Decree Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents

On July 23, 2026, the Government of Vietnam issued Decree No. 293/2026/ND-CP guiding the implementation of the Hague Convention of 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention). This Decree takes effect from September 11, 2026. 

1. Competent authority for issuing Apostille certificates in Vietnam 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the competent authority for issuing Apostille certificates in Vietnam. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall specifically prescribe the agencies responsible for issuing Apostille certificates. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall specifically prescribe the agencies responsible for issuing Apostille certificates and the criteria, conditions, and roadmap for decentralizing the authority to issue Apostille certificates to provincial-level People's Committees. 

2. Persons eligible to apply for an Apostille certificate 

Agencies, organizations, and individuals may apply for an Apostille certificate for their own documents or those of another person without requiring a power of attorney. 

3. Vietnamese public documents eligible for Apostille certification  

- Documents prepared, issued, or certified by competent authorities or persons in judicial proceedings and enforcement activities in accordance with the law over different periods, including: Judgments, decisions, and procedural documents of the People’s Courts, People’s Procuracies, and Investigation Agencies; decisions, minutes, and documents of civil judgment enforcement management agencies, civil judgment enforcement agencies, and criminal judgment enforcement agencies; bailiff’s records and other documents prepared by Bailiffs and Enforcement Officers in the performance of their duties.  

- Administrative documents prepared, issued or certified by competent authorities, organizations or persons in accordance with the law, including: documents on civil status, nationality and adoption; judicial record certificates; diplomas, certificates, certificates confirming academic or research results; health examination certificates, medical certificates, medical assessment conclusions and other medical documents; and other administrative documents issued or certified by state agencies or organizations delegated or authorized by the State to provide public services in accordance with the law. 

- Notarized documents in accordance with the law on notarization over different periods, including contracts, transactions, translations and notarized copies. 

- Certified documents carried out by competent authorities, organizations or persons in accordance with the law on certification, including: certification of copies from originals; certification of signatures, certification of translators’ signatures; certification of contracts and transactions. 

- Other public documents prepared, issued or certified by competent authorities, organizations or persons of Vietnam in the performance of their functions and duties in accordance with the law also fall within the scope of issuance of Apostille certificates, except for the  documents which are not within the scope of issuance of Apostille certificates. 

4. Documents  not eligible for an Apostille certificate 

- Documents that have been erased, altered, or unlawfully falsified; 

- Documents for which there are grounds to determine that they are forged; 

- Documents for which verification results determine that the competent authority did not issue the document, or that the seal, signature, title, or authority indicated on the document is not authentic, was not issued by the competent authority, is not the original seal, is not the original signature, or does not conform to the registered specimen; 

- Public documents that have been declared invalid, recalled, annulled, or determined to have been issued unlawfully pursuant to a decision, judgment, or legally effective document of a competent state authority; 

- Public documents that are not permitted to be taken abroad under the laws of Vietnam; 

- Public documents of Vietnam in electronic data form that do not bear a valid digital signature of the competent authority, organization, or person, or whose digital signature does not meet the technical format requirements prescribed by the law on electronic transactions. 

As a matter of practice, there may be exceptions to these legal provisions. In particular, the application of the Hague Convention between Vietnam and another Contracting State may be subject to specific conditions or exceptions. As a result, documents issued in Vietnam may, in certain cases, still be subject to consular legalization or other authentication requirements for use in the relevant country. It is therefore necessary to verify, on a case-by-case basis, the specific legalization or authentication requirements applicable in the country where the documents are intended to be used