not verified |
| Turkmenistan | No legalisation | the Minsk Convention of 1993 on legal assistance | not verified |
| Tuvalu | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| UAE | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Uganda | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Ukraine | Apostille | 22 December 2003 | not verified |
| United Kingdom | Apostille | 24 January 1965 | not verified |
| United States | Apostille | 15 October 1981 | not verified |
| Uruguay | Apostille | 14 October 2012 | not verified |
| Uzbekistan | No legalisation | 15 April 2012 | not verified |
| Vanuatu | Apostille | 30 July 1980 | not verified |
| Vatican City | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Venezuela | Apostille | 16 March 1999 | not verified |
| Vietnam | No legalisation | 11 September 2026 | not verified |
| Yemen | No legalisation | the treaty of 6 December 1985 between the USSR and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen on legal assistance in civil and criminal matters | not verified |
| Zambia | Legalisation | — | not verified |
| Zimbabwe | Legalisation | — | not verified |
Checked on 23 September 2026
Sources: HCCH, status table for the 1961 Convention, Russian Ministry of Justice
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