The Hague Convention of 1961 entered into force for Ukraine on December 22, 2003, which cancels the requirement for legalization of documents to be valid abroad.
Documents to be used abroad on the territory of the States Parties to the Hague Convention must contain the Apostille stamp placed by the competent authority on the territory of the state issuing the document.
The ratification of this agreement abolishes the requirement of consular legalization and introduces a procedure for simplified legalization – placement of the Apostille.
This procedure is called simplified, because, on the one hand, Apostille is placed quickly enough and, moreover, by only one authorized body, and on the other hand, after the Apostille stamp has been put on a document, the document becomes valid in the territory of all Member States of the Hague Convention as of October 5, 1961.
The procedure for apostille placement on official documents drawn up on the territory of Ukraine and intended for use in other states is governed by the Regulations approved by the Decree No. 237/803/151/5 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Ministry of Justice of Ukraine dated December 5, 2003.