Apostille and legalisation in Uzbekistan: documents and fees

For a document from Uzbekistan, first identify the destination country and document type. Between states covered by the Hague Convention, an apostille replaces consular legalisation. If a treaty removes authentication, neither is needed. Otherwise, consular legalisation applies; translation and the receiving authority’s requirements remain separate questions.

In brief:

• an apostille authenticates the signature, the signer's capacity and the seal, but not the document’s contents;
• Uzbekistan provides direct filing with the competent authority and an electronic application route;
• the ordinary period is 2 working days, or up to 10 working days if specimens must be requested;
• consular legalisation through the MFA department takes up to 5 working days;
• before paying, check whether the Convention or another international treaty applies to both countries and the particular document.

Updated: 05 September 2026

Choosing the certification route

How apostille and consular legalisation differ

Both procedures confirm the origin of an official document for use in another state. Neither certifies the facts stated in the document or means that the receiving authority must approve the underlying application. Their legal basis, route and number of authentication stages differ.

The choice cannot be made from a country name alone. Check whether the Convention is in force between the issuing and destination states, whether an objection affects that relationship, whether the document falls within its scope, and whether a simpler regime applies.

When neither apostille nor legalisation is required

The Hague Convention expressly permits legislation, custom or an agreement between states to remove or simplify formalities. The availability of an apostille service therefore does not mean that every foreign filing needs one.

For some CIS states, the Convention on Legal Assistance signed in Chisinau applies. Documents prepared or certified by a competent authority or specially authorised person in the prescribed form and bearing an official seal are accepted without special authentication between states for which that Convention applies. It replaces the Minsk Convention between its parties; in other relevant relationships, the Minsk Convention continues under the transitional rule.

In practice, verify treaty status for both states on the filing date. An exemption from apostille does not necessarily remove requirements for translation, certification of the translator’s signature, an original document, or proof of a representative’s authority.

Which documents can receive an apostille

The Hague Convention covers official documents, including:

• documents issued by a court, prosecutor, court clerk or judicial officer;
• administrative documents;
• notarial acts;
• official certificates placed on private documents, including registration certificates, date endorsements and notarial signature certifications.

A private contract or power of attorney cannot therefore be classified as official from its name alone. The notarial act or official certification whose signature or seal is authenticated may be decisive. For a power of attorney intended for an economic court, the Supreme Court has explained the general apostille requirement unless an international treaty creates an exception. At the same time, a claim, contract and documents directly connected with a commercial or customs operation are themselves outside the Convention’s scope.

The Convention also excludes documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents and administrative documents directly relating to commercial or customs operations. Uzbekistan’s regulation additionally excludes an Uzbek passport, ID card and military card as personal-status documents from the service.

Applying for an apostille

Who issues an apostille in Uzbekistan

The competent authority is determined by the organisation from which the document originates. The current allocation is set by a Presidential resolution.

Where a document is a notarised copy or contains a notarised signature, distinguish the issuer of the underlying document from the notarial act. Misclassification can send the application to the wrong authority, so identify whose signature and seal the apostille must authenticate before filing.

How to apply for an apostille

Under the direct, or traditional, route, the applicant applies to the competent authority personally or through a representative acting under a power of attorney. An officer completes the electronic form in the unified system. For a document intended for a Convention state, the applicant attaches the official document or a notarised copy of a non-official document.

The electronic service is available through a Public Services Centre or the Unified Portal of Interactive Public Services. A centre officer completes the form, while a portal applicant completes it in the personal account. A separate applicant digital signature is unnecessary: successful portal identification is sufficient. The centre scans the document and forwards it to the competent authority, and the completed result is delivered electronically.

Before filing, check:

• whether the signature, signer's title, seal or stamp is legible;
• whether the document is official or needs a notarised copy or official certification;
• whether names, dates and details are consistent across the package;
• whether the receiving authority requires the original, a paper apostille, electronic verification or translation;
• whether a representative may file and whether the power of attorney meets the requirements.

Apostille fees and processing time

The fee depends on the route and type of document. The amounts below use dynamic BRV values and change with the applicable BRV.

Example calculation. For a diploma, the ordinary fee for direct filing or filing through a Public Services Centre is 88.000, while the portal amount is 79.200. If the applicant is a teacher within the category charged 50% of the applicable fee, the respective totals are 44.000 and 39.600. The same half-rate applies to the specified employees of state medical institutions working in medicine or pharmacy under an employment agreement.

For several documents concerning the same matter, the electronic-route fee is charged for the package rather than each document. Applicant state bodies and organisations are exempt from the fee. Once the application has been formally made, the paid fee is not refunded, including when the applicant withdraws it.

The ordinary period is 2 working days from presentation of the official document. If the competent authority must obtain a signature specimen, confirm the signer's authority or obtain a seal specimen, the period may be extended to 10 working days. The process charts separately state 3 working days for court documents.

Refusal and verification

Why an apostille may be refused

The regulation provides two refusal grounds:

• the official document lacks a required detail, or its signature or seal does not match the available specimen;
• the person who signed the official document lacked the necessary authority.

No additional ground may be introduced. The refusal notice must explain the reason and allow 30 calendar days to correct the deficiency and resubmit. If it is corrected within that period, repeat review is free; after the period expires, a new application is required.

For any dispute, retain the application, payment document, refusal notice and corrected document. Decisions and actions in providing the public service may be challenged through the general administrative or judicial process. The regulation also provides for official responsibility when its requirements are breached.

What an apostille looks like and how it is checked

Uzbekistan’s traditional apostille is a square stamp measuring 10 × 10 centimetres. It is placed in a free area on the document, on its reverse, or on a separate sheet attached to the document. The heading is in French, and the standard fields identify the state, signer, signer's capacity, seal, place and date of issue, authority, number and signature.

An electronic apostille is generated in the system and sent electronically to the applicant. Its authenticity can be checked in the unified electronic register using its special number. The Hague Convention also requires the competent authority to keep a register and, at an interested person’s request, compare the apostille details with the register entry.

This check confirms the apostille details, not the truth of the underlying document’s contents. The receiving authority may separately examine validity, the representative’s authority, translation, the form of the copy, and whether the document suits the intended filing.

Legalisation and translation

How consular legalisation works

Consular legalisation is used when the Hague Convention does not govern the document and no treaty or legal rule removes special authentication. Uzbek consular institutions perform it abroad, while the MFA Consular-Legal Department acts inside Uzbekistan. A document already apostilled by a Convention state is not legalised again.

An application to the MFA Consular-Legal Department includes a copy of an identity document, the document or act with the required copies, and original proof of payment of the consular fee and actual expenses. This document package is considered within 5 working days. When applying abroad, the route begins with the relevant consular institution; the chain of prior certifications depends on the issuing state and document type.

The regulation does not set one uniform price. The charge comprises a consular fee under a tariff approved by the President and reimbursement of actual expenses at rates set by the head of the institution under the MFA methodology. The head may reduce or waive the charge for valid reasons, while legislation or an international treaty may provide an exemption from fees and expenses. The payable amount should therefore be checked with the particular consular institution or department before payment.

The regulation contains a closed list of refusal grounds. Legalisation is refused if the document:

• conflicts with Uzbekistan’s legislation;
• could, by its contents, harm Uzbekistan’s interests;
• is improperly prepared;
• contains information damaging the honour and dignity of Uzbek citizens;
• contains erasures, additions or unnoted corrections, or is written in pencil;
• comprises several sheets that are not numbered, bound, sealed and signed;
• bears a facsimile signature, except where legislation permits it;
• is an original or copy of a passport, ID card, political-party or trade-union card, military card, document showing class or religious affiliation, or document for property withdrawn from civil circulation.

A consul’s action may be appealed to the head of the consular institution, head of the diplomatic mission, MFA or a court. A Consular-Legal Department decision may be challenged before the MFA or a court.

When to translate and certify a document

Apostille and translation perform different functions. The apostille authenticates the document’s origin details; translation enables the receiving authority to read its contents. A notary may certify the translation if the notary knows both languages. Otherwise, a translator prepares it and the notary certifies the translator’s signature.

For a document from Uzbekistan, the regulation gives a sequence where the destination state requires translation: translate the document into that state’s language or English, have the translator’s signature notarised, then obtain an apostille for the document and certified translation. The receiving authority may require another language or form, so its rule should be checked before translation.

An Uzbekistan notary accepts foreign official documents after consular legalisation or apostille unless legislation or an international treaty removes that requirement for the relevant document. In economic proceedings, a foreign document also needs a duly certified translation into the state language or language of the proceedings alongside the applicable authentication.

Business use and filing checks

Where this matters for business

Corporate documents and powers of attorney. A foreign founder or parent company may need a registry extract, resolution, charter, registration certificate and power of attorney. Each document has its own source and possible official certification. Compare the requirements of the particular procedure with the guides to business registration and a foreign company representative office instead of extending one document’s regime to the entire package.

Court representation and evidence. A foreign power of attorney ordinarily needs an apostille unless a treaty removes authentication. Foreign evidence must pass the applicable authentication route and be accompanied by a certified translation. The filing process itself is covered separately in the guide to an economic-court claim.

Tax-residence confirmation. The Tax Code permits a foreign residence document as a legalised or apostilled original, a notarised copy of that document, or a paper copy of an official electronic document from the competent authority’s website. Authentication is unnecessary for a document from that official website and in cases covered by an international treaty or competent-authority agreement on acceptance without legalisation. The tax context is explained in the guide to double-tax treaties.

Education documents. An apostille authenticates the signature and seal on an education document but does not replace recognition of foreign education. The Education Law regulates recognition and apostilling as separate matters.

What changed in 2026

The allocation of competence for education documents changed at the start of the year. Cabinet Resolution No. 840 of 30 December 2025, published in the official database on 6 January 2026, assigned preschool, school and extracurricular documents to the relevant ministry and added separate competence for the Agency for Assessment of Knowledge and Qualifications covering vocational, higher and other post-school education.

Cabinet Resolution No. 175 of 16 April 2026 introduced a half-rate apostille fee for teachers specified by the regulation. Resolution No. 310 of 12 June 2026 then extended the same half-rate to the specified state medical-institution employees in medicine and pharmacy. The discount reduces the applicable fee but does not change the document or routing requirements.

How to check the route before filing

Do not start with translation or payment. First record the document, issuing state, destination state and the authority to which it will be presented. Then check the Convention, any international treaty, the competent authority and the form requirements in that order. This reduces the risk of repeated notarial work or filing with the wrong authority.

Check before filing:

• the issuing and destination states are connected by an applicable convention or treaty;
• the document type falls within the selected regime, with exclusions checked separately;
• the competent authority, filing route, fee and processing time have been identified;
• the receiving authority has confirmed the language, original or copy, and apostille-verification method;
• the power of attorney, translation and notarial certifications are prepared in the required sequence.

Frequently asked questions

Does a power of attorney need an apostille?

For a foreign power of attorney, the answer depends on the destination country, applicable treaty and the document’s form. A private document is not always official by itself, but notarial certification of a signature is an official act covered by the Convention. For representation in an economic court, the general rule requires an apostille unless an international treaty removes it. Check the notarial form and intended use, not only the document’s title.

Can an apostilled document be used in every country?

No. An apostille works where the Hague Convention applies between the issuing and destination states and covers that type of official document. If the Convention does not govern the relationship, consular legalisation may be required. If a treaty removes authentication, an apostille may be unnecessary. The receiving authority retains its requirements for translation, the original, validity and the document’s purpose.

Must the translation be apostilled separately?

If the destination state requires a translation, Uzbekistan’s regulation provides for translation into that state’s language or English, notarisation of the translator’s signature, and then an apostille for the original official document and certified translation. Before the work begins, check the language and format with the receiving authority, as its requirements may determine where the translation is made and which notarial form is used.

Must the original be filed?

For Uzbekistan’s apostille service, the regulation permits an official document or a notarised copy of a non-official document. This filing rule does not replace the foreign recipient’s requirements. A bank, court, registry or other authority may require an original, a notarised copy or a particular electronic format. The document form should therefore be checked both for obtaining the apostille and for its later use.

Does an apostille replace recognition of a foreign diploma?

No. An apostille authenticates the origin of the signature and seal but does not establish education equivalence or replace recognition of the qualification. The Education Law treats recognition of documents obtained abroad and apostilling as different procedures. For study or work, check separately whether the diploma must be recognised by the competent authority.