Apostille and legalisation are terms encountered by people dealing with official matters abroad. We explain what they are, when they are required and how they relate to sworn translation.

What is an apostille?

An apostille is a special stamp or certificate confirming the authenticity of an official document — it is required when a document issued in one country is to be used in another country. The apostille system was introduced by the Hague Convention of 1961.

Apostille and sworn translation — which comes first?

The order matters: apostille first, then sworn translation. The sworn translator translates the document together with the apostille as a whole.

💡 If you have a foreign document with an apostille and need a sworn translation into Polish — send us both documents. We will translate them together.

Apostille vs. legalisation

Apostille — used for countries that are members of the Hague Convention (USA, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Poland and many others).
Legalisation — used when a country is not a member of the Hague Convention.