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Legalisation is a Certification of Document Authenticity: certification of document authenticity (legalisation) means verification of signature and seal of a document. Traditionally it is performed by a Consular Officer so that documents drawn up in one country would be legally valid in another one.
1. If a document is issued in the European Union, the member states of the European Economic Zone, the Swiss Confederation and in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (except overseas territories), it does not required any additional authentications (legalisation or Apostille) for their use in Latvia.
2. If a document is issued in a foreign country which has joined the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Documents of 5 October 1961, its authenticity must be certified with an Apostille by the competent institution of the relevant country, and the document is valid for submission to Latvia’s institutions without any other certification.
3. If a document is issued in a foreign country which has not joined the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Documents of 5 October 1961, it must be by diplomatic/consular mission of Latvia in the relevant country or by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, after their authentications by the competent institutions of the relevant country (the foreign ministry or a diplomatic/consular mission of the relevant country).
4. If a document is issued in a foreign country which has concluded bilateral agreement with Latvia (Belarus, Kirghizstan, Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan) – these countries don’t need legalisation of documents, it is enough if they have Official State Seal.
Please, find more about legalisation on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia.
