Legalisation and Apostille

Your Diploma/Atestat/Certificate corresponds to the education system of the country where it was issued even if your nationality is different. For example, a candidate from Nigeria who studied in Russia and received the BA degree in Russia will only have to Apostille the issued diploma instead of doing double legalisation. Kindly proceed with the following instructions based on the country of issue of your document.

The Apostille Convention (formally: The Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents) simplifies the process of using public documents abroad.

Instead of going through a lengthy and costly legalisation procedure, the Convention allows for the issuance of a single Apostille certificate by a designated authority in the country where the document was issued.

An Apostille confirms:
- The authenticity of the signature on the document
- The official capacity of the person who signed it
- When applicable, the identity of the seal or stamp on the document (e.g. a notary public seal)
This certificate makes your document legally valid for use in other countries that are part of the Apostille Convention.

If you are a holder of documents issued in a country that is a party to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 (Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents), you should submit them to one of the institutions authorised to issue the Apostille.

A complete list of countries and the addresses of institutions authorised to issue Apostilles is available here.

Important: Apostille Translation Requirements
Although the Apostille is an internationally recognized certificate accepted by most countries, not all Apostilles are issued in the same format or language.

For this reason, WSB University requires all applicants to:
- Translate the entire content of the Apostille if it is not originally issued in English
- Provide a sworn translation of all stamps and signatures appearing on the document
Please note:

Without a complete and certified translation of both the body and the authentication marks, your Apostille may not be accepted during the admission process.

Legalisation is a process of ‘confirmation’ issued by several authorities in order to certify the validity of the document abroad.

Legalisation shows that:
- the document was issued by a competent and expert authority
- the signature, seal and/or stamp on the document are genuine
- the document’s format is correct
If you are a holder of documents issued in any of the countries mentioned below, you should legalise them:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China (excluding Special Administrative Regions of: Hong Kong, Macao), Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritania, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

A list of Polish diplomatic units abroad is available on the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Legalisation steps should look like this:
1. A competent authority in Country A - This is usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and/or Ministry of Education - checks that the document has been signed by the correct authority or authorities in Country A. After approval, a stamp or sticker with a signature is placed on the document (there could be several stamps, or pressure stamps, and several signatures). This shows to the Polish authorities that the document has been issued by a competent authority in Country A.
2. The Polish authorities – usually a Polish mission abroad i.e. Polish Embassy – check the document with the stamps and signatures from Country A and confirm the validity of those by placing another confirmative stamp and signature.
Countries from Africa, Asia and sometimes Oceania are requested to do a double Legalisation.

In order for the education documents to be accepted by the University the following is needed:
1. A legalisation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Usually those are stamps and signatures.
2. A legalisation from the Polish Embassy in the country of Issue of the document of education. Usually those are stamps and signatures.
Please remember!

All stamps and signatures – if not in Polish or English – must be translated by a sworn translator!