The Republic of Moldova is among the countries that have renounced consular legalization of documents.
The apostille in Moldova has been in use since March 16, 2007; however, Moldova joined the Hague Convention earlier.
The only country—Germany—has opposed Moldova’s accession to the Hague Convention on apostilles.
Currently, to recognize Moldovan documents in Germany, consular legalization is required for documents from both countries.
Moldovan Authorities and Apostille
The apostille in the Republic of Moldova can be affixed to new documents (that is, those obtained in the Republic of Moldova, but not in the Moldavian SSR).
The Ministry of Justice affixes apostilles to the following documents: birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce certificates.
Apostilles can be applied to both civil status documents and documents of legal entities in the Republic of Moldova.
Validity of the Apostille
Our clients often inquire about how long the apostille is valid. The apostille itself does not have an expiration date.
What matters is the document on which the apostille is affixed.
Check the validity period on the documents themselves. Typically, all authorities refer to the validity period specified on the document itself.
For example, a criminal record certificate from Moldova states a validity period of 3 months.
Sometimes, the validity period for documents is established by the receiving authorities.
An example is the case with the civil status certificate.
Keep in mind that the validity period of the affixed apostille matches that of the document.