What is a Slovak apostille?
The Slovak apostille is a stamp, the form, content, and purpose of which are defined by the Apostille Convention of 1961. The apostille in Slovakia complies with international standards and confirms the authenticity of documents for use in other member countries of the Convention. Slovakia joined the Hague Convention on July 18, 2001, and the apostille has been valid since that date.
The apostille in Slovakia is placed on official documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, court decisions, diplomas, and other documents issued by state authorities. It simplifies the document legalization process, making them valid in other member countries of the Convention.
What does a Slovak apostille look like?
Photo of a Slovak apostille:
The Slovak apostille is a stamp or seal containing the mandatory details established by the Hague Convention. It can be issued as a paper stamp or an electronic document (e-apostille).
Text of the Slovak apostille
Slovak language
(Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)
1. Krajina / Country: Slovenská republika / Slovakia
2. Tento verejný dokument bol podpísaný / This public document has been signed by: ___________________________
3. Konajúci v funkcii / Acting in the capacity of: ________________
4. Pečiatka / Bears the seal/stamp of: ________________
5. Miesto / At: __________________
6. Dátum / The: __________________
7. Vydané / By: ________________
8. Číslo / No.: ____________________
9. Pečiatka / podpis / Seal/stamp and signature: ________________
Translation of the Slovak apostille into English
(Hague Convention of October 5, 1961)
1. Country: Slovakia
This public document
2. Has been signed by: __________________ (name and surname)
3. Acting in the capacity of: _________________ (position)
4. Bears the seal/stamp of:
Certified by the seal
5. At: _______________ (city)
6. Date: __________________
7. Issued by: ______________________
8. No.: ____________________
9. Seal / signature: ________________
Apostille for company documents, enterprises, LLCs, JSCs (apostille for founding and statutory documents)
Why is an apostille needed if documents from Slovakia already have an official seal and signature?
The fact is that many officials work in ministries, departments, state authorities, archives, and registry offices in Slovakia. Officials change periodically. This means there are many signatures, and they also change. To ensure the originality and authenticity of the document and avoid forgeries, it is necessary to check whether the official’s signature matches the samples of their signature. And whether they signed the document.
With such a large number of documents and officials, this is very difficult to do. It is especially challenging for officials abroad who receive your documents.
Therefore, a system was created to confirm all signatures and seals by several persons to facilitate the work of foreign officials. This also reduces the time for processing documents abroad and the waiting time for applicants. In such a system, local officials responsible for the apostille can more easily verify signatures, seals, and the documents themselves (their forms and content).
Employees with access to the internal database of signatures, seals, and document samples are also included in a special register with their signatures. However, this register is limited to a dozen signatures, samples of which are provided to partner countries or easily verified by other means.
There are two procedures for such confirmation. The first procedure is the most reliable and is called document legalization. When documents are signed by the issuing official, then the document is certified by a ministry employee (usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and finally, the last signature is verified and certified by the consulate of the country where the documents need to be submitted. Verification is carried out based on an up-to-date database (list) of signatures through a chain of three authorities (institutions, state bodies).
The second procedure is based on greater trust and bypasses one authority, usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this case, we are talking about an apostille. The apostille is a special stamp of the established form that significantly simplifies the procedure for recognizing documents of one state in the territory of another.
Why get an apostille if Slovak documents can be verified online?
Online document verification systems are a new solution for checking the authenticity of documents. It can be said that such systems are still in the testing phase. And their work needs to be improved.
When governments and society are ready for such a document verification system, the need for an apostille will likely disappear.
However, many officials will have access to such a system. And this again raises the issue of a large number of signatures and their relevance.
Can an apostille be obtained at a Slovak consulate?
According to the Hague Apostille Convention, the apostille stamp for Slovak documents cannot be obtained at a Slovak consulate. And this does not depend on the country where the consulate is located, be it Ukraine, Italy, Germany, and so on.
Is there an electronic apostille in Slovakia – E-apostille?
Slovakia has also introduced an electronic apostille system (e-apostille), which allows for online verification of document authenticity. The electronic apostille contains a unique number and a QR code that can be verified on the official website of the authorized body.
The electronic apostille allows for the certification of birth and marriage certificates, medical documents, court rulings, and other documents for use abroad. By launching this innovative electronic service, Slovakia became one of the member countries of the Hague Convention to implement the e-apostille program.
The electronic apostille register was developed to combat fraud and abuse. Using the electronic apostille register, any interested party can visually verify the apostille and the scanned document.
How to verify an electronic apostille?
The apostille is verified by the apostille number and date of issue (the apostille has a unique number and date of issue). This information must be entered into the appropriate fields on the web page. When the search button is pressed, a window opens where you can see the apostille and the apostilled document.