Apostille and legalisation since the 2025 reform: who issues them, how much, how long

By Keran Chaussard, administrator of the Directory of Sworn Translators of France — updated on 5 October 2026

Many websites, and still many answers online, refer you to the public prosecutor’s office at the court of appeal. This information is out of date. This page explains the procedure currently in force and how to combine it with a sworn translation, the stage at which most errors occur.

What changed for the apostille and legalisation in 2025?

Both formalities were transferred to the notarial profession by Ordinance No. 2020-192 of 4 March 2020, which came into force in 2025.

To verify signatures, notaries rely on a national database of the signatures of public authorities, supplied in particular by municipalities. It is this database that determines the processing time. The notarial profession presents the reform on its page Apostille, légalisation : explications (in French).

Should you request an apostille or a legalisation?

It all depends on the country where the document will be used.

• The country is party to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 (more than 120 States, including all EU countries, the United States, the United Kingdom, Morocco and Brazil): request an apostille. It is sufficient on its own, with no other formality. The up-to-date list of States Parties is published by the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
• The country is not party to the Convention: request a legalisation from the notarial profession. It is often followed by a second legalisation by the embassy or consulate of the destination country in France. Check with that consulate.

Between certain countries, no formality is required, under bilateral agreements or European regulations. For civil status documents circulating within the European Union, for example, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 abolishes the apostille. Always ask the receiving authority what it expects.

Which documents can be apostilled?

The apostille applies to French public documents, i.e. documents signed by a public authority:

• civil status documents (birth, marriage, death);
• court decisions and judicial documents, including criminal record extracts;
• notarial deeds;
• administrative documents, diplomas and certificates issued by a public authority;
• Kbis company registration extracts.

A document signed by an individual or a company (certificate, contract, letter) cannot be apostilled directly. The signature must first be certified at a town hall or by a notary, and it is this certification that then receives the apostille. The same principle applies to a sworn translation (see below).

Key point — a foreign document cannot be apostilled in France. The apostille is always issued by the State that issued the document: a Moroccan birth certificate is apostilled in Morocco, a Spanish document in Spain.

How to apply for an apostille, step by step

1. Check which formality is required with the foreign authority: apostille or legalisation, on which document (original, translation, or both), and in what order.
2. Create your application online at apostille.notaires.fr. Even for submission at the counter, some centres, including the Paris centre, require an application to be created online beforehand and do not accept visitors without an appointment.
3. State the destination country and upload the document.
4. Send the original if necessary. A natively digital document (signed electronically) does not need a paper copy. For a paper document, the centre asks for a certified copy to be sent by post.
5. Pay the fee online.
6. Receive the apostille, issued in electronic form by default and recorded in a national register.

How much does an apostille cost?

The fee is set by an Order of 10 April 2025. Legalisation follows the same rates.

If you send a paper document without a sufficiently stamped return envelope, return postage costs may be added, capped at €5 excluding VAT. The cost of the sworn translation and, where applicable, the certification of the translator’s signature comes on top of the cost of the apostille. For the translation, see How much does a sworn translation cost?

How long does it take to obtain an apostille?

The apostille is issued within 3 working days from the moment the necessary information is available in the signature database. If the signature of the authority that signed your document is not yet in it — for example that of a civil registrar in a small municipality — it may take longer.

In your schedule, add up the time needed for each step: obtaining the document, the apostille, the translation (at least 48 hours for a standard document, more for a rare language or a large file), then postage if the authority requires a paper copy.

Should you apostille before or after the sworn translation?

This is the point on which most files fail. There are two situations.

1. The foreign authority wants the apostille on the French document. This is the most common case. The order is then:

1. obtain the French document;
2. have it apostilled;
3. have the document and its apostille translated by an expert translator.

Having the document translated before it is apostilled often means the translation has to be redone, since the apostille, which must also be translated, did not yet exist.

2. The foreign authority also wants an apostille on the translation. The apostille does not directly certify the signature of a translator, who is not a public authority. The procedure is therefore as follows:

1. the expert translator produces and signs the translation on paper;
2. their signature is certified at a town hall or by a notary;
3. the apostille is issued on this certification of signature.

This two-step process is rarely necessary for an EU country, and never for a translation used in France. Only start it if the recipient expressly requires it.

There is one notable exception: enrolment files for Romanian universities. Romanian faculties generally require, in addition to the sworn translation, the legalisation of the translator’s signature. If you are preparing such a file, tell the translator from the outset: they will give you a signed paper original, which you will have certified at a town hall or by a notary.

Key point — when you request a quote from the translator, state the destination country and the formality required. They will then know whether to translate the apostille and whether to provide you with a paper original for certification of signature.

What are the most common mistakes?

• Contacting the court of appeal or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: they no longer handle these formalities.
• Looking for the centre “for your department”: there is no longer any territorial jurisdiction; every centre handles every document.
• Trying to have a foreign document apostilled in France: the apostille must come from the issuing country.
• Having the document translated before it is apostilled when the authority wants a translated apostille.
• Requesting an apostille on a translation without first having the translator’s signature certified.
• Requesting an apostille for a country that is not party to the Hague Convention: a legalisation is required.

Frequently asked questions

Who issues the apostille in France since 2025?

Notaries, since 1 May 2025, through fifteen apostille and legalisation centres attached to the regional councils and inter-departmental chambers of notaries. Applications are made online at apostille.notaires.fr. The courts of appeal no longer issue apostilles.

How much does an apostille cost?

€10 excluding VAT per document for an application covering 1 to 3 documents, and €5 excluding VAT per document from the 4^th onwards. For urgent processing (24 hours), the rate rises to €20 excluding VAT per document, and €10 excluding VAT from the 4^th onwards. Legalisation follows the same rates.

How long does it take to obtain an apostille?

3 working days from the moment the signature to be verified is in the national signature database, or 24 hours under the urgent procedure.

Should you apostille before or after translation?

Usually before: the foreign authority wants an apostille on the French document, then a sworn translation of the document and the apostille. If it also requires an apostille on the translation, the translator’s signature must first be certified at a town hall or by a notary.

Does the sworn translator’s signature need to be legalised?

Rarely. It is never necessary for a translation used in France, and rarely for an EU country. Romanian universities are an exception: for an enrolment file, they generally require the legalisation of the translator’s signature in addition to the sworn translation. This is done at a town hall or by a notary, on a paper original.

Can a foreign document be apostilled in France?

No. The apostille is issued by the State that issued the document. A foreign document intended for France must be apostilled in its country of origin, then translated by an expert translator registered on a French court of appeal list.

Who issues the legalisation for a country outside the Hague Convention?

Notaries, since 1 September 2025, instead of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. A second legalisation by the consulate of the destination country is often required afterwards.

Sources

• Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents
• Ordinance No. 2020-192 of 4 March 2020 reforming the procedures for issuing legalisations and apostilles
• Decree No. 2021-1205 of 17 September 2021 on the legalisation and apostille of public documents issued by the French authorities, amended by Decree No. 2024-1200 of 23 December 2024
• Order of 10 April 2025 laying down the procedures for the apostille and legalisation fee
• Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of 6 July 2016 on the circulation of certain public documents
• Notaires de France, Apostille et légalisation and Apostille, légalisation : explications (in French)

Further reading

• Legalisation, apostille or exemption: the country-by-country table
• Translating a notarial deed for use abroad: the steps to follow
• When should you request an official notarised translation?
• Is a French sworn translation valid abroad?