The document legalisation procedure, also known as “full authentication,” ensures that official documents issued within the territory of the Republic of Serbia are recognised abroad. This process is regulated by the Law on Legalisation of Documents in International Circulation (published in the “Official Gazette of the SFRY” No. 6/1973 and the “Official Gazette of SCG” No. 1/2003 – Constitutional Charter).
The essence of this Law is to certify the authenticity of the signature and seal on official documents. This is usually done by certifying the original copy of the document, and the translation also undergoes a legalisation procedure similar to that of the original.
- The President of the court of first instance, or a judge appointed by them, certifies the authenticity of documents issued by authorities within their jurisdiction with their signature and the court’s seal;
- The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Serbia verifies the signature of the court president and the seal on documents issued within the territory of the Republic of Serbia;
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia confirms the signature and seal of the Ministry of Justice with its own signature of an authorised person and the Ministry’s seal, using the stored signature of the person authorised to certify;
- Official documents certified in this manner are forwarded to a foreign authority (the diplomatic or consular mission of the country where these documents will be used), accredited in the Republic of Serbia.
Public documents issued by republican and provincial authorities and organisations are subject to direct authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, without prior certification by a court or the Ministry of Justice.
The procedure in accordance with the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille):
If official documents issued in the Republic of Serbia are used in countries that are parties to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, their authenticity may be confirmed by the president of the court or an authorised judge of the competent court of first instance by their signature and the court’s seal.
Notarisation under the Hague Convention is performed on the original document itself or its annex, using a special stamp containing specific data (“Apostille”).
A certificate issued in accordance with the established rules confirms the authenticity of the signature, the identity of the signatory, and the authenticity of the seal or stamp on the document. The signature and seal on the certificate (stamp) are exempt from further authentication, making the document usable in all countries that have signed the Hague Convention.
The Hague Convention does not apply to administrative documents related to commercial or customs operations, nor to documents issued by diplomatic or consular representatives.
For the authentication of documents in accordance with the Hague Convention on the territory of the Republic of Serbia, the court of first instance at the location of the authority that issued the document is competent.
Information about the countries that are parties to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents can be obtained on the website of the Hague Conference.
The Vienna Convention on the Issue of Multilingual Extracts from Civil Status Records of 1976:
Extracts from registers drawn up on multilingual forms may be used in the states parties to the Vienna Convention on the Issue of Multilingual Extracts from Civil Status Records.