Greece Apostille Service

Certify documents issued in Greece for official use in the United States and abroad.

Certify documents issued in Greece for international use
Apostilles in Greece can be obtained to authenticate official Greek documents such as birth, death and marriage certificates, Criminal Record Certificates, university diplomas and transcripts, and extracts from official registers.

Greek Apostille stamps are generally issued by the Secretary of the Decentralized Administration with jurisdiction for the region where the document was issued. Apostilles on judicial and notarized documents (including Criminal Record Certificates issued to Greek citizens) are issued by the respective Court of First Instance.

  • Greek Apostille Stamps are normally obtained in 3 - 5 business days
  • Documents needed for submission in non-apostille countries are legalized by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will then require additional legalization by the embassy of the recipient country. We work with all major embassies in Athens, including the embassies of Qatar, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates and the Taipei Representative Office

Right arrowFAQs - Greece Apostille Services

Right arrowGet a Quotation to Apostille Greek Documents

Right arrowCertify international documents for use in Greece

Greek Documents that can be authenticated with Apostille Stamps

  • Apostille Greek civil status certificates - birth, death and marriage certificates.

    Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates

    Apostilles are available for Greek birth, marriage and death certificates issued directly by the competent Municipality bearing a physical original stamp and ink signature. Certificates that have been issued by the Single Digital Portal (Gov.gr) may be valid for a digital Apostille (e-Apostille), but cannot be used if the Apostille is needed on paper. Certificates to be used for non-apostille countries, requiring legalization by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, must be issued directly on paper by the competent Municipality and will require pre-certification by the Ministry of Interior.
  • Apostille Greek criminal record certificates

    Criminal Record Certificates

    Greek criminal record certificates issued to persons born outside Greece are issued by the Ministry of Justice and cannot be older than 3 months. Certificates must carry the original signature of the Independent Criminal Records Department. Apostilles for Criminal Records issued by the Ministry of Justice to Greeks born abroad or to non-Greek citizens are obtained from the Decentralized Administration.
    Apostilles on Criminal Record Certificates issued to citizens born in Greece are issued by the respective Court of First Instance.

  • University and School Certificates

    Greek University Diplomas and Transcripts can be authenticated by the Decentralized Administration with jurisdiction for the region where the University is based. Copies of diplomas and transcripts must be certified by the President or other authorized official.
    Documents from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens must first be authenticated by the Directorate of Education of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Documents from the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences must be signed by the Rector or authorized Vice-Rector.
    Certificates from primary or secondary educational institutions must be certified by the Head or Deputy of the Primary or Secondary Education office overseeing the school (bearing the genuine signature of the Principal).
    Documents from public or private Vocational Training Institutes (I.E.K.), second-chance schools, adult education centres, and Greek language proficiency certificates, as well as documents from EOPPEP, and OEEK must be certified (originals or true copies) by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs.

  • Notarized Documents

    Documents certified by a Greek notary can be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the respective Court of First Instance, including powers of attorney, affidavits, contracts, share transfers, wills, etc. Documents required for non-apostille countries, such as the United Arab Emirates or Qatar, require subsequent legalization by the Greek Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then attestation by the embassy of the recipient country in Athens.

  • Company documents

    Apostilles can be obtained for excerpts and copies of acts and data registered in the Obtain certified copies of General Certificates, Initial Certificate of Company Filing, Detailed Certificates of Representation, Certificates of Current Representation. General Commercial RegistryExternal link (opens in new tab) and for certified copies of Certificates of registration and representation.
    Apostilled can also be obtained for copies of board meetings minutes issued by the President of the Company or by any other person authorized by the Company’s Articles of Association, as well as digitally signed documents issued by Chambers of Commerce.
  • Apostille Greek certificates of origin, GMP compliance and certificates of origin

    Trade documents

    Apostille Greek certificates of origin, certificates of free sale, commercial invoices, product health certificates, GMP certificates and other trade documents

  • Certified Translations

    Greece does not issue Apostilles to authenticate translations. If a certified translation of a Greek document is required for submission abroad, it is generally advisable to carry out a certified translation in the destination country. If a Greek document is being submitted for attestation by a foreign embassy in Athens, unless the embassy has its own list of translators, a certificate from the Bar Association could be attached to the translation, certifying the translator’s professional capacity.
    Isarey offers certified translations from Greek in most major destination countries, including Spain, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, the UK and United States.
    Right arrowCertified translations in Greece
  • Medical certificates Documents requiring apostille stamps from university, public, and military hospitals must first be authenticated by the issuing institution's Secretary’s Office. Documents from private hospitals must be authenticated by the Medical Association to confirm the doctor's signature. Documents from Health Centres must be signed by the Unit Officer.

Examples of Greece Apostille Stamps

Obtaining Apostilles and legalizing documents in Greece

Isarey can obtain Apostille Stamps for your Greek documents. Our expert local team in Greece will ensure that your documents are attested securely and successfully in the shortest time. We will take care of the entire procedure, dealing with local notaries, embassies, translators and government agencies.

Isarey provides document attestation services in Greece to private, corporate and institutional clients worldwide. To find out about certifying Greek documents for use in the United States and abroad, use our online quotation form or email us a scan or description of the documents you need to certify. We will get back to you directly with a quotation and details of how to proceed:

6 steps to certify document issued in Greece

  1. Upload the documents you need attested or send them to us by email.
  2. Our experts will pre-check your documents to ensure that they are eligible for Apostille certification or consular legalization in the country where they are issued, and we’ll assist you locally in preparing them if required.
  3. We’ll send you a quotation with the total cost of the process (final price including all fees, certified translation when required and courier costs) and an estimation of how long the process will take to complete.
  4. We’ll arrange a secure courier to collect your original documents (where electronic versions are not sufficient).
  5. As soon as we receive your documents, we will confirm your order and proceed with the attestation process. Where appropriate, we will arrange certified copies for the attestation process so that we can return your originals directly.
  6. We return the attested documents to you by secure international courier.

Legalize Greek Documents

Greek documents can be legalized for cross-border use by means of Apostille Certification or Consular Legalization

Apostille Certification

An Apostille Stamp is a simplified procedure of international attestation. When affixed to documents, Apostilles are directly recognised by the authorities of over 120 countries (Signatories of the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents Hague Apostille ConventionExternal link (opens in new tab)) as certifying the document’s validity, without requiring additional certification.

Since Greece is a signatory to the convention, Isarey can assist by obtaining Apostille Certification for Greek documents so that they are valid for official use in other signatory countries, including: ES SpainSpain - IT ItalyItaly - PT PortugalPortugal - CY CyprusCyprus - FR FranceFrance - SA Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia - DE GermanyGermany - CN ChinaChina

See additional notes below

Consular Legalization
Consular Legalization is required when a document from Greece is to be used in a non-signatory country. In this case, following authentication by authorities in Greece, the document must be certified a second time in Greece by the embassy representing the country where the document is to be used.

Countries which do not recognise Apostille certification and require consular legalization include: AE United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates - QA QatarQatar - TH ThailandThailand - TW TaiwanTaiwan - VN VietnamVietnam

European Union

Submission within the European Union
Certain Greek documents do not require Apostilles when they are presented to authorities of other European Union countries (the receiving authority should accept the original or a certified copy).

When applying for certain public documents, a multilingual standard form may be requested to accompany the original. A multilingual standard form must always be issued and signed by a Greek authority, providing a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority to understand a public document which is in a language not accepted by the receiving EU country.
See: A multilingual standard form is a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority to understand a public document which is in a language not accepted by the receiving EU country. EU Multilingual standard formsExternal link (opens in new tab)

Greek documents not requiring Apostilles include birth, death, marriage certificates, absence of a criminal record (a clean criminal record of a Greek citizen), certificates of nationality and residence:
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 on promoting the free movement of citizens by simplifying the requirements for presenting certain public documents in the EU Regulation (EU) 2016/1191External link (opens in new tab)

Other Greek documents, including academic certificates, still require Apostille certification and certified translation to be valid in other EU countries.

Multilingual certificates of no impediment to marriage
Greek certificates of no impediment to marriage are exempt from any formality for submission to the following countries (Munich CIEC Convention):
Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey

Exceptions to Apostille Convention (Greece)
Greece has objected to the accession of certain States to the Apostille Convention (including Peru, the Philippines, Tunisia and Uzbekistan), so that the Convention does not apply between Greece and these States. Documents required for these states may also require additional attestation by the embassy of the recipient embassy in Athens.
Certified Translation

Where Greek documents are to be used abroad and where the receiving country has a different official language, a sworn or certified may also be required. Isarey takes care of any certified translations required as part of the document attestation process, ensuring that translations are carried out and certified in accordance with local regulations.

Right arrowCertified Greek Translations

A certified translation on its own only provides assurance that the translation itself is accurate and true; it does not confirm the authenticity of the original document. The original document must be legalized for a certified translation to carry equivalent legal weight.

Greece Document Resources

External resources and news about Greek documents, apostilles and certification procedures.

GR
Greece Document Resources
Birth, Death, Marriage Certificates
Guidance: When someone dies in Greece
Guidance: When someone dies in Greece
Right arrowwww.gov.uk

The process when a British national dies in Greece including registering the death, funerals and cremations, and bringing the person’s body to the UK.

Contact list of Greek municipalities - order birth, death and marriage certificates
Right arrowdocs.google.com

Greek marriage, death and birth certificates requiring a paper apostille stamp must be obtained from the competent local municipality.

Order online death, marriage and birth certificate
Right arrowwww.gov.gr

Digital birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates and certificates of family status may be ordered online (You will need your personal Taxisnet credentials). These certificates are only valid for an e-apostille and cannot be used to obtain a paper apostille or for legalization at Ministry of Foreign Affairs (certificates required for non-apostille countries and embassy attestation).

Criminal Record Certificates
Criminal Record certificates for persons born abroad
Right arrowwww.ncris.gov.gr

Greek Criminal Record certificates for persons born abroad are issued by the Ministry of Justice (Independent Criminal Records Department).

Criminal Record Certificates - persons born in Greece
Right arrowwww.ncris.gov.gr

Criminal Record Certificates for persons born in Greece are issued by Court of First Instance (Public Prosecutor's Office). Note that digital certificates are not valid for paper apostilles and cannot be legalized at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for subsequent embassy attestation - the certificate must be signed and stamped by the issuing Criminal Record Department.

Document verification
Validation of an e-apostilles
Validation of an e-apostilles
Right arrowe-apostille.gov.gr

Electronic Apostilles of The Hague (e-Apostille) verification

The above links are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; Isarey bears no responsibility for the accuracy, content or policies of external websites.

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