An apostille is a stamp or a long form certificate issued and attached by the competent authorities from a country which is party to the Hague Convention, to official documents issued in the originating country, which will be presented to authorities from the receiving country which is also party to the said Convention.

The Apostile proves the authenticity of an official document, and is meant to prevent the intention of using fake documents with the purpose to produce legal effects.

The procedure for issuing the apostille for official administrative acts issued by central or local public administration authorities, as well as by other bodies of administrative authority in Romania, which organize an activity of public interest, within the framework of strict competences established by law, is carried out through the apostille office set  up within the prefect’s institutions.

The issuing of the apostille for origina documents is free of charge and is performed by the prefect’s institution in the county in which:

• the holder of the document/one’s spouse or a 2 degree relative lives;

or

• the issuer of the document is located.

By exception, criminal record certificates and civil status certificates can be stamped at any prefect’s institution.

For more information on the apostille for original documents (addresses, working hours with the public, etc.), please visit the websites of the Prefect Institutions in Romania: https://gov.ro/en/government/organization/prefectures

For more information on the apostille for legalized copies or certified translations, please visit the website of the Notaries Union of Romania: http://www.uniuneanotarilor.ro/?p=4.3 or of the Chamber of Notaries Public on whose territory the Notarial Bureau that made the legalization functions.

The list of States signatory to the Hague Convention can be consulted at:  https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41

The list of states in which the electronic e-apostille system of online verification of the applied apostles was implemented can be consulted at https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/specialised-sections/operational-e-registers

In order to recognize the study documents and their annexes issued in Romania, and taking into account the specific requirements of each state, the following steps can be taken: