Frequently Asked Questions about legalizing documents for use in Switzerland
How can foreign documents be certified for official use in Switzerland?
Documents issued in countries which are signatories to the Apostille Convention can be authenticated for use in Switzerland by obtaining an apostille stamp from the authorities of the country of issue. This Apostille stamp should be recognised directly by Swiss authorities as confirming the document’s authenticity. Countries which issue apostilles include 
United States - United Kingdom - India - Hong Kong - France - Germany - South Africa - Brazil - South Korea - Japan
Documents issued in countries which are not signatories to the Apostille Convention must be legalized in the country issue and additional by the local Swiss embassy or consulate.
How can I certify a translation of a foreign document for use in Switzerland?
A first option is to carry out a translation of the document in the country of origin. If the country of origin is a signatory to the Apostille Convention, a translation certified under local law can then be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp, giving the translation validity in Switzerland.
If the originating country is not a member of the Apostille Convention and does issue Apostilles, a local translation will need to be certified by the originating country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by the Swiss embassy or consulate. The Swiss embassy may require a translation in any case in order to attest the original document. The embassy may have specific requirements for the translation, otherwise in most countries a locally certified, sworn or notarized translation can be authenticated by the originating country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the Swiss embassy, making it valid for use in Switzerland.
Can foreign documents required for submission to Switzerland be authenticated with an Apostille?
Yes - if the issuing country is a member of the Apostille Convention, then an Apostille Stamp issued in the issuing country will be accepted by Swiss authorities.
Civil status certificates (multilingual extracts from the civil status registers)
Birth, marriage and death certificates should not require Apostille Stamps for submission in Switzerland when issued in accordance with the conventions of the International Commission on Civil and Civil Status by one of following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cape Verde, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey
Multilingual certificates of no impediment to marriage
Certificates of no impediment to marriage should not require Apostille stamps for submission in Switzerland when issued by one of the following countries (Munich CIEC Convention):
Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Spain, Turkey.
To receive a quote, you can upload your documents using our online quotation form or send us your documents by email. After reviewing your documents and requirements, we will get back to you with a quotation:
If you don’t have the documents available, just describe the documents you need to certify, and we will get back to you with an estimation of cost and delivery times.
Using our quotation form, your documents will be uploaded over a secure connection and immediately encrypted on our server. For added protection, you can upload password-protected files (PDF, Office Documents, RAR folders) and provide us with the passwords separately.
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