Attesting Austrian Documents (FAQs)

Yes - Austria is a member of the Apostille Convention.

Austrian documents required for submission to the authorities of other signatory countries can be legalized with an Apostille Stamp from the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs (Federal documents including Criminal record extracts from the State Police Directorate), the Governments of the Federal Provinces (civil status certificates, criminal record certificates issued by municipalities) or the Civil Court of First Instances without additional certification by the destination country.

When Australian documents are required for non-apostille countries, such as United Arab Emirates - Taiwan - Malaysia - Thailand - Qatar they need additional authentication from the embassy of the destination country in Vienna.

For further information about Apostille certification in Austria, see:
Austria Apostille Services

Submission within the European Union
Certain Austrian 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 an Austrian 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: EU Multilingual standard forms

Austrian documents not requiring Apostilles include birth, death, marriage certificates, absence of a criminal record (a clean criminal record of an Austrian citizen), certificates of nationality and residence:
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/1191

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

Civil status certificates (multilingual extracts from the civil status registers)
Austrian birth, marriage and death certificates) issued in accordance with the conventions of the International Commission on Civil and Civil Status should not require Apostille Stamps when being submitted to one of the following countries:

Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cape Verde, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey.

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

Documents that can be authenticated with Apostille stamps in Austria include:

• Austrian civil status certificates, such as birth certificates (Geburtsurkunde), death certificates (Sterbeurkunde) and Marriage Certificates (Heiratsurkunde);
• Criminal record certificates (Strafregisterbescheinigung) issued by municipalities of from the State Police Directorate;
• Degree certificates, diplomas and course transcripts issued by Austrian Universities;
• School certificates and records;
• Court documents;
• Company extracts from the Commercial Registry;
• Certificates and documents from the Austrian Chambers of Commerce;
• Certificates, testimonials, certificates, and notices from the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) and the Federal Office for Food Safety (BAES);
• Sworn translations certified by court translators;
• Documents, such as powers of attorney, certified copies of ID documents and passports, that have been certified by an Austrian notary.

To confirm whether your document is eligible for apostille authentication in Austria, please Contact us and we’ll check your document free of charge. For further information about our Austrian apostille services and for assistance obtaining official copies of Austrian documents, see:
Austria Apostille Services

Austrian Apostilles are usually obtained from the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs in 4 - 5 business days

Processing times to obtain Apostilles from the Governments of the Federal Provinces and Civil Court of First Instances vary by region. Additional time should be allowed for pre-certification of certain documents such as school and university records and civil status certificates issued by a municipality, a registry office or registry office association.

Electronic e-Apostilles are issued in Austria by the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs. E-apostilles can be issued for the following digitally signed documents:

• Extracts from central registers issued by a Federal Ministry
• Confirmations from health insurance providers and pension insurance providers
• Register extracts from the Patent Office
• Criminal record certificates from state police directorates
• Certificates from the Agency for Health and Food Safety, Federal Office for Food Safety (BAES), Federal Winery Inspection Authority, Federal Environment Agency and from Austrian Chambers of Commerce
• Certificates and documents from recognized public educational institutions
• Certificates from the Austrian Medical Association

Austrian documents required for submission to the United Arab Emirates must be legalized by the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs and then attested by the UAE Embassy in Vienna. Civil Status Certificates (e.g. birth and marriage certificates) will need pre-certification by the Government of the Federal Province.

Apostilles on Federal Documents, certificates issued by Austrian Chambers of Commerce, extracts from central registers issued by a Federal Ministry, Criminal record extracts from the State Police Directorate and certificates from recognized public educational institutions are issued by the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs

Apostilles to certify civil status certificates, criminal record certificates issued by municipalities, Citizenship Certificates and Certificates of public schools are issued by the Governments of the Federal Provinces:

• Burgenland (in German)
• Carinthia (in German)
• Lower Austria
• Upper Austria (in German)
• Styria (in German)
• Vorarlberg (in German)
• Vienna (in German)

Apostilles to certify sworn translations, notarial and judicial deeds are issued by the Civil Courts of First Instances.

An Austrian Apostille is a certificate that is affixed to a public document. It certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized public official in Austria and confirms the capacity of that official.

Austrian Apostille stamps are often required when submitting an Austrian document, such as a birth certificate, to the authorities of a foreign country or to a foreign embassy in Austria (for example, as part of a visa or citizenship application). Apostilles are recognised by the authorities and embassies of countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention

For more information on Apostilles, see:
The ABCs of Apostilles (PDF)

Austrian documents needed for submission in non-apostille countries require over-legalization by the Legalisation Office (Büro für Konsularbeglaubigungen) of the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs.

Document legalization (or attestation) is a procedure which authenticates a public Austrian document so that it can be submitted in another country for official or legal purposes - for example, if you need to submit an Austrian birth certificate to the authority or embassy of another country, it will often need to be legalized.

Legalizing a document in Austria certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized public official in Austria and confirms the capacity of that official.

• Because Austria is a member of the Apostille Convention, Austrian documents can be legalized by means of an Apostille Stamp when being submitted to countries that are also members of the Hague Apostille Convention
• If an Austrian document is required for a country that is not a member of the Apostille Convention, it will need to be legalized both by Austrian authorities and by the embassy of the recipient country (embassy in Austria or non-resident embassy accredited to Austria).
  See: Document legalization - Wikipedia

Isarey Certification Services provides a range of services in Austria including Apostille and legalization services, notarization services, certified translation services and document retrieval services.

You can see reviews from past clients who have used our attestation and apostille services:

• ISAREY reviews on Trustpilot
• ISAREY reviews on Google

The issuance of Apostille Stamps in Austria is governed by the Apostille Act (in German)

Extracts for births, deaths and marriages that are registered in the ZPR - Central Civil Status Register (Zentrales Personenstandsregister) can be ordered online. An ID Austria or EU login is required.

• Central Civil Status Register

Applicants with primary residence in Vienna may order copies of Austrian birth, death and marriage certificates online from the Vienna Registry Office (login with ID Austria required).

• Vienna Civil Registry

Applications can also be made at your local civil registry office in Austria. Applicants from outside Austria can contact their nearest Austrian Embassy or Consulate

• Reissuing a birth certificate
• Issuance of a marriage certificate
• Issuing a death certificate
• Municipal registry offices in Austria
• Austrian Embassies and Consulates abroad

Only original international paper birth, death and marriage certificates with handwritten ink signature are valid for Apostille stamps in Austria. Digitally signed certificates and photocopies cannot be certified with an Apostille.

Apostilles are not required when submitting Austrian certificates of marital status to the authorities of another Member State of the European Union.

A multilingual standard form may be requested to accompany the original. A multilingual standard form must always be issued and signed by an Austrian authority, providing a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority understand the certificate when in a language not accepted by the receiving EU country.

EU Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (EU GDPR)

Apostilles are not required when submitting Austrian Multilingual certificates of no impediment to marriage issued to the authorities of a country that has acceded to the Munich CIEC Convention. Members of the Munich CIEC Convention are as follows:
Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey.

Apostilles are not required when submitting Austrian birth, death and marriage certificates to the authorities of another Member State of the European Union. A multilingual standard form may be requested to accompany the original. A multilingual standard form must always be issued and signed by an Austrian authority, providing a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority understand the certificate when in a language not accepted by the receiving EU country.

EU Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (EU GDPR)

Austrian birth, marriage and death certificates (multilingual extracts from the civil status registers issued in accordance with the conventions of the International Commission on Civil and Civil Status) should not require Apostille Stamps when being submitted to countries that have acceded to the Vienna CIEC Convention. The following countries are contracting states of the Vienna Convention:
Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cape Verde, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey.

Austrian Company Extracts are available online from the Commercial Registry (with or without historical data).

• Documents from the commercial register

Online applications: Austrian criminal record certificates (Strafregisterbescheinigung) can be obtained online (login with ID Austria or EU login is required).

Applications in Austria may submitted to the State police department (Landespolizeidirektion) or police department (Landespolizeikommisariat). In Vienna, you can apply to the Police Department (Polizeikommissariat). In cities without a state police department or in a city or municipality without a police department, apply to the Mayor.

Except where applications are made online, the applicant must appear in person when submitting their application or collecting their certificate.

• Police authorities by municipality

Applications from outside Austria may be submitted to an Austrian Embassy or Consulate.

• Austrian Embassies and Consulates abroad

Special criminal record certificates (e.g. for children and youth welfare or for care and support) cannot be obtained online and will only be issued following confirmation from the employer and/or organization requesting them.

Apostilles are not required when submitting Austrian Criminal Record Certificates to another Member State of the European Union when the certificate is issued to an Austrian national and when the criminal record is clean (no convictions). In other cases, the recipient Member State may require an Apostille.

EU Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (EU GDPR)

Apostilles to certify Austrian criminal record certificate issued by municipalities are obtained from the Governments of the Federal Provinces (paper certificate with handwritten signature required). Criminal record extracts from the State Police Directorate are certified with Apostille Stamps issued by the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs.

Austrian degree certificates required for submission to the authorities of United Arab Emirates must be pre-certified by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research and then legalized by the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs. Legalized certificates can then be attested at the UAE Embassy in Vienna.

Austrian degree certificates required for submission to Saudi Arabia authorities can be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp issued by the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.

Austrian degree certificates required for submission to Chinese authorities can be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp issued by the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.

Apostilles to certify Austrian school certificates are obtained from the Governments of the Federal Provinces. Pre-certification by the Provincial Directorate of Education is required.

Apostille stamps to authenticate powers of attorney executed in Austria before a notary public may be obtained from the Civil Court of First Instance.

Translations of Austrian documents can be certified with an Apostille from the Court of First Instance when sworn by a Court-certified translator