Methods

How we authenticate documents

Apostille

An Apostille is a certificate issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade verifying the genuineness of the signature and/or seal of a public officer, on a public document. An Apostille may be required if you wish to use an Irish document in a country which has acceded to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents.

An Apostille can only be applied to a document by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This function cannot be carried out by Irish Diplomatic or Consular officers abroad.

Legalisation

A document may need to be Legalised if it is for use in a country which has not acceded to the Hague Convention. Legalisation is a more complicated process in which a document must:

1. Be authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade in Ireland, and,
2. Be authenticated by the diplomatic or consular mission accredited to Ireland of the country in which you wish to use the document