Apostille is a simplified procedure for legalizing official documents for states that ratified the Hague Convention and english to russian translation on October 5, 1961: USA, Australia, EU countries, Japan, large states of Africa and South America, Caribbean islands and others.
Apostille – is a square stamp with a special sign and the heading “Apostille (Convention de la Haye du 5 octobre 1961)”. The stamp also indicates:
details of the institutions that in this case carried out the issuance and certification of the document;
serial number of the apostille;
date of affixing the stamp;
seal and signature of the certifier.
Apostille is affixed to state-recognized documents, which may include:
educational diploma or school certificate;
documents issued by the registry office, for example, marriage certificate or birth certificate;
notarial deeds.
Apostille is NOT placed on diplomatic, commercial and customs documents. This list also includes military and trade union cards, pension books (placed on notarized copies). In addition, the stamp is not placed on documents issued by an unauthorized person containing state secrets or other information, the dissemination of which is prohibited by law.
By default, the validity period of the apostille is unlimited, however, each country may have its own apostille forms and standards applied to the document. For example, in some countries the apostille on a birth certificate is valid for about 6 months, and extracts from the state register become invalid after 1 month.