Legalization of documents (consulate legalization) consists of determination and certification of authenticity of signatures on documents and various deeds and compliance thereof with laws of the state of their origin.

Consulate legalization confirms authenticity of signatures of officials on documents and seals of competent state authorities as well as correctness of execution and compliance with national laws of documents sent from one state and intended for presentation in any other state. Consulate legalization of documents in the Russian Federation is regulated by the following normative enactments: Consulate charter of the USSR dated June 25, 1976 and Instruction on consulate legalization dated July 6, 1984.

Pursuant to Art. 5 of the Hague Convention the Apostil is stamped on application of the signatory of the document or any other person, presenting the document.

At present legalization of documents intended for presentation abroad consists of three stages:
1)  Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation;
2)  Department of Consulate Service of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation;
3)  Consulate institution of the country where the documents are to be presented.

Documents and deeds presented for legalization must be presented as electronic copies. Signatures of officials and seals must be exact. Spaces on documents and deeds must be crossed. Corrections and amendments shall be mentioned prior to signatures of officials and repeated in legalization certification.

In accordance with Instruction on consulate legalization the legalization of passports, IDs, work-books, military certificates, pensionary records, driver’s licenses as well as documents directly relating to commercial or customs operations (invoices, documents of border-crossing of goods, agreements on supply of goods and rendering of services, on carrying out of various works and calculations, customs declarations etc.) do not require legalization.

It must be noted that there are certain countries for which legalization is not required. Such countries include states being members of Convention canceling the requirement of legalization of official foreign documents from 1961 (the Hague Convention). Documents intended for presentation to official institutions of other states being members of the Hague Convention are certificated in accordance with the simplified procedure by means of stamping with special stamp - Apostil which does not require further certification or legalization and is accepted by official institutions of all countries being members of the Hague Convention.

Moreover legalization is not required for documents intended for states with which the Russian Federation has agreement on rendering of legal assistance (CIS countries, Greece, Spain, Serbia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Cyprus, China, Finland etc.). Such documents require only the notarized translation. However official authorities do not comply with the said agreements and require legalization of the relevant documents.

Апостиль - это специальный штамп, который в соответствии с Гаагской конвенцией об отмене требований легализации иностранных официальных документов, совершенной 5 октября 1961 года (вступившей в силу для Российской Федерации 31 мая 1992 года), проставляется на официальных документах, исходящих лишь от учреждений и организаций Российской Федерации как участника Гаагской конвенции, и не требует дальнейшего заверения или легализации, признается официальными органами всех государств - участников Конвенции.

Согласно ст. 5 Гаагской конвенции апостиль проставляется по ходатайству подписавшего лица или любого предъявителя документа.

Заполненный надлежащим образом, он удостоверяет подлинность подписи, качество, в котором выступало лицо, подписавшее документ, и, в надлежащем случае, подлинность печати или штампа, которыми скреплен этот документ.

Подпись, печать или штамп, проставляемые на апостиле, не требуют никакого заверения.