Legalisation of documents
The general name for the procedures that make a Russian document usable abroad: an apostille, consular legalisation, or nothing at all under a treaty.
Legalisation in the broad sense is any way of giving a Russian document effect abroad. Three routes exist, depending on the destination country: an apostille where the country is party to the 1961 Hague Convention; full consular legalisation where it is not and there is no treaty on legal assistance; and, where such a treaty is in force, acceptance with no apostille and no legalisation at all, sometimes with a translation.
Related terms
Apostille
A stamp of a single international form confirming the authenticity of the signature, the seal and the office shown on a public document for use in another country.
OpenConsular legalisation
The chain of notary, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the destination country's consulate, in place of a single apostille.
OpenTreaty on legal assistance
A bilateral or multilateral treaty under which the documents of one country are accepted in the other without an apostille or legalisation.
Open