Attesting Greek Documents (FAQs)

Yes - Greece is a member of the Apostille Convention.

Greek documents can be legalized for use abroad with an Apostille Stamp when destined for other signatory countries without additional certification by the destination country.

When Greek documents are required for non-apostille countries, such as United Arab Emirates - Taiwan - Malaysia - Thailand - Zambia - Qatar they need additional authentication by the embassy of the destination country.

For further information see:
Greece Apostille Services

Submission within the European Union
Certain Greek documents do not require Apostilles when they are presented to authorities of other European Union countries (the receiving authority should accept the original or a certified copy).

When applying for certain public documents, a multilingual standard form may be requested to accompany the original. A multilingual standard form must always be issued and signed by a Greek authority, providing a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority to understand a public document which is in a language not accepted by the receiving EU country.
See: EU Multilingual standard forms

Greek documents not requiring Apostilles include birth, death, marriage certificates, absence of a criminal record (a clean criminal record of a Greek citizen), certificates of nationality and residence:
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/1191

Other Greek documents, including academic certificates, still require Apostille certification and certified translation to be valid in other EU countries.

Multilingual certificates of no impediment to marriage
Greek certificates of no impediment to marriage are exempt from any formality for submission to the following countries (Munich CIEC Convention):
Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey

Exceptions to Apostille Convention (Greece)
Greece has objected to the accession of certain States to the Apostille Convention (including Peru, the Philippines, Tunisia and Uzbekistan), so that the Convention does not apply between Greece and these States. Documents required for these states may also require additional attestation by the embassy of the recipient embassy in Athens.

Apostille stamps can be obtained for documents issued in Greece signed by a public official, including:

• Certificates of civil and marital status (Greek birth, death and marriage certificates)
• Criminal Record Certificates issued by the Ministry of Justice or Court of First instance
• Certified copies of judicial documents
• Extracts from official registers (commercial and trade registers, asset registers, intellectual property registers, population registers)
• University diplomas and transcripts, and school certificates

Other documents, such as powers of attorney, can be authenticated with an Apostille when certified by a Greek notary.

To confirm whether your document is eligible for apostille authentication in Greece, please contact us and we’ll check your document free of charge. For further information about our Greek apostille services and for assistance obtaining official copies of Greek documents, see:
Greece Apostille Services

Apostille stamps for Greek birth, marriage and death certificates can be obtained from the Decentralized Administration covering the Municipality where the certificate was issued (Decentralized Administrations of Attica, Thessaly – Central Greece, Epirus – Western Macedonia, Peloponnese, Western Greece and Ionian, Macedonia and Thrace, Aegean, Crete).

To obtain a paper Apostille or for legalization to use in non-apostille countries, marriage, death and birth certificates must be issued on paper directly by the competent Municipality and not through the Citizens Information Centre (KEP).

Submission within the European Union
Greek certificates of civil status (marriage, death and birth certificates) do not require an Apostille stamp when required for submission in another Member State of the European Union. For further information, see:
Regulation (EU) 2016/1191

Exceptions to Apostille Convention (Greece)
Greece has objected to the accession of certain States to the Apostille Convention (including Peru, the Philippines, Tunisia and Uzbekistan), so that the Convention does not apply between Greece and these States. Documents required for these states may also require additional attestation by the embassy of the recipient embassy in Athens.

Criminal Record Certificates for persons born in Greece are issued by Court of First Instance (Public Prosecutor's Office) and can be ordered through the National Criminal Records Portal

However, if a paper apostille is needed or if the certificate is for use in a non-apostille country (requiring legalization by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the recipient embassy in Athens), it must be signed and stamped by the Criminal Records Department that issued it.

Criminal Record Certificates for people born outside Greece are issued by the Ministry of Justice (Independent Criminal Records Department).

Apostille Stamps on Greek documents not requiring any prior certification are normally obtained in 3-5 business days

When a physical paper Apostille stamp is required, or if the certificate is required for submission to a non-apostille country, then an original paper certificate is necessary, issued directly by the competent Municipality.

When a physical paper Apostille stamp is required, or if the certificate is required for submission to a non-apostille country, then an original paper certificate is needed, signed and stamped by the Criminal Record Department that issued it or signed by an officer of the Ministry of Justice.

Apostille stamps in Greek university diplomas and transcripts can be obtained from the Decentralized Administration with jurisdiction for the region where the university is based. Copies must be provided certified by the President or other authorized official.

Documents from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens must first be authenticated by the Directorate of Education of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Documents from the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences must be signed by the Rector or authorized Vice-Rector.

Apostille stamps for Greek school records can be obtained from the Decentralized Administration with jurisdiction for the region where the school is based. Certificates from primary or secondary educational institutions must be certified by the Head or Deputy of the Primary or Secondary Education office overseeing the school.

Powers of Attorney certified by a Greek notary public can be authenticated for use abroad with an Apostille Stamp issued by the regional Court of First Instance. Notarized powers of attorney required for non-apostille countries (such as the United Arab Emirates) must be authenticated by the Court of First Instance, then legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassy of the recipient country in Athens.

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Greek birth, death and marriage certificates can be obtained from the Municipality where the birth, death or marriage took place. Digital certificates can be ordered from the Citizens Information Centre (KEP) but are only valid for e-apostilles and cannot be legalized at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for subsequent embassy attestation.

Original university diplomas or copies certified by the School can be submitted directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then be attested by the embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Athens.

Original university diplomas or copies certified by the School can be submitted directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then be attested by the embassy of Vietnam in Athens.

Original university diplomas or copies certified by the School can be submitted directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then be attested by the Taipei Representative Office in Greece.

Greek university diplomas required for submission to Saudi authorities can now be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp and no longer require attestation by the Saudi embassy, Apostille stamps can be obtained from the Decentralized Administration with jurisdiction for the region where the university is based. Copies must be provided certified by the President or other authorized official.

Greek university diplomas required for submission to Chinese authorities can now be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp and no longer require attestation by the Chinese embassy, Apostille stamps can be obtained from the Decentralized Administration with jurisdiction for the region where the university is based. Copies must be provided certified by the President or other authorized official.

Apostilles are not required when submitting Greek certificates of marital status to the authorities of another Member State of the European Union.

A multilingual standard form may be requested to accompany the original. A multilingual standard form must always be issued and signed by a Greek authority, providing a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority understand the certificate when in a language not accepted by the receiving EU country.

EU Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (EU GDPR)

Apostilles are not required when submitting Greek Multilingual certificates of no impediment to marriage issued to the authorities of a country that has acceded to the Munich CIEC Convention. Members of the Munich CIEC Convention are as follows:
Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey.

Apostilles are not required when submitting Greek Criminal Record Certificates to another Member State of the European Union when the certificate is issued to a Greek national and when the criminal record is clean (no convictions). In other cases, the recipient Member State may require an Apostille.

EU Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (EU GDPR)

Apostilles are not required when submitting Greek birth, death and marriage certificates to the authorities of another Member State of the European Union. A multilingual standard form may be requested to accompany the original. A multilingual standard form must always be issued and signed by a Greek authority, providing a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority understand the certificate when in a language not accepted by the receiving EU country.

EU Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (EU GDPR)

To be valid for an Apostille, Greek criminal record certificates should be no older than three months.

Documents issued by embassies or consulates and foreign diplomatic authorities in Greece can be authenticated by the Authentication Department of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Apostilles on Greek Criminal Record Certificates issued by Ministry of Justice (persons born outside Greece) are obtained from the Decentralized Administration (Decentralized Administrations of Attica, Thessaly – Central Greece, Epirus – Western Macedonia, Peloponnese, Western Greece and Ionian, Macedonia and Thrace, Aegean, Crete). Certificates must bear the original signature from the Independent Criminal Records Department.

Apostilles on Greek Criminal Record Certificates issued to persons born in Greece can be obtained from respective Court of First Instance.

Greece issues e-apostilles on certain certificates issued from gov.gr. or that have been issued by a Citizen Service Centre (KEP) / Municipality from October 2023. Gov.gr documents that have been issued following an electronic gov.gr application to a Citizen Service Centre (KEP) are not eligible for e-apostille. Greek e-apostilles are issued in Greek, English and French.