Legalization validates a foreign public document by verifying the authenticity of the signature and the legitimacy of the signing authority. Legalization does not certify the content of the document.
The Hague Apostille is a simplified procedure that has the same purpose as legalization and is applied between the States party to the Convention of 5 October 1961
, which abolished the requirement to legalize foreign public documents.
In general, unless a specific rule provides exemption from this obligation, all foreign public documents must be legalized or apostilled to be valid in Spain, and all Spanish public documents must be legalized or apostilled to be valid abroad.
Only original legalized or apostilled documents (or true copies issued by the same body that issued the original) are admissable. Legalized or apostilled photocopies cannot replace the original document.
The legalization or apostille has no expiry date, but if the document has a time-limited validity, that of the legalization or apostille shall be equally limited.
Legalization of foreign documents at the Consular Office
All public documents from Mauritius and South Africa must bear the Hague Apostille, issued by those countries in order to have effect in Spain. No action is needed from this office. An official translation can be requested from this office, upon payment of the corresponding fee. In South Africa, the competent authorities are any judge or alternate judge; any secretary or deputy registrar of the Supreme Court of South Africa; any person designated by the Director-General, Justice; and the Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). In practice, the Apostille is usually issued by the aforementioned DIRCO or the High Court of each province. You should consult the DIRCO and Hague Convention websites: http://www.dirco.gov.za/consular/legalisation.htm https://assets.hcch.net/upload/registrars_za.pdf
In Mauritius, the competent authority is the Home Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Office; you should consult the WEBSITE of this office: http://pmo.govmu.org/English/Pages/Legalisation-of-Documents.aspx Public documents from Comoros and Madagascar must be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the respective countries and, then, by this consulate general. A security label is used to conclude the procedure. An official translation can be requested from this office, upon payment of the corresponding fee. Madagascar: Ministere des Affaires Etrangères, Direction des Affaires Consulaires, Juridiques et du Contentieux (SLC). B.P 836, Rue Andriamifidy, Anosy 101 Antananarivo. Email mailbox: info-web@diplomatie.gov. Comoros: Ministere des Affaires Etrangères et de la Coopération Internationale. Rue de la Corniche, Moroni. Phone: +269 773 83 29 Legalisation can be requested at this office at the counter, by post office or courier. The organization and costs of the Post Office or courier are completely borne by the interested person.
Opening hours to the public are from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The office is at 38 Shortmarket Street, half corner of Long Street and can be seen from the Long Street Tourist Red Bus stop.
The fee is: 141 rand (ZAR), per signature
If the application is made over the counter, it is paid in cash/card and in advance. If the request is made by post or courier, the amount and method of payment in advance will be communicated by email, case by case.
At the window the legalization is done on the spot. In the rest of the cases it is done within an average period of 5 working days, depending on the order of entry, workload and availability of personnel. There is no limit to the number of legalizations, but excessive numbers can lead to a variable delay.
More information on how to apply for legalization or apostille may be obtained on request (by email) from this Consular Office.
Legalization of documents issued by the Consular Office
The documents issued by this Consular Office must be legalized by the local authorities to be accepted as valid for their purposes.
Documents issued by Embassies and Consulates cannot be apostilled.
Obtaining an apostille for foreign documents
The Hague apostille is the exclusive competence of the authorities of the country issuing the document. Documents apostilled by the authorities of the issuing country do not require any additional procedure from the Consular Office, and may be presented directly in Spain.
The text of the Convention of 5 October 1961, which abolished the requirement to legalize foreign public documents, together with the list of States party to the Convention and the authorities in each State competent to apostille a document is available at the following link:
https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/full-text/?cid=41
In the European Union, Regulation 2016/1191 exempts the interested party from the apostille requirement in certain cases. For more information, consult the European Union information page or the Regulation
Legalization or apostille of Spanish documents
Information on how to legalize or apostille documents issued by the Spanish authorities is available (in Spanish) on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
The Consular Office does not legalize or apostille documents issued in Spain.