Document Ratification in Cyprus: Apostille, Legalisation & Certified Translations
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If copies of documents are submitted, those copies must also be certified in accordance with the applicable legal requirements.
Document Languages and Certified Translations
All documents submitted with an application must be in Greek or English. If documents are issued in another language, an official translation into Greek or English must be provided.
The translation must be completed by a sworn translator, the consulate of the country that issued the document or another competent government authority authorised to provide official translations.
Certified translations are required to ensure that foreign documents can be legally used in Cyprus for immigration, corporate, regulatory and administrative purposes.
All accompanying public documents issued by countries that are signatories to the Hague Apostille Convention must bear an Apostille certificate to confirm their authenticity.
In Cyprus, Apostille certification is issued by the Ministry of Justice and Public Order.
Countries Recognising the Apostille Convention
The following countries and territories are members of the Hague Apostille Convention and therefore require Apostille certification for qualifying public documents.
- Albania
- Andorra
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Burundi
- Canada
- Cape Verde
- Chile
- China, People’s Republic of (Including Hong Kong & Macao Special Administrative Regions)
- Colombia
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Jamaica
- Kazakhstan
- Korea, Republic of
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malawi
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Moldova, Republic of
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Namibia
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niue
- North Macedonia, Republic of
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- Rwanda
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Suriname
- Swaziland
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Tajikistan
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
If Cyprus Has an Embassy or Consulate in the Issuing Country
The document must:
- Be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country.
- Be certified by the Cypriot embassy or consulate in that country.
- Be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus.
If Cyprus Does Not Have an Embassy or Consulate in the Issuing Country
The document must:
- Be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country.
- Be certified by a diplomatic mission of that country located in a third country.
- Be certified by the Cypriot embassy or consulate located in that third country.
- Be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus.
This process ensures that foreign public documents are properly authenticated before being accepted by Cypriot authorities.
EU Regulation 2016/1191 and Apostille Exemptions
Since 16 February 2019, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 has simplified the circulation of certain public documents within the European Union.
Under the Regulation, specific public documents and their certified copies issued by one EU Member State and presented to another EU Member State do not require Apostille certification, legalisation or additional authentication.
The Regulation also allows citizens to request multilingual standard forms for certain documents, reducing or eliminating the need for certified translations.
This exemption applies only when documents are issued by public authorities in one EU Member State and submitted to public authorities in another EU Member State.
These include:
The exemption only applies if the document proves one or more of the areas listed below. Items in bold show which documents are issued in Cyprus and have a multilingual standard form available. Keep in mind that not all EU countries provide these forms for every type of document.
What is a Multilingual Standard Form?
It’s a translation aid you can request for some of the above documents. If you use it, you don’t need an official translation.
Acceptance of Certified Copies Within the EU
If an EU country allows a certified copy instead of an original, they must accept certified copies from the country where the document was first issued.
BUT when there are reasonable doubts:
If the receiving country questions whether a public document or certified copy is real, it will:
- Check the sample documents in the Internal Market Information (IMI) system.
- If still unsure, they will submit an information request to the issuing authority through IMI.
- A separate section will be created in the IMI system where anonymized fake public documents, once identified, will be shared with other EU countries for awareness.
