Is Ukraine a member of the Hague Apostille Convention?

Yes. The Convention has applied to Ukraine since 22 December 2003. A Ukrainian document with an apostille needs no further legalisation in the other countries where the Convention is in force, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, China and most of Europe. A translation may still be required.

Is attestation the same as an apostille?

For a Ukrainian document in a Convention country, the apostille replaces attestation: Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for example, says that since 9 March 2023 foreign apostilled documents need no attestation by the ministry or by Pakistan's missions abroad. In countries outside the Convention, such as the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Nigeria and Ghana, attestation means consular legalisation: the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs certifies the document, then your country's embassy does.

My country does not accept apostilles. What does my Ukrainian degree need?

Consular legalisation. The diploma is first confirmed by the education authority, then certified by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then stamped by your country's embassy accredited to Ukraine. Many countries add one more step at home, usually at their own foreign ministry.

Can I get my Ukrainian documents apostilled or attested without travelling to Ukraine?

Yes. Apostilles on education documents can be ordered remotely from the Information and Image Centre by post, and every step in Ukraine can be done by a representative. For consular legalisation the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accepts documents only by courier within Ukraine, from the owner or a representative with a notarised power of attorney.

Apostille, attestation or legalisation of Ukrainian documents: what your country needs

People who write to me from abroad use the word their own government uses, but they all mean the same thing: making a Ukrainian document valid in another country. Ukrainian law has only two procedures for this, and I have been doing both since 2013.

Apostille. One certificate issued in Ukraine. It is enough for every country that is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Ukraine has been a party since 22 December 2003.
Consular legalisation. A chain of stamps: the Ukrainian authority responsible for the document, then the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then the embassy of your country. It is needed for countries outside the Convention.

What your country calls it and what the Ukrainian document needs

As of November 2026 the Hague Conference lists 130 parties to the Apostille Convention. The table covers the countries foreign graduates of Ukrainian universities most often ask about. If yours is not here, check the status table on hcch.net: if your country is listed with an entry-into-force date that has already passed, an apostille is normally all you need. If the table shows an objection next to your country, ask me before ordering.

Country	What it is usually called there	What the Ukrainian document needs	What may follow at home
India	apostille, attestation, embassy attestation	apostille in Ukraine	for the FMGE, the medical degree must be apostilled or attested by the Indian Embassy
Pakistan	attestation (HEC, MOFA, IBCC)	apostille in Ukraine; accepted since 9 March 2023 without MOFA or mission attestation	equivalence by HEC or IBCC if your institution asks for it
Bangladesh	attestation	apostille in Ukraine (Convention in force since 30 March 2025)	as your institution requires
Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain	attestation	apostille in Ukraine (Saudi Arabia since 7 December 2022)	equivalency of the degree, if required
China	authentication, legalisation	apostille in Ukraine (since 7 November 2023)	as your institution requires
Nigeria	authentication, legalisation, attestation	consular legalisation: Ukrainian authority, Ukrainian MFA, the Nigerian embassy accredited to Ukraine	authentication at Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, if the receiving body asks
Ghana	authentication, attestation	consular legalisation	authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Accra, if asked
UAE	degree certificate attestation, MOFA attestation, embassy attestation	consular legalisation; the UAE embassy stamps after the Ukrainian MFA	attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs; for degree equivalency also Dataflow verification
Qatar, Kuwait	attestation, embassy attestation	consular legalisation	attestation by the foreign ministry at home
Egypt	legalisation, authentication	consular legalisation	equivalency at the Supreme Council of Universities for degrees
Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon	legalisation, attestation	consular legalisation	as your institution requires
Turkmenistan	legalisation	consular legalisation; the Minsk Convention stopped applying to Ukraine on 29 December 2023	as your institution requires

Two practical notes. First, words like “MEA attestation” in India or “MOFA attestation” in Pakistan refer to certifying documents issued in those countries. They are not a step for a document issued in Ukraine. Second, in Convention countries some offices still ask for embassy attestation out of habit. If that happens, ask them to put it in writing. The apostille on a Ukrainian document is designed to replace exactly that stamp.

Who issues the apostille in Ukraine

The apostille is issued by the Ukrainian authority responsible for that type of document, so a diploma and a police certificate go to different places.

Document	Who issues the apostille
University diploma, diploma supplement, school certificate, other education documents	Ministry of Education and Science; documents are processed by the Information and Image Centre (`apostille.in.ua`)
Police (criminal record) certificate	Ministry of Internal Affairs
Birth and marriage certificates, court decisions	Ministry of Justice
Anything signed by a Ukrainian notary: power of attorney, affidavit, certified copy, certified translation	Ministry of Justice
Tax documents	State Tax Service
Most other official documents	Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The same split decides the first step of consular legalisation. For a diploma the Information and Image Centre prepares a covering letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A police certificate goes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly. I described the whole chain, with the Centre’s prices for applicants abroad, in the guide to legalising a Ukrainian diploma.

An affidavit does not replace the apostille on a diploma

In some countries it is common to swear an affidavit about your degree before a notary and certify that instead of the degree itself. With Ukrainian documents this does not work. On 12 October 2026 the Information and Image Centre warned holders of Ukrainian diplomas that recognition authorities abroad increasingly send the Centre diplomas accompanied by notarised affidavits with a Ministry of Justice apostille. Some of those diplomas turned out to be forged or issued in breach of Ukrainian law.

The Centre explains why. A Ministry of Justice apostille on an affidavit confirms only the notary’s signature and authority. It says nothing about the diploma. The Ministry of Education apostille is issued only after the Centre has checked that the university issued that diploma to that person. The Centre recommends getting the Ministry of Education apostille on the original diploma. If the original is lost or damaged, Ukrainian law allows a duplicate, including when the university’s archive is in territory occupied by Russia and cannot be reached.

The embassy cannot skip the Ukrainian steps

Graduates often ask whether their own embassy in Kyiv can attest the diploma directly. It cannot. In consular legalisation the embassy confirms the signature of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the ministry confirms the signature of the authority behind the document. Without the Ukrainian stamps underneath, the embassy has nothing to certify.

Each embassy also sets its own rules: whether it takes the original or a notarised copy, which translation it accepts, whether you need an appointment or can send an agent, and what it charges. Ask before the documents leave Ukraine. Finding a stamp missing after the papers have travelled home is the most expensive mistake in this process.

If you are no longer in Ukraine

You do not have to come back. An apostille on an education document can be ordered remotely from the Information and Image Centre and sent by international post. For consular legalisation the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accepts documents only by courier within Ukraine, and only from the owner or a representative with a notarised power of attorney, so in practice someone in Ukraine has to handle that step. Then someone has to take the documents to your embassy.

That is the part I usually do for clients abroad. Before anything is sent, I check which route your country needs, whether the diploma is in the Ukrainian education database, and what your embassy asks for. How long each route takes is covered in the apostille guide and the legalisation guide.

Quick answers

Is Ukraine a member of the Hague Apostille Convention?: Yes. The Convention has applied to Ukraine since 22 December 2003. A Ukrainian document with an apostille needs no further legalisation in the other countries where the Convention is in force, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, China and most of Europe. A translation may still be required.
Is attestation the same as an apostille?: For a Ukrainian document in a Convention country, the apostille replaces attestation: Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for example, says that since 9 March 2023 foreign apostilled documents need no attestation by the ministry or by Pakistan's missions abroad. In countries outside the Convention, such as the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Nigeria and Ghana, attestation means consular legalisation: the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs certifies the document, then your country's embassy does.
My country does not accept apostilles. What does my Ukrainian degree need?: Consular legalisation. The diploma is first confirmed by the education authority, then certified by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then stamped by your country's embassy accredited to Ukraine. Many countries add one more step at home, usually at their own foreign ministry.
Can I get my Ukrainian documents apostilled or attested without travelling to Ukraine?: Yes. Apostilles on education documents can be ordered remotely from the Information and Image Centre by post, and every step in Ukraine can be done by a representative. For consular legalisation the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accepts documents only by courier within Ukraine, from the owner or a representative with a notarised power of attorney.

Sources checked on 7 November 2026: the Hague Conference status table for the Apostille Convention (hcch.net, last updated 30 June 2026); the press release of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the accession to the Apostille Convention; the FMGE October 2026 information bulletin (NBEMS); the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs “Documents Attestation” page; the Information and Image Centre notice “An Affidavit Is Not a Substitute for an Apostille on an Educational Document” (12 October 2026) and its pages on verification and legalisation (apostille.in.ua); Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs pages on legalisation and postal submission.