Apostille of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek
What is a Kyrgyz apostille?
The Kyrgyz apostille is a stamp, whose form, content, and purpose are defined by the Apostille Convention of 1961. The “Apostille” stamp must be made in the form of a square seal, 12×12 cm in size, with the title “Apostille”. That is, an apostille in Kyrgyzstan is an international standard apostille stamp defined by the Hague Convention.
An international standard Apostille (including the Kyrgyz Republic) is a unique seal that confirms the authenticity of the signature, the status of the person who signed the document, and, if necessary, also confirms the truthfulness of the seal or stamp used to prepare this document.
The procedure of “Apostilling” is the process of affixing the “Apostille” seal to official documents issued in the Kyrgyz Republic, for their further use in the territories of the Hague Convention member countries.
The Apostille in Kyrgyzstan contains information only in the state language – Kyrgyz. The title of the Apostille is written in French – Apostille.
Kyrgyzstan acceded to the Hague Convention “on the Apostille” on November 15, 2010. The Apostille became effective from July 31, 2011. This means that documents obtained before July 31, 2011, cannot be apostilled. Such documents must be reissued as new sample documents.
Kyrgyzstan does not have an active Hague Convention with some member countries such as Austria, Belgium, Germany, and Greece.
This means that for these European Union countries, the consular legalization procedure will apply.
What does the Kyrgyz Apostille look like?
Photo of the Kyrgyz apostille:
As can be seen from the stamp – it is applied to the document (usually on the reverse side) by an authorized official. Also, there’s the seal of the Ministry of Justice. Both impressions are wet – usually in blue color.
Text of the Kyrgyz Apostille
Kyrgyz Language (Кыргызча апостиль коюу)
APOSTILLE
(Convention de la Haye du 5 octobre 1961)
1. Country/Өлкө
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
This public document/Ушул расмий документ
2. Has been signed by/Кол коюлду
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. Acting in the capacity of/Катарында чыккан
_______________________________________________________________________________
4. Bears the seal/stamp of/Мөөр/штамп менен күбөлөндүрүлгөн
_______________________________________________________________________________
Certified/күбөлөндүрүлдү
5. At/Shaap
___________________________________________________________________________________________
6. The Date/Датасы
________________________________________________________________________________________
7. By the authority/Күбөлөндүргөн органдын аталышы
_________________________________________________________________
8. №
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
9. Seal/Stamp/Мөөру/штампы
_________________________________________________________________________________________
10. Signature/Колу
Why is an apostille needed if documents from Kyrgyzstan already have the seal and signature of an official?
The fact is that in the ministries and departments, state bodies, archives, and registry offices of Kyrgyzstan, many officials work.
Officials change periodically. And that means there are many signatures, and they also change. To ensure the originality and truthfulness of the document, avoid forgeries, one needs to check whether the official’s signature matches the sample of his signature. And whether he signed this document.
On the scale of such a number of documents and such a number of officials, doing this is very difficult. Especially, it is even more complex for those officials who receive your documents abroad.
That’s why a system was created to verify all signatures and seals by several individuals – to facilitate the work of foreign officials. This also shortens the time for reviewing documents abroad and the waiting time for applicants. In such a system, local officials responsible for the Apostille can more easily check signatures, seals, the documents themselves (their forms and content).
Employees who have access to the internal database of signatures, seals, and document samples also fall into a special registry with their signatures. But this registry is limited to a dozen signatures, samples of which are shared with partner countries or are easily checked by other means.
There are two procedures for such verification. The first procedure – the most reliable one – is the legalization of documents. When an official signs the documents, then a ministry employee (usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) certifies the document, after which the final signature is checked and certified by the consulate of the country where the documents need to be submitted. Verification is based on a current database (list) of signatures – in a chain from three departments (institutions, state bodies).
The second procedure is based on greater trust and bypasses one department, usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this case, we’re talking about the apostille. An apostille – a special stamp of a set pattern greatly simplifies the procedure for recognizing documents of one state on the territory of another.
It should be noted that the practice of affixing a wet stamp with the Ministry of Justice seal is absent in many European countries. Often, just an Apostille stamp and the signature of the verifying official are enough. And in Europe, Apostille stamps are usually in two languages: the state language and English.
Can Kyrgyz Apostilles be verified online?
Unfortunately, as of today, it’s not possible to verify Kyrgyz apostilles online.
Is it possible to obtain an apostille at the Consulate of the Kyrgyz Republic?
According to the Hague Apostille Convention, the Apostille stamp for Kyrgyz documents cannot be obtained at the Kyrgyzstan consulate. This applies regardless of the country where the consulate is located, be it Ukraine, Italy, Romania, and so on.
How to verify an apostille on Kyrgyz documents?
The Apostille is verified by its number and the issuance date (the apostille has a 15-digit unique number (in the line under number 8) and the issuance date (in the line under number 6)). This information should be entered into the corresponding fields on the web page. When pressing the search button, a window opens where you can see the Apostille and the apostilled document.
Which documents can be apostilled?
Official documents issued within the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic and intended for use in other countries can be apostilled. This includes documents issued by government bodies, notarially certified documents, and documents with official notes, such as registration marks, visas, or signature verifications.
Original official documents (including civil status documents) issued during the times of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic and former republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics cannot be apostilled within the Kyrgyz Republic. However, on copies of documents issued in Kyrgyzstan during the USSR times, which are notarially certified in the Kyrgyz Republic, an apostille can be applied. Otherwise, you need to obtain new format documents and affix the Apostille stamp on them.
Apostilles are not applied to documents issued by embassies or consular institutions of the Kyrgyz Republic, or to documents related to commercial or customs operations. However, there are exceptions for certain documents such as founding documents, patent documentation, and documents issued by government bodies, e.g., registration certificates or licenses.
Documents that are prohibited from being exported or sent abroad, such as military IDs, identity cards or passports, are also not subject to apostillation.
Official documents issued by other countries cannot be apostilled within the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic.