The Apostille of The Hague Convention of October 5, 1961 is the certification that abolishes the obligation of legalisation for foreign public documents.
General Information
The Secretary of the Decentralized Administration of Attica is the competent authority for the region of Attica concerning administrative documents issued by public services, legal entities of public law (N.P.D.D.), local authorities of the first degree, and registry offices.
Administrative documents also include non-civil documents such as military, religious, and police documents. Documents issued by Independent Authorities fall within the competence of the Decentralized Administration as well.
The Hague Apostille for documents issued by authorities in the administrative region of Attica is provided by the Office belonging to the Administration – Secretariat and Citizen Information Department of the Decentralized Administration of Attica (56 Gregoriou Katechaki, Postal Code 115 25, 1st floor, Athens).
Office hours for in person attendance: 09:00-14:00 on working days (Decision of the Coordinator – Online Publication Number 107354/05-10-2022).
It is possible to send and receive documents via registered mail or courier service (if the interested party instructs so the courier service at their own expense, the documents can be collected on the same day) to the following postal address: DECENTRALIZED ADMINISTRATION OF ATTICA – APOSTILLE CERTIFICATION OFFICE – 56 GEORGIOU KATECHAKI – POSTAL CODE 115 25 – ATHENS.
The number of documents to be submitted, their type, and the destination country must be stated.
PHONE NUMBERS: 2132035 693 – 694 – 702 – 703 – 778
EMAIL ADDRESS: xagi@attica.gr
The above types of documents do not include those under the jurisdiction of the elected region. The documents issued by the Region of Attica are marked with The Hague Apostille by the Region of Attica: 80-88 Syggrou Avenue, Syggrou-Fix Area, 3rd floor, phone numbers: (213) 2065069 – 073 and (213) 2065166. Website: http://www.patt.gov.gr/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17931&Itemid=755
Also not included are judicial and notarial documents. Certified copies of judicial documents issued by the Athens Court of First Instance (not mere photocopies), certified copies of judicial documents issued by the District Courts under the jurisdiction of the Athens Court of First Instance, bearing the signature of the Secretary duly certified by the President of the District Court, certified copies of judicial documents issued by the Athens Court of Appeal, Prosecutor of the Court of Appeal, Arios Pagos (Supreme Court of Cassation), and Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation (Arios Pagos), bearing the signature of the Secretary duly certified by the respective President or Prosecutor, are authenticated by the Athens Court of First Instance (former Evelpidon School, Nea Kipseli, building 6, office 108, phone number: (210) 8841618, preceded by a revenue stamp of three euros (€3)). Opening hours: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM daily. Website: http://www.protodikeio-ath.gr. The same procedure is followed For judicial documents of Piraeus. Contact the Piraeus Court of First Instance (3-5 Skouze Avenue and Filonos, Piraeus, office 628 – 6th floor, operating hours: 07:00 AM – 03:00 PM, phone numbers: 2132157206. Website: https://www.protodikeio-peir.gr.
Documents issued by the Administrative Court of First Instance, the Administrative Court of Appeal, and the Council of State are authenticated at the Administrative Court of First Instance (85 Louizis Riankour Street, Ampelokipi, phone number: (210) 6962363). In order for authentication to be granted to documents issued by the Administrative Court of Appeal and the Council of State, the Secretary’s signature must be duly certified by the respective Head of the court.
For every judicial public document, pursuant to decision number 47999 (Government Gazette 1399/B/07-6-2013), a fee of 10 Euros (€10) is imposed, along with a duplicate receipt of Type B for the affixation of the Apostille Stamp of the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961. This fee is issued exclusively online through the e-Paravolo electronic service of the General Secretariat for Information Systems (GSIS) of the Ministry of Finance. Additionally, a revenue stamp of three Euros (€3) is required.
For documents originating from the Military, Naval and Air Force Courts of the Region of Attica, jurisdiction falls within our agency.
Registry deeds and Certificates originating from Registries and Municipal Offices of the Prefecture of Attica, as well as from the Special Registrar’s Office of the Ministry of the Interior, are authenticated by the Decentralized Administration of Attica.
NOTE:
For electronic documents issued through the Unified Digital Portal of Public Administration (gov.gr – ΕΨΠ), jurisdiction lies with the Ministry of Digital Governance, and our agency is NOT involved.
Here is a list of countries that have acceded to the international Hague Convention
List of countries where the Hague Apostille Stamp is issued
To grant the Hague Apostille Stamp, it is necessary to have a sample of the signature or monogram of the signatory of the public document from the competent authority for granting the certification. The signature must be original and not pre-printed or stamped. The public documents must always be the originals or true copies – true photocopies issued by the issuing or supervisory (where provided for) authority, complying with all the requirements stipulated by the law. True photocopies received via fax or Certificates from the National Civil Registry or through the Unified Digital Portal of Public Administration (gov.gr) are not accepted.
The certification of a document does not constitute a renewal, subsequent issuance, temporal extension, or prolongation of the original validity, but solely a reproduction of the original.
The duration of validity of documents submitted for authentication is determined by the legislation and the specific provisions or circulars applied by the issuing authority.
The authentication does not have an expiration date. The authenticated document remains valid as specified and is not reproduced.
The Apostille certifies the signature, capacity of the signatory, and possibly the stamp on the document. It does not certify the content of the document for which it was issued.
The acceptance and evidentiary value of public documents with an Apostille are subject to the legislation of the country of destination.
Documents bearing electronic authentication (e-Apostille) are also accepted if this has been adopted by a state. The Apostille is not altered if it is electronically completed, of a different size, or contains additional elements outside its frame.
It is the legislation of the country of origin that determines the public nature of a document and specifies who has the authority to issue it.
The competent authorities for Apostille may take measures outside the process of issuing Apostilles to address cases of fraud or other violations of relevant domestic legislation.
For judicial documents outside Attica, the competent authorities for Apostille are the local judicial services.
Below is a list of services responsible for issuing the Hague Apostille Stamp per prefecture of Greece. It is recommended that interested parties verify possible changes in the contact details of the services.
Documents issued by embassies or consulates and foreign diplomatic authorities are authenticated by the Authentication Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Academy 3, Athens, phone: (210) 3682040 to 43, website: https://www.mfa.gr/kep-politon-kai-apodimon-ellinon.html). However, in the case of documents issued by diplomatic or consular agents of the Member States that have ratified the Council of Europe Convention (official website: www.coe.int) on the abolition of the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents (London, 07/06/1968), these documents are circulated among these Member States without any further legalisation. The Member States are as follows: Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Moldova, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Estonia, and Romania.
When documents are intended to be sent to a country outside the Hague Convention or to a country towards which our country has raised objections (Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Peru, Kyrgyzstan, Tunisia & Philippines), the following procedure is followed: Documents originating from municipalities and their respective Citizen Service Centers (KEP) are first authenticated by the Ministry of Interior (27 Stadiou Street, Athens, telephone numbers: 213 1364113 and 213 1364131), and then by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Academy 3, Athens, telephone numbers: (210) 3682040 to 43). Documents originating from other public services must first be authenticated by the relevant Ministries (e.g., documents from First Instance Courts are first authenticated by the Ministry of Justice and then by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). In any case, it is recommended to communicate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to avoid any incorrect actions.
For documents issued by foreign authorities, The Hague Apostille is exclusively granted by the country of issuance of the document and not by the consulates or embassies of those countries.
For more information, as well as conclusions and recommendations of the Special Commission of the Hague Permanent Bureau, you can visit the website www.hcch.net.
More specifically, the contact details of the competent authorities for issuing Apostilles by country can be found through the following path: www.hcch.net -> Apostille -> Competent Authorities.
Useful information can also be obtained from the Ministry of Interior at the following web address: https://www.ypes.gr/UserFiles/f0ff9297-f516-40ff-a70e-eca84e2ec9b9/EpikEgheiridio29032018.pdf, where you can access the “Convention of the Apostille” and the “Apostille Handbook.”
Foreign public documents are translated if they bear the stamp of the Hague Convention (APOSTILLE), in case they were issued by an authority of a country that is party to it, and in any other case if they certification by the Greek Consular Authority of the document’s country of origin or by the Consular Authority of that country in Greece and then by the Authentication Department of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the equivalent Authentication Office in the International Relations Service (Y.D.I.S.) of Thessaloniki.
You can find information about the “Registry of Certified Translators” certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the web address: https://www.mfa.gr/ypiresies-gia-ton-politi/metafrastiki-ypiresia/i-metaphrastiki-ypiresia.html.
Equivalent translations can also be issued by lawyers with knowledge of the language.
In any case, the receiving country of the document determines the type of translations that are accepted, depending on their source (official translation authorities, lawyers, sworn translators, consulates, institutes, etc.).
THE APOSTILLE IS NOT AFFIXED INTHE TRANSLATION!
In specific cases where authentication of translations is required, a certificate from the Bar Association could be attached, certifying the translator’s ability to perform these specific translations, including details of the document. Alternatively, the translator may provide a separate statement, duly considered genuine under their signature, in which they declare their capacity and provide details of the translated document.
Our country ratified the Convention of the International Commission on Personal Status of September 15, 1977, concerning the exemption from the legalisation of certain acts and documents. Specifically, this pertains to matters related to personal status, legal capacity, family status, citizenship, residence, or domicile of an individual, regardless of the use for which they are intended, as well as those documents issued for the purpose of marriage or the issuance of a registry deed. These documents must bear the date, signature, and stamp of the competent authority of the state that issued them. The other countries that have ratified the Convention are: Austria, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Turkey, Poland.
According to Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, which aims to promote the free movement of citizens and businesses by simplifying the requirements for submitting certain public documents within the EU, multilingual standardized forms are established in all official languages of the EU institutions. These forms relate to birth, death, marriage, criminal record, family status, and registered partnership. They serve as translation aids attached to public documents and do not require an Apostille annotation.
Between Greece and Cyprus, the Agreement of 5-3-1984 (Law 1548/85, Government Gazette A’) is in effect, which exempts certain judicial and public documents from the requirement of legalisation in several cases. It is recommended to provide a clarifying confirmation for each case when presenting a document from the receiving country.
Within the framework of the ratification of the Convention on the issuance of certificates of capacity for marriage (Munich, 05-09-1980) by Law 4230/2014 (Government Gazette 18 A’ 28-01-2014), each contracting state issues the standard multilingual certificate which bears a date, signature, and stamp from the issuing authority and has a validity period of six months from the date of issuance.
The states that have ratified the Convention, in addition to Greece, are:
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Turkey. Clearly, in this case, the Apostille annotation is not required
For old court documents that have been deposited in the General State Archives (relevant website: http://www.gak.gr), if true photocopies are granted from the archive, they are annotated by the Decentralized Administration of Attica.
Documents issued by public services regarding commercial or customs transactions, as well as invoices, are exempt from annotation.
Documents related to male registries, citizenship, residence permits, and surname changes can be annotated provided they are original or true copies.
Private documents (falling under the categories within the scope of our agency) must have the authenticity of the signer’s signature certified by a public administrative authority or Authorized Civil Service Centers. In cases of certification, besides the genuine signature, for documents of companies based within the country (e.g., as a representative, president, managing director), the concerned parties must provide our agency with a registration certificate containing the necessary – mandatory valid information to certify their capacity to sign. Signature certifications or copies from a lawyer cannot be accepted for Apostille purposes, even if the authenticity of the signature has been verified by the Bar Association. When private documents have been deposited to a public service, a certification of registration should only be provided by that specific service, or a true photocopy of the registered private document should be issued. For legal transactions requiring a notarial form (such as sales, share transfers, wills, etc.), the full authorization is granted through a notarial proxy (Apostille from the courts).
In cases of documents from companies based abroad, the Hague Apostille is not issued by Greek administrative authorities since their legitimising details cannot be verified by them.
Therefore, the respective consulates or embassies of the countries where these companies are based can verify the legitimising documents and certify or authenticate the submitted documents. The only annotation that can be made in such cases is on the certification of the genuine signature (using the wordings mentioned above) of the signatory in a separate declaration, which may include the signatory’s capacity and possibly details of the document that cannot be annotated.
The above procedure is followed without exception, even in cases of documents concerning ship sales (bill of sale).
Copies of minutes of board meetings of companies based in Attica can be issued by the President of the Company or by any other person authorized by the Company’s Articles of Association. The process of proving representation is followed, similar to the case of private documents. The presentation of a copy of the Company’s Articles of Association or an Official Government Gazette (Φ.Ε.Κ.) announcement of representation or a certificate of announcement from the General Commercial Registry (Γ.Ε.ΜΗ) is required. Additionally, a certificate of non-dissolution of the company may be requested.
Applications for certificates, copies, and extracts from the General Commercial Registry (Γ.Ε.ΜΗ) are exclusively submitted online through the respectine GEMI service. Therefore, in order for certificates, copies, and generally all digitally signed documents from the General Commercial Registry to be apostilled, interested parties must visit the website www.businessportal.gr before referring to our service for Apostille and follow the instructions and specific steps for each document type. Documents that do not bear the digital signature of the employee authorized to sign documents intended for use abroad, reference number (protocol), and reference to the GEMI number cannot be apostilled. In the case of documents issued by Chambers of Commerce that bear a digital signature with employee details and a unique authenticity verification number from the echamber website (e.g., https://echamber.acci.gr/, http://echamber.eea.gr/ etc.), an Apostille will also be issued.
In the case of church documents, The Hague Convention Apostille is issued if they have certification from the respective Metropolis (Diocese) and not just from parish churches. For other doctrines or religious entities recognized by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, the procedure followed for Legal Entities of Public Law (N.P.D.D.) applies. Our service cannot apostille documents pertaining to Patriarchates. Documents from Metropolises located outside the region of Attica (even if they may bear certification from the Church of Greece) are apostilled by the respective Decentralized Administrations. Documents originating from Patriarchates, such as Constantinople, Alexandria, etc., cannot be apostilled by the Decentralized Administration.
In order for Government Gazette (F.E.K.) publications to be apostilled with The Hague Apostille, they must first be certified as true copies by the Sales Department of the National Printing Office of the Ministry of Interior (Kapodistriou 34, telephone numbers: (210) 5279178-179. Website: www.et.gr). F.E.K. publications printed from the Internet, without an original signature, cannot be apostilled.
Documents issued by authorities falling under the Directorates and Sub-Directorates of the Hellenic Police (Passports, Identity Cards, Certifications, etc.) must be authenticated by the Director of the respective police department, and subsequently, this signature must be certified as genuine by a Police Director or Police Sub-Director or a Major of the respective Police Directorate or Sub-Directorate in order to obtain The Hague Convention Apostille. It is recommended to confirm the jurisdiction of the Directorates and Sub-Directorates through the police departments. Website: https://www.astynomia.gr/epikoinonia/. Documents and certifications from other Directorates of the Hellenic Police (documents for foreigners, firearms possession, international control, etc.) are apostilled if a sample of the signature of the signing officer is available.
Documents issued by Directorates and Departments of the Hellenic Police Headquarters should bear the signature of the competent officer (or civil servant) who has previously submitted their signature sample to our service.
Copies of diplomatic passports, if properly certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are apostilled by the Decentralized Administration.
Documents from the Ministry of Justice (copies of Criminal Records for Greeks born abroad or foreigners) are apostilled by the Decentralized Administration if they are not older than three (3) months. They must bear the original signature from the Independent Criminal Records Department and not only the National Criminal Records number. Relevant website: http://www.ministryofjustice.gr For those born in Greece, Apostille is provided by the Courts of First Instance based on territorial jurisdiction.
Diplomas or certificates from state or recognized private music schools as well as certificates of knowledge of musical instruments are certified by the Ministry of Culture (20-22 Bouboulinas St., Museum, telephone numbers: (210) 8201751 and (210) 8201756), while those related to dance and theater are certified by the General Directorate of Contemporary Culture (1 Rethimnou and Herakliou St., Museum, telephone number: (210) 8253694). Documents from institutions supervised by the State School of Orchestral Art [55 Omirou St, Athens – telephone numbers: (210) 3612263 and (210) 3624249]. Relevant website: http://www.yppo.gr
The 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 [15 Hippocrates St., 3rd floor, Athens, telephone numbers: (210) 3688260, (210) 3688283], and following this authentication, the Apostille of The Hague Convention will be issued. This includes certificates of birth and death as well as toxicology tests issued by the Medical School of Athens (Forensic and Toxicology Laboratory). Relevant website: http://www.uoa.gr/. For academic documents, prior coordination with the Department or School’s Secretariat that will issue them is required
Documents from the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences must first be signed by the Rector, or in his/her absence, by the authorized Vice-Rectors.
Regarding the documents from the other Universities in Athens and Piraeus, as well as the former Technological Educational Institutes (T.E.I.) of Athens and Piraeus, certified copies must be provided by the President, heads or deputy heads of the Departments, or Secretariat officials who are authorized to certify them for use abroad, in order to be annotated with The Hague Apostille.
Documents from other universities and institutions in the country are apostilled by the Decentralized Administration that oversees them based on territorial jurisdiction.
Documents from primary or secondary educational institutions, such as certificates of graduation, progress reports, and attestations (either originals or copies certified by the school’s Principal), must be certified by the Head or Deputy of the Primary or Secondary Education office overseeing the school (bearing the genuine signature of the Principal), otherwise true photocopies must be made from the offices and subsequently authenticated with The Hague Apostille. The Coordinator of the Decentralized Administration of Attica is responsible for issuing the authentication, particularly for Greek schools abroad, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. These schools operate under the educational legislation and curricula applied in Greek public schools within the country and are recognized by the Ministry. The authentication of these documents is carried out upon receiving authorization from the competent Education Coordinator.
In order for The Hague Apostille to be issued on documents from public or private Vocational Training Institutes (I.E.K.), second-chance schools, adult education centers, as well as on certificates of Greek language proficiency or documents from E.O.P.P.E.P. (National Organization for the Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance) and OEEK – Organization for Vocational Education and Training (an abolished institution), either a certification is required, or true copies must be granted by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs – General Secretariat for Vocational Education, Training and Lifelong Learning (37 A. Papandreou Street, Marousi – phone numbers: (213) 1311633, (213) 1311643 & (213) 1311649, Website: https://www.minedu.gov.gr, email: dpdvetll@minedu.gov.gr).
Certificates issued by Colleges, if they bear a certification from the respective Department of Supervision – Department of Licensing for the Operation of Private Professional Training and Lifelong Learning Organizations of the Ministry, can be certified with an Apostille.
For documents issued by the D.O.A.T.A.P. (Interdisciplinary Organization for the Recognition of Academic Titles & Information), authentication is granted if they bear the signatures of officials who have submitted samples of their signatures. Documents from the former D.I.K.A.T.S.A. are not authenticated; new copies must be provided by the D.O.A.T.A.P. Contact: 54 Agiou Konstantinou Street, Athens – phone number: (210) 5281000. Website: http://www.doatap.gr
In foreign language documents issued by Greek Authorities (that have the right to issue documents in a foreign language), the genuine signature of the signatory is certified by a public authority and must necessarily be accompanied by an attached Greek translation, either from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or from a lawyer, in order to be authenticated with The Hague Apostille {as per number 17156/01-10-2002 of the Ministry of Interior and F.093/3/AS 1856/98 (Government Gazette 478, Vol. Β)}.
In the case of pleadings, the signature of the signing lawyer must be authenticated by the President of the respective Bar Association (Athens: Academias 60, Athens – Phone: (210) 3398102-103 Website: http://www.dsa.gr/ Piraeus: Heroon Politechniou 47, Piraeus – Phone: (210) 4175203, (210) 4176251, and (210) 4220625 Website: http://www.dspeiraia.gr/), and then they can be annotated with The Hague Apostille provided that prior certification by the respective First Instance Court has taken place. The document should be attached to the submission mandate and bear the lawyer’s seal. The signature must be original, not preprinted or stamped. The same applies to cases of Registries or documents that have the peculiarity of either not being reissued or being issued as copies in exceptional circumstances. If, for any reason, the document bearing the original Apostille cannot be submitted along with the submission mandate, the only annotation that can be made in such a case is on the authenticity of the signature (as previously mentioned) of the signatory in a separate statement, which may include details about the signatory’s capacity and possibly information about the document that cannot be authenticated.
For documents bearing the signature of private bailiffs (who are not part of the First Instance Court), our service is responsible for the annotations with the Apostille, following the certification by the president of the Association of Bailiffs. Relevant website: http://www.odee.gr/
Documents issued by a forensic doctor in Athens are certified by the Secretariat of the Forensic Service (Anapafseos 10, Mets – phone numbers: (210) 9219002 and (210) 9244200). Similarly, those bearing the signature of a forensic doctor in Piraeus are certified by the Service’s Secretariat (Gounari 31-33, Piraeus – phone numbers: (210) 4110551 and (210) 4177876). The certification of documents issued by forensic doctors outside the Forensic Services (private individuals) is conducted by the Medical Association of Athens or Piraeus on a case-by-case basis in order for them to be authenticated by our service (contact information provided below). For certificates from the Forensic and Toxicology Laboratory of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (E.K.P.A.), please refer to the website: http://forensic.med.uoa.gr/to-ergastirio.html.
In order for the Hague Apostille to be granted on documents issued by hospitals, the following apply:
- Documents from university, public, and military hospitalsmust first be authenticated by the respective Secretary’s Office of the university, public institution, or military hospital.
- For documents from private hospitals(e.g. medical opinions, certificates), the genuine signature of the signing physician must be authenticated by the Medical Association of Athens (113 Sevastoupoleos Street, telephone numbers (210) 3816404 and (210) 3839673. Website: http://www.isathens.gr) or the Piraeus Medical Association (Agios Konstantinos Pedestrian Street, 7th floor, telephone number: (210) 4178775. Website: http://www.iatrikospeiraia.gr) on a case-by-case basis. The same procedure is followed for documents issued by private doctors.
- Documents from Health Centersmust bear the signature of the Unit’s Responsible Officer.
- Regarding documents from the Nation Social Security Entity (EFKA), the National Public Health Organization (PEDY), and the National Organization for the Provision of Health Services (EOPYY),they must be issued or certified as true copies by the competent officer of the central service or local branch (the officials in question have sent their signature samples to the competent authority for the issuance of the apostille, under reference numbers E99/20/19-12-2008 and E99/6/21-10-2011, from the IKA Administration). If, for any reason related to the service, such documents cannot be certified as such through the above procedure, they must be certified by the competent Health District or the Ministry of Health (17 Aristotelous Street, Athens, Tel. (210) 5239555. Website: http://www.moh.gov.gr).
- Documents bearing the signature of the National Public Health Organization (EODY)require prior certification of the genuine signature by the Legal Services Directorate of the Ministry of Health (17 Aristotelous Street, Athens, between 12:00-13:00).
- Documents originating from the Panhellenic Medical Associationwill be apostilled only if they bear a physical, not electronic, signature according to the process specified by the Association – information available at pis.gr. In the case of sending the apostilled documents through courier companies, this will be possible following a relevant order by the concerned parties as well as coordination with our Office.
Documents from the Vocational Training Centers (K.P.A.) of the Manpower Employment Organization (O.A.E.D.) are apostilled if they bear the certification of the signatory who has submitted his/her signature sample. In all other cases (e.g., non-submission of a sample), as well as for documents from Vocational Schools, certification is required first by the Administration of O.A.E.D. (8 Ethnikis Antistaseos Street, Trachones, telephone numbers (210) 9989362 and (210) 9989363. Website: www.dypa.gov.gr).
In cases of private agreements (with the exception of stock market companies for certain agreements), true copies from the competent Tax Office where they have been submitted must be presented to our office. An exception is made for agreements referred to in Article 27, paragraph 6 of Law 2682/8-2-1999 Government Gazette 16A, which, in order to be apostilled, require following the process for certifying the genuine signature of Articles 11 and 3 of Law 2690/1999.
As to other documents from Tax Offices (DOY), if they are being submitted for the Apostille, they must be original or true copies certified by authorized officials. The certification of documents submitted electronically or originating from the internet is not possible. In cases where the Tax Office is unable to provide true photocopies, individuals must submit a Solemn Declaration, with their signature certified by the DOY or another public administrative authority (following the procedure mentioned earlier), containing the details of the accompanying document. Tax residence certificates and double taxation exemption certificates are certified by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) for the purpose of apostillation.
For fixed-term employment contracts, true copies from the relevant authority to which they have been submitted must be provided to our office. For indefinite-term employment contracts, the procedure for certifying the genuine signatures of all parties by a public authority is followed, as stipulated by the provisions of Law 2690/1999.
Documents from Citizen Service Centers (K.E.P.), in addition to the certification of the genuine signature, can only be apostilled if they pertain to the assignment of the Social Security Number (A.M.K.A.), and if they meet the requirements for certifying the genuine signature (not true photocopies received via fax or Certificates from the National Registry and certification from the K.E.P.). The A.M.K.A. Certificate can also be issued by the A.M.K.A. Offices operating within Social Security Institutions.
Certificates issued by the Bank of Greece can be apostilled if they fall within the public function field of the Legal Entity (dual character) and bear the signature of an official included in the electronic signature list compiled by the Bank.
Internal Legislation
Law 1497/1984 (Government Gazette A’ 188/27.11.1984), “Ratification of the Convention abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents.”
Law 2503/1997 (Government Gazette A’ 107/30.05.1997), “Administration, organization, staffing of the Region, regulation for local government, and other provisions.”
Decision of the Supreme Administrative Court for Civil and Penal Matters (A.K.G.G.A.D.A.) from within 36837/13821/04-5-2017 (Government Gazette FEK 1703/B’/28-5-2017) “Establishment of the Hague Apostille Office.”