An Apostille is a form of certification for public documents under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. It certifies the authenticity of the signature, the capacity of the person who signed and, where appropriate, the seal or stamp; it does not certify the document’s content.
An Apostille does not certify the content of a document. It certifies the authenticity of the signature, the capacity of the person who signed and, where appropriate, the seal or stamp on the document.
An Apostille may apply to birth and marriage certificates, education documents, notarial, company and other public documents when the 1961 Hague Convention applies and no exemption from certification is available.
Before processing, we review the document and clarify the destination country. If the client provides instructions from the receiving authority, we take them into account.
We help determine the sequence of services: translation, notarisation, Apostille or document legalisation.
PFAT assesses the document and prepares it for submission. Since 1 July 2019, apostilles for public documents in Latvia are issued by sworn notaries. Requirements can vary by country and receiving authority, so also check the current procedure in the official sources.
We help prepare personal, educational, legal and company documents for translation, certification and submission in Latvia or abroad.
Three things must be considered separately: certification of the signature and seal by apostille, the document's use abroad and the language of the text. This determines which step is actually required.
Certifies the authenticity of the signature, the capacity of the person who signed and, where appropriate, the seal or stamp on the public document.
May be required when the Apostille procedure does not apply and document legalisation is needed.
Makes the document understandable to the recipient, but on its own does not replace an apostille or legalisation.
An Apostille certifies the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the public document has acted and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp. It does not certify the document’s content. Translation, document form and submission requirements are separate questions.
Suitable for Hague Convention countries and public documents.
Needed when the institution doesn't accept the document in its original language.
It may be required when the Hague Apostille procedure does not apply to the destination country and no exemption exists.
After the definition, the practical details are the document type, destination country, receiving authority and submission format.
We distinguish apostille from translation, legalisation and notarial certification.
No. If the institution does not accept the document’s language, a translation may also be needed.
No, requirements differ by country and institution.
An Apostille confirms the authenticity of a public document for use in countries applying the Hague Convention.
Yes, a photo or PDF is enough for the first assessment, although the original may be required later.
Part of the preparation can start remotely after reviewing a photo or PDF of the document. If the original is required, we explain it before the next step.
The correct order depends on the destination country and the receiving institution. We check whether apostille, translation, notary certification or legalisation should come first.
Attach a photo or PDF and we will provide the price, processing time and service list for your document.
