Living in Greece

How to get an apostille

May 14, 2007 at 21:24 ·

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I was born in the state of Louisiana. However, I live in Michigan. I have a certified birth certificate from Louisianna. I have had it for a number of years. I was born in 1950. Do I have to get an apostille from the state of Louisiana on my birth certificate?

Kat Reply:
August 16th, 2008 at 23:49

Hi E, as I say in the article, it does not matter where you live now, it only matters where the document originates. Therefore, yes you do need an apostille from LA. I believe you can apply by mail; please use the underlined link provided in the article under the heading “In America” and look up their requirements.

Well, the whole shenanigan should be enough to discourage most non-Greeks from getting married in Greece. I don’t know why they don’t simply say that only people with Greek documents can marry,as that presumably is the intent.

The Hague Convention, in “abolishing the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents” has just created a new requirement that seems to defeat its own purpose, effectively making an official document bearing the seal of the U.S. null and void in itself. The concept’s description sounds vaguely like a simplification, but in practice has quite the reverse effect. I am now caught between both U.S. and Greek bureaucracy, the combination of which require:

1. Apply for the long form birth certificate and letter of exemplification from New York by mail.
2. Upon receipt of these documents, send them back to the U.S. for Notarization.
3. Upon receipt of those documents, send the all back, once again to have an apostille applied.
4. Upon receipt of those documents, deliver all to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be translated into Greek.

All this before I can use my birth certificate in any official capacity. That certainly does take the romance out of marriage. Next they’ll be doing this with passports!

Hi V — Hello and thank you for sharing your experience. Unless they changed the rules, a relative you assign can also pick up a birth certificate and apostille a document for you, if you send them a completed application and write a letter. I realize that may not work for everyone since this relative would need to live in the relevant U.S. state and have time to help.

In any case, the U.S. Embassy in Athens has a notary service for U.S. citizens with U.S. documents, which may save you one step (#2) in the process if you live near Athens (if you don’t, perhaps it’s not convenient). You can see their Web page on notary services and fees: http://athens.usembassy.gov/other_services.html

If you’re getting married, you have much more bureaucracy ahead of you. Just know that you’ll get through it and it will be worth it. Congratulations!

I think the usage in the US may differ from other countries. In the US, the apostille is used to certify that the document that has been notarized is authentic because the notary was properly authorized. So for example, a birth certificate copy would have a stamp and signature on it that it was an authentic copy, the first (county level) apostille would say the signature was of the person having the authority recited in the document and the second apostille would be at the state level and say that the person who executed the first apostille was duly authorized. If it was just a notary’s execution, the county would say that the notary was duly registered as a notary and the state level would say that the county clerk was the duly empowered clerk.

Thank you Kat for your advice. I learned that the U.S. Embassy notary service is limited and does not handle this type of document, which I have now sent to the County Clerk of New York. When it comes back, I will finally be able to send it again and finally get the Apostille.
best, -V

Hello again,
I’m here with a minor update-
Getting a notarization on a birth certificate that already has the apostille seems confusing: wasn’t the notarization already present to be able to get the apostille? (According to my information, a birth certificate can only be notarized by the county clerk of the state in which it was originally issued). I also learned that the payment procedure for doing this is especially odd. I had sent a bank check for the required amount of $3.00 (it costs about 40.00 euros to draw up such a check) and despite my request to be contacted in the event of any problem, all documents were sent back again by post with an explicit request for cash payment to be sent by mail. I have sent everything back with 3 …one dollar bills in the envelope.

Thank you, your website is a lifesaver. I am in the process of trying to register my family. My Grandfather was born in Greece. My question is how do I obtain the apostille. There isn’t an underlined one on America to go to on this article. Do I need the apostille for EVERY document. I will be sending all of my grandfathers info. Greek born. and my fathers and mine and my kids. So an Apostille for every birth certificate and marriage cert. and baptism form? Thanks. Melissa

Kat Reply:
August 25th, 2009 at 20:50

The article is clear, but I’ll still answer your question. Every document that was issued outside of Greece and will be used internationally needs to have an apostille. Since your grandfather was born in Greece, any docs pertaining to him that were issued in Greece are fine ‘as is.’ If you, your father and your children weren’t born in Greece and don’t have documents issued in Greece, but you intend to use them to register and claim citizenship in Greece, you need to apostille them all.

There was once an underlined link for the USA, but all federal websites are archived and started from scratch when there’s a partisan change, such that occurred in the last election. The page I had linked is gone and hasn’t bee replaced to date (new list added 2011). State/local government websites stay relatively the same, so you need to look up the county/district website that applies to where your U.S. docs were issued. For example, if you were born in Brooklyn, you’d need to seek out the relevant office in Queens county to issue an apostille. If your children were born in Oakland, California, you’d need to get an apostille from the Alameda county office.

I’m writing to ask if a couple from the UK wants be get married in California, is an apostille required for their marriage to be legal in the UK?

Kat Reply:
May 12th, 2010 at 01:10

According to the official UK government website, you cannot register an overseas marriage. See “Overseas marriages and civil partnerships” and “Depositing marriage and civil partnership documents from overseas.” I found these by doing a simple Google search.

As my article explains, an apostille is required to certify the authenticity of a foreign document for international use. Therefore, it may be required in other bureaucratic processes, but the instance in which you inquired isn’t one of them.

As an electronics engineer who designed computer chips, seeing how these incompetent bureaucrats think and operate with their old stupid anachronisms, creating make-believe work out of nothing instead of modernizing and moving forward, they are moving backwards.

They look like animals with 4 back feet trying to get somewhere but never getting anywhere. We have the technology to fake every stupid document, and they would never find out because they are not crosschecking to see if these documents are real or fake.

US corporations get documents from colleges directly to avoid fraud.

In an world where information should be moving at the speed of light, countries that are still dealing with paper are cutting every green oxygen producing tree and destroying the environment. We can move trillions of dollars by wire but not official documents.

If anyone wants to go to Greece and deal with its bureaucracy, I will pay his one-way ticket provided he will not return.

Kat Reply:
May 20th, 2010 at 17:43

Hi Jim,

I apologize for my late response. You make a very good point. Greece is known as a destination where people can obtain fake documents, and there is a lot of unnecessary paper shuffling and loss of files. As you said, what a waste of time, money and trees.

Bureaucracy could be simplified by embracing technology, but people need to have skills to operate, maintain and repair it. I don’t know how this country can go forward when the majority of people cannot operate a computer, ADSL penetration in Greece is frighteningly low, and we don’t even have competent staff for hospitals.

Other countries solved this problem by repatriating their diaspora and embracing immigrants, but I don’t see it happening here. Xenophobia is still on the rise, and a recent study by the University of Macedonia in Greece found that 84.1 percent of Greeks abroad prefer to stay there.

Thanks so much for your comment.

Question about Apostille:

Hello
I understand that the document(s) I am taking to Greece (birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificate) need to be translated, which I have done, and have also received my “stamps” of approval from the Greek Consulate here in LA. I have also obtained an Apostille for each document… my question is does the Apostille ITSELF need to be translated as well? Or is it ok in English ? Thanks in advance for any clarification you could provide… Also, one more question ! I will also be taking my baptismal certificate with me, which I can have translated and also “stamped” from the Greek Consulate… however I cannot obtain an Apostille for it as the Sec of State does not notarize priests… any advice on this matter as well?

Kat Reply:
January 25th, 2011 at 02:03

Regarding the first question about the apostille letter needing to be translated to Greek, it does. I don’t expect you to know this, but I say so in “Official Translations to Greek” where I mention that a separate form is needed when requesting translation. This is sourced from my first-hand experience.

Based on your second question and a similar one left on a different post on the same day, I concluded that the wording needed to be refined and so I updated the article. Baptismal and marriage certificates issued by Greek churches outside Greece need not be apostilled. Having it translated and stamped at the Greek consulate/embassy is sufficient, as it will be recognized when you come to Greece. Please see the new section Marriage and Baptismal Certificates at “Greek citizenship via ancestry.”

Thank for giving me the opportunity to update my article to answer future questions similar to yours.

Hi im from KZN Province,i wish to Apostille my proffessional documents and send them to South Korea,i got a new Job there.May you please help?i dont know where to go and where to start.i have never done this before,and its urgent.pls help

Kat Reply:
January 29th, 2011 at 19:12

Under the heading “In South Africa,” click the link and follow the instructions for getting an apostille. All best.

In Iowa, vital records with apostille may be ordered by phone.
http://www.idph.state.ia.us/apl/vital_records_info.asp

In one case a fax of an ID was required. When ordering by phone, you can request that the records be sent across the hall to the Secretary of State’s office for an apostille. Two charges will be made to your Visa or Mastercard and in about a week the certificates and the apostilles will arrive. You must attach the apostille yourself.

Selfserve photocopiers at major photocopy/shipping chains make two sided color copies which could be take in to the consulate to be stamped as true copies of the original.

Many states contract with a company. It requires an extra fee, does not seem to have an option to add apostille, but ordering can be done through the web.

I was wondering if anyone could help. I have to obtain a Apostille for our marriage license to be recognized in California. I attempted to call our Greek Agency but they are closed.

My husband and I were married in Corfu (Kerkyra) Greece, July 3, 2010. We had an Orthodox wedding, and all legal paperwork filed in Greece. But not at home in California.

We need for our marriage license to be valid and recognized in California. We have official (& notarized) the Marriage Certificate which has been registered with the Preficture /County of Kerkyra. Last time I spoke with the State of CA they wanted an Apostille (certification) from Greece. We have a an official certified copy of the marriage certificate, and it is stamped that it is registered with Nomarhia of Corfu, signed & stamped.

Now how do I go about getting an Apostille from Greece as requested by the State of California when I am not in Greece? I contacted several agencies all in California whom have told me I need to get this from someone in Greece. (Who?) How? what can i do it has been more than 400 days, and I have not had my marriage recognized by California and I would like to be done with this paperwork.

Thank you in advance !!

Kat Reply:
August 11th, 2011 at 01:08

A marriage conducted and registered/certified in Greece is also recognized as a valid marriage in California, USA. It doesn’t matter how many days pass. All an apostille does is authenticate a foreign document for international use. It does not make your marriage suddenly valid or more valid in another country.

I already explain in the article above on how to get an apostille for documents originating in Greece under “In Greece.”

Hi there and thank you for the response, our county (Alameda county) has requested a Apostle from greece. You have indicated that the marriage is certified in Greece and recognized by the USA, and so I do not understand why it is still being requested? Is there something that i am not understanding?

They have asked us to bring in an Apostile, to be registered in our county as a legal marriage. So I am really having a hard time figuring out what my missing piece is, and how i can obtain it. I truly appreciate your response and your help, as I have called the consult and even metropolis and get conflicting info.

I would like to wrap it all up so any help is truly appreciated. I am just looking for my wedding to be legal =)

Kat Reply:
August 23rd, 2011 at 22:04

I believe the main issue is misunderstanding terminology.

For whatever reason, you still think your wedding/marriage wasn’t legal. You got married in Greece, the marriage was registered and certified in Greece. It’s legal. A legal marriage in Greece is recognized as a legal marriage in the USA.

An apostille doesn’t certify or recognize your marriage as legal. An apostille authenticates your marriage certificate from Greece (a foreign document) for international use (for use outside of Greece). Authentication is not the same as certification — look it up in the dictionary — but you keep using them as if they’re interchangeable.

Alameda country is requesting an apostille on your Greek marriage certificate because the document is not American. It’s foreign. That’s it.

As it says in the article above under ‘In Greece,’ you need to get an apostille for documents originating in Greece either in Greece or arranged through the Greek consulate/embassy. Good luck.

I went to a Greek Embassy in Germany and they refused my American birth certificate because they said it didn’t have a “stamp” making it valid in Greece. I did have an official translation made, signed, and stamped by a lawyer in Greece.

What is this stamp on my birth certificate they are requiring me to have? Where can I get it?

Kat Reply:
September 14th, 2011 at 21:44

When you want to use a document outside the country it was issued, you need to get an apostille. So if you’re trying to use an American document outside the USA, you need to have it authenticated back in the state/county it was issued so it is suitable for international use. It’s explained above.

Further, you should have had the apostille applied first, then translated. Why? Because you need to have the apostille translated also.

Hi Kat,

Firstly I would like to say that the information on your website was greatly helpful to me.

I do require some assistance from you on my case specifically.

I was born in Canada and my Mother is Greek but born in Canada as well. My Father was born in Athens.

I was in Greece in 2006 and attempted to get my tautotita then. This is when we discovered, that even though I attended and Pediko Stathmo in Greece as a child, I did not exist in the books there. It turns out my parents had not registered their marriage, my birth, or their divorce in Greece.

So now I’m back to the beginning trying to get my documents together. I am still a bit confused on the documents that I require.

Also, If I do not remember the name of the church I was baptised in in Canada (it was a Ukranian Orthodox Church) how do I go about obtaining my Baptism Certificate?

Furthermore, I have not heard anything before about having to acquire and apostille for every document. Is this true in every case?

Would the Greek consolate in Vancouver (where I live) be the best place for me to get started/ find out where to get my documents/ apostille?

Thank you very much for your help in advance.

Elena

Also, as an addition to my post above, where would I get and apostille? Can this be done at a notary public?

Thank you!!!

Kat Reply:
November 22nd, 2011 at 07:07

a) Confused about what documents you require for what? Greek citizenship? Greek passport? Greek ID? Registering your birth, marriage and your parents divorce?
b) If you don’t remember what church you were baptized in, how can you ask me to guide you on where and how to get your baptism certificate? Further, I am not Canadian or Ukrainian Orthodox; you are. Shouldn’t you be asking Canadian authorities or inquiring with the Ukrainian Orthodox Archdiocese?
c) Apostille for what? Where you get an apostille in each country is clearly spelled out in the article above.

I’m 99 percent certain that you read “Greek citizenship by claim of Greek ancestry” based on what you said and saw that ‘Comments’ were closed. Please look at the last comment about why they’re closed and what I suggest.

Hi,

I am trying to apply for undergraduate study in Greece and am a little confused about a few things.

1) I was able to find a list of the documents required for the application on the Ministry of Education website, and it mentions that all documents need to be translated into Greek. I live near Washington DC and have read that while the Greek Embassy does not do translation services themselves, they provide a list of translators who can do the translation and then the Embassy can certify the translation. Would the Ministry of Education in Greece find this acceptable?

2) Some of the documents regarding my GPA, my transcript, etc. were drawn up at my high school and notarized as well and/or given the official high school seal (the notary said that he couldn’t notarize the transcript). Do I need to get an Apostille as well for all of these documents (and the birth certificate, etc) or is the notary seal enough?

3) At least half of the documents that are required for the application such as a certificate stating the the curriculum of my high school follows the curriculum set by the (in my case) State of Maryland of the USA had to be drawn up by the high school because they simply don’t exist in the US. Would it be possible to get an Apostille for such a document, or would it not be accepted as an official document?

4) I need to get an Ypethinsi Dilosi stating that I have never attended a University in Greece, so assuming that I can get this at the Greek Embassy or one of the Greek Consulates here in the US, would I need an Apostille for this too?

Thank you very much for your help in advance, I am trying to get all of this sorted out so that I can apply at the end of July. I have read stories of people that applied without getting any Apostille seals for any documents and their applications were accepted so I am unsure what the real “rules” are so to speak.

Alex

Kat Reply:
April 19th, 2012 at 13:56

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never been a student in Greece and no one has stepped forward to share their experience as a way to give back; this is the reason I do not have an article available. Official websites are based solely on government circulars, rarely updated and often unreliable/inaccurate in communicating what happens in real life. That’s why I started this website and insist on first-hand details.

1. Translations. You can read what I wrote in “Official translations to Greek.” Different ministries have different rules for different documents and transactions.

2. Transcripts and documents issued by a school do not need an apostille. They’re not official documents issued by a governmental body being used for official use in another country.

3. See #2.

4. A dilosi is a Greek document written in Greek. See “Certifying a dilosi for Greece.” It does not need an apostille because it is a Greek document, not a foreign (non-Greek) document being used in Greece.

Greece is a “results may vary” country. Real rules and the implementation of said rules are completely different issues and can vary according to day, person, mood, whims and who you are.

As a convenience, here is the direct link regarding Canadian Authentication of documents.

Authentication of Documents

Also, you had someone by the name of Elena comment on this article (November 22nd, 2011 at 02:15). We are in almost the same situation and city and I would like to connect with her to see if we can share information and results. Would you be able to connect us via email?

Tom

Im a filipina 50 yrs old from the Philippines, i have been into relationship to a greek guy who is a canadian citizen as well, were planning to get married this Feb 2012 in Greece, I have been in Greece just fo 8 days last Feb.2009 when im still in Italy then, but now im back to the Philippines and I want to know what would be the needed requirements for him to invite me to go to Greece for our civil wedding? what are the needed requirements for me to prepare? Is apostille the same as red ribbon which we do here in the Phil to show the legality of our papers?
Thank you so much and more power!
Mila

Kat Reply:
November 17th, 2012 at 08:52

As it says in “FAQ: Greek work and/or residence permits,” it’s not as easy as writing an invitation letter.

If you’re only coming here to get married, you need to go to the Greek embassy/consulate and apply for a Schengen visa. If you’re coming here to get married and live in Greece, there’s much more involved as explained in “How non-EU citizens get a visa and permit to move, live and work in Greece.” But that process also starts at the Greek embassy/consulate nearest you.

My article on getting married in Greece is locked, due to official and commercial websites plagiarizing it. But I assume your fiance can manage by contacting the dimos or mayor’s office to inquire on the documents and fees, as he is Greek, can speak the language and has a personal interest in helping you.

I know nothing about the ‘red ribbon’ because I’m not Filipina, nor do have I any association with the country or its government.

About Apostille Stamp for getting married
Hi,
I am a Bangladeshi citizen and I have been into relationship to a Greek girl who is now living in Thessaloniki, Greece. I have been in Greece last 25 days in February 2013 and now I am back to the Bangladesh. I intend to get married in Greece during my next visit in August 2013. As my country has no Greece embassy and my nearest Greece embassy is in Delhi, India so how can I get an Apostille stamp into my BIRTH and NO IMPEDIMENT Certificate before my visit. Can you suggest me about this and how long I have to need to get the Apostille stamp?
Best wishes and regards,
Manash

Kat Reply:
March 21st, 2013 at 14:20

As it says in the second paragraph of the article, the apostille is issued by the government where the event took place. So if you were born in Bangladesh, you get the apostille from your country (Bangladesh) for your Bangladeshi birth certificate. It has nothing to do with Greece or the Greek embassy.

The no impediment document is issued at the Bangladeshi embassy in Greece, not in Bangladesh, and requires no apostille. You cannot get it before arriving in Greece.

Just a question (cause it’s a bit confusing).
My partner was born in vietnam but she is Australian citizen.
She has ALL her papers translated in English by registered translators (NAATI). Can these translated papers bear the Apostille stamp in order to be translated in Greece (from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) or not?

Best Regards,
Nikos

Kat Reply:
February 8th, 2014 at 14:23

All documents originating outside Greece must have an apostille from the country that issued it. In her case, the apostille is issued in either Australia or Vietnam (I don’t know which because you didn’t provide enough information). I know nothing about Australia’s and Vietnam’s laws governing apostilles or whether they can be applied to translated papers.

In Greece, all documents and apostilles not in Greek must be translated to Greek by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Translation Department.

do doja te beja nje pyetje kush di ku meret vula apostile ne shqiperi ..ma kerkonje per ne gjermani per certifikate

Kat Reply:
March 7th, 2014 at 10:25

You need to get an apostille in the country where the document is issued. If the document is from Albania, you get the apostille in Albania. If the document is from Germany, you get the apostille in Germany.

The information for Germany is above in the article. In Albania, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs handles apostilles:

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Boul.Gjergj Fishta, no 6
1000-TIRANA
Albania
Telephone: +355 (4) 23 640 90 ext. 159
Fax: +355 (4) 23 620 84 / 85
Email: exteriors.gov@andorra.ad
http://www.mfa.gov.al

OR

Ministria e Punëve të Jashtme, Republika e Shqipërisë
Adresa postare : Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta, Nr 6, Tiranë, Shqipëri
Tel: +355 4 23 64 090 (+ 79 205)
Fax: +355 4 23 62 084/85
e-mail: info@mfa.gov.al
http://www.mfa.gov.al

Hi,
We’re a couple, an Egyptian male who is resident and working in Qatar and a Lebanese girl who is living in Lebanon.
We’re planning to get civil marriage in Greece in October/November 2014 and we need to know exactly what are the documentations required from our side? if you can help on that would be great.

Thanks in advance.

Kat Reply:
August 28th, 2014 at 19:28

The only assistance I offer is at “Getting married in Greece – for visitors.” Further, I do not recommend doing all documentation in Greece without help from a wedding planner unless one or both of you speaks, reads and writes fluent Greek.

Hello,
First of all thank you so much for the help you provide keeping your post updated and so clear to understand. I am Greek Argentine, I dont speak greek but I came to get married here… while I live in South Africa! So tell me about bouracracy!
Anyway, my comment is to update the address in South Africa to where to get the Apostille. You can verify this information in the official website: http://www.dfa.gov.za/consular/legalisation.htm
Physical Address

Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO)
Attention: Legalisation Section, NE2A-Ground Floor
OR Tambo Building
460 Soutpansberg Road
Rietondale
PRETORIA
0084

Thank you!

Kat Reply:
October 14th, 2014 at 17:50

Oh, thank you so much for letting me know! I made the change, which I’m sure will help others.

Wishing you happiness and many blessings!