Legalisation services

Document legalisation is a formal process that gives a document legal validity so it can be recognised and accepted in another country.

The main goal of legalisation is to ensure that a document issued in one country is officially accepted by government agencies or organisations in a different country. For example, legalisation makes a power of attorney issued in Mexico valid abroad.

There are two primary types of legalisation:

• Consular legalisation
• Apostille

Consular legalisation involves certifying the authenticity of official documents or verifying the signatures of officials authorised to certify them. In simple terms, it is the process used to legalise documents for business or official use in countries that do not participate in the Hague The Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (5 October 1961). Compared to apostille, consular legalisation is a more complex, bilateral procedure.

An apostille is a special certificate or stamp placed on official non-commercial documents issued by organisations in countries that are part of the 1961 Hague Convention. Apostille is essentially a simplified form of legalisation, done much faster than consular legalisation. An apostille stamp can be placed on original documents as well as notarised copies.

Unless international agreements specify otherwise, official documents intended for use abroad require consular legalisation.

Documents commonly legalised through the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) include:

• Bills and invoices
• Certificates and declarations
• Agreements between companies
• Foreign trade contracts
• Employment contracts for foreign nationals
• Accounting and audit reports
• Various commercial documents such as certificates and letters

According to international practice, certain documents do not require legalisation. These include originals and copies of documents with photographs like passports and identity cards, trade union cards, employment records, military IDs, pension cards, driving licences, references, and documents related to estates or religious affiliations. Additionally, legalisation is not necessary for countries that have a bilateral agreement with Russia exempting this requirement.

In Russia, the CCI handles the legalisation of commercial documents or those that cannot be notarised under typical consular legalisation procedures. After legalisation by the CCI, documents must be further certified by the embassy of the destination country.

The legalisation process by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Russia includes two steps: certification by the CCI itself, followed by certification at the embassy of the receiving country.

To legalise your documents, you will need to provide original documents or, in some cases, notarised copies.