Documents for use in Greece (FAQs)

Documents issued in countries which are signatories to the Apostille Convention can be authenticated for use in Greece by obtaining an apostille stamp from the authorities of the country of issue. This Apostille stamp should be recognised directly by Greek 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 Greek embassy or consulate.

See Certify international documents for use in Greece

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 Greece.

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 Greek embassy or consulate. The Greek 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 Greek embassy, making it valid for use in Greece.

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 Greek authorities.

Submission within the European Union
Certain documents do not require Apostilles for submission to authorities in Greece when they are issued in another European Union Member State (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 an authority of the EU country where the public document is issued, providing a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority to understand a public document which is in a language not accepted by Greece.
See: EU Multilingual standard forms

Documents not requiring Apostilles for use in Greece include birth, death, marriage certificates, absence of a criminal record (a clean criminal record of a citizen of the issuing country), certificates of nationality and residence:
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/1191

Other documents, including academic certificates, still require Apostille certification and certified translation to be valid in Greece.

Multilingual certificates of no impediment to marriage
Certificates of no impediment to marriage should not require Apostille stamps for submission in Greece when issued by one of the following countries (Munich CIEC Convention):
Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey.

Exceptions to Apostille Convention
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 issued in these states may also require additional attestation by the Greek embassy.