How to verify a Ukrainian apostille online: which registry to use and how to spot a fake
Ukraine has no single apostille registry. A diploma apostille will not appear in the Ministry of Justice register, which has no English interface anyway. This guide shows where each apostille is checked, what the Ukrainian form fields mean and how to tell the real register from a fake.
I have worked in document legalization since 2013, and I saw the Ministry of Education apostille system from the inside at the Information and Image Centre, the state company that processes apostilles for the ministry. One verification problem comes up again and again. Someone abroad, often an employer or a university, types the number of a diploma apostille into the Ministry of Justice register, finds nothing and starts to doubt the document. Before doubting the document, check whose register you are in, because the apostille may simply sit in another authority’s records.
Which register checks which apostille
Several Ukrainian authorities issue apostilles, and each keeps its own records. Box 7 of the apostille, “by”, names the authority that issued it, so look there first.
| Document | Who issues the apostille | Where to verify it |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma, school-leaving certificate, other education documents | Ministry of Education and Science (MES) | enic.in.ua, “Verification of apostilles issued by MES”, in English |
| Birth and marriage certificates, notarized documents, archival records, court decisions | Ministry of Justice | apostille.minjust.gov.ua, Ukrainian only |
| Police (criminal record) certificate | Ministry of Internal Affairs | not in the Justice register; the certificate itself can be checked on vytiah.mvs.gov.ua |
| Migration and tax documents, everything else | State Migration Service, State Tax Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs | no online check; ask the authority that issued the apostille |
Online checks cover Ministry of Education apostilles issued from 18 January 2013 and Ministry of Justice apostilles issued from 9 November 2015. Older apostilles can only be confirmed by written request.
Checking a diploma apostille
The Ministry of Education register is run by ENIC Ukraine, the national information centre in the European ENIC-NARIC network, and it has an English page. All three fields are required, and any letters in the numbers must be typed in Latin script:
- the apostille number, box 8 of the apostille;
- the application number, printed above the barcode in the format
AZ-12345-67; - the date of issue, box 6.
If the search finds nothing, or the apostille was issued before 18 January 2013, ENIC answers written requests at centre@enic.in.ua.
Checking a Ministry of Justice apostille (the form is in Ukrainian only)
This register has no English version. The table translates the form.
| On the page | Meaning |
|---|---|
| “Пошук по номеру” | Search by number (the default tab) |
| “Номер апостиля” | Apostille number, box 8 |
| “Дата видачі апостиля” | Date of issue, box 6 |
| “Контрольний код перевірки апостиля” | Control code, printed under the apostille in the format AB-12345; only for apostilles issued from 1 March 2026 |
| “Я не робот”, then “Пошук” | Captcha, then Search |
| “Перевірка електронного апостиля” | Second tab, for uploading an electronic apostille file (.asice) |
Apostilles issued by the Ministry of Justice from 1 March 2026 also carry a QR code, and for them a successful search shows the apostille together with a scan of the document it was attached to. That gives you two extra checks. When you scan the QR code, look at the address that opens, because Ministry of Justice apostilles are verified only on apostille.minjust.gov.ua. When the register finds the apostille, compare the name, number and date on the scan with the paper in front of you. A real apostille number copied onto someone else’s document fails at this step. I explained the electronic file format in detail in Ukrainian.
How to tell the real register from a fake
On 27 August 2026 the Ministry of Justice warned about a website imitating its apostille register. The fake site’s address was apostille.minjust.gow.in.ua, with “gow” instead of “gov” and .in.ua at the end. On 29 October the ministry warned about another fake, minjust.lovable.app, adding that similar copies may appear again. In October I also came across a third site on a different domain that reproduced the register page word for word, including the contact details of NAIS, the state company that runs the register.
A convincing design is therefore no evidence. Check two things together:
- The address, letter by letter:
apostille.minjust.gov.uafor the Ministry of Justice,enic.in.uafor the Ministry of Education. - The form. The real registers ask for numbers, a date and a captcha, and the Ministry of Justice one also lets you upload an electronic apostille file. They never ask for your name, date of birth, passport, phone, email, a scan of a paper document, a password or a payment.
If you are abroad and the check fails
Before deciding the document is fake, make sure you used the register of the authority named in box 7, typed any letters in Latin script and entered the date from box 6. If it still fails, write to the authority: ENIC for education apostilles, NAIS at inbox@nais.gov.ua for Ministry of Justice ones.
You can also contact me with the apostille number, the date and a photo of the apostille. I work in Kyiv and can tell you whether the problem lies in the data, the register or the document itself.
Quick answers
- How do I verify an apostille on a Ukrainian diploma?
- Use the Ministry of Education apostille register on enic.in.ua, which has an English page. You need the apostille number (box 8), the application number above the barcode in the AZ-12345-67 format and the date of issue (box 6). Apostilles on diplomas are not in the Ministry of Justice register.
- Why can't I find a Ukrainian apostille in the Ministry of Justice register?
- It was probably issued by another authority, for example the Ministry of Education on a diploma or the Ministry of Internal Affairs on a police certificate. Box 7 of the apostille names the authority. The Ministry of Justice register only covers its own apostilles issued after 9 November 2015.
- Is there an English version of the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice apostille register?
- No. As of November 2026 apostille.minjust.gov.ua works only in Ukrainian. Enter the apostille number from box 8, the date from box 6 and, for apostilles issued from 1 March 2026, the control code printed under the apostille. Then tick the captcha “Я не робот” and press “Пошук” (Search).
Sources checked on 6 November 2026: the Ministry of Justice apostille register (apostille.minjust.gov.ua) and the Ministry of Education register on enic.in.ua (English page); Ministry of Justice and NAIS announcements on the updated register (2 March 2026); Ministry of Justice warnings of 27 August and 29 October 2026, the first as reproduced by OBOZ.UA; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs page on Ukrainian apostille authorities; the description of the criminal record certificate service on Diia, Ukraine’s state services portal. Ukrainian version of this article: Реєстр апостилів і його клони.