Do I need an apostille or legalization if a document (birth certificate, marriage certificate, diploma, etc.) needs to be submitted in one of the CIS countries, and the document was also issued in one of the CIS countries?
According to the Minsk Convention signed on January 22, 1993, documents issued in one CIS country and submitted in another CIS country do not require an apostille or legalization.
The only requirement is that the documents must have been issued in a CIS country, not during the Soviet Union era. In other words, the document must be of a new format.
Another requirement applies to diplomas and certificates. These are only accepted after the nostrification process. This means that diplomas and certificates must be validated by the relevant ministries before being submitted to one of the CIS countries.
It is common for officials to mistakenly believe that, because a country is part of the Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille is mandatory. Some officials are unaware of the Minsk Convention — the “Convention on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family, and Criminal Matters.”
List of CIS countries:
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine.
What should I do if a CIS country requires an apostille for a document from another CIS country?
Refer to the Minsk Convention signed on January 22, 1993. Many officials are not familiar with it and focus only on the list of countries in the Apostille Convention.
Is it necessary to present new-format documents issued after my country’s independence in other CIS countries?
Yes, this requirement exists in most CIS countries. It is advisable not to wait but to update your documents to the new format in advance. If necessary, for instance, for a trip abroad, you can simply send these updated documents to our bureau to have them apostilled.