Apostille and Legalization Between Georgia and Sweden - Notarius Publicus, Sequence and Timing

Apostille replaces legalization between Georgia and Sweden

Sweden has been a Hague Apostille member since 1999 and Georgia since 2007, so a public document from either country is recognized in the other once apostilled by the issuing country's competent authority. The Swedish Embassy in Tbilisi does not legalize Georgian documents and does not need to; nor does the Georgian embassy in Stockholm legalize Swedish ones. What the embassies handle is passports, consular registrations and, for Sweden, the intake of some Migrationsverket applications and interviews, which is separate from the apostille.

Which Swedish authority wants an apostille differs. Migrationsverket generally does not require apostilles on foreign documents for permit applications; Skatteverket does require them on foreign civil status documents for folkbokföring and marriage registration; UHR and Socialstyrelsen require them on diplomas; courts require them on everything. Whether the translation itself must be apostilled is rarely asked in Sweden, because Swedish offices look at the translator's credentials instead; we apostille the notarized translation only where an office specifically asks. Georgian offices require a Georgian notarized translation and an apostille on the Swedish original.

Where Swedish documents get their apostille for Georgia: notarius publicus

Sweden is one of the few Hague countries where apostilles are issued not by a ministry but by notarius publicus - lawyers appointed by the länsstyrelse in each municipality - and any notarius publicus can apostille any Swedish public document regardless of where it was issued. Personbevis and utdrag from Skatteverket, examensbevis from universities, registreringsbevis from Bolagsverket, court decisions, intyg from Försäkringskassan and documents from other authorities are apostilled by the notarius publicus after verification of the signature or stamp, usually on the spot or within a day. The utdrag ur belastningsregistret is issued in a sealed envelope and must be opened by the notarius publicus, who then apostilles it; an envelope opened by the applicant cannot be apostilled and a new utdrag must be ordered. Swedish citizens already in Georgia can obtain apostilles through a relative or a lawyer with a fullmakt, or by post to a notarius publicus who offers postal service.

Apostille on Georgian documents for Sweden

Georgian documents going to Sweden are apostilled here, and this part we handle entirely. Civil status certificates and Public Service Hall extracts are apostilled through the Public Service Development Agency; notarial acts and court documents through the Ministry of Justice route; diplomas and school certificates through the education verification route, which is the slowest at up to five business days. You bring the original to Agmashenebeli 117 once, or a relative brings it, and we submit, track and collect the apostille, then translate the bundle into Swedish or English and notarize it, and arrange auktoriserad re-certification in Stockholm where the receiving office asks. Clients in Sweden receive the finished set by courier within two to three days.

Documents most often apostilled between Georgia and Sweden

• Skatteverket folkbokföring and marriage registration: Georgian marriage certificate, children's birth certificates, marital status certificate for hindersprövning, divorce decisions.
• Family reunification: the same civil status documents, plus proof of relationship where Migrationsverket asks.
• UHR recognition and university enrollment: Georgian diplomas, supplements, school leaving certificates with national exam results.
• Socialstyrelsen licensing: medical, dental and nursing diplomas, curricula, practice records, the Georgian conviction certificate.
• Pensionsmyndigheten: Georgian employment records and archive extracts for pension rights accrued in Georgia.
• For Georgian residence permits: Swedish utdrag ur belastningsregistret, personbevis, examensbevis.
• For company registration in Georgia: Swedish registreringsbevis, bolagsordningar and fullmakter.
• Succession and property: Georgian death certificates and inheritance certificates for Swedish bouppteckning, Swedish bouppteckningar and testamenten for Georgian notaries.

The sequence for Swedish files

• Step 1: the Georgian original is apostilled by the competent Georgian authority, where the receiving Swedish office requires it.
• Step 2: we translate the document and its apostille into Swedish or English and the translation is notarized.
• Step 3 (where asked): the text is re-certified by a partner auktoriserad translator in Stockholm.
• Step 4: the bundle is kept stapled as issued, scanned as one file for Migrationsverket's and UHR's online portals, and shipped where paper is needed.

Translating before apostilling leaves the apostille certificate untranslated; apostilling for Migrationsverket when it is not required wastes a fee, while skipping it for Skatteverket costs a second visit. We confirm the sequence in the first reply based on the receiving office.

Timing, validity and common errors

Apostilles on Georgian civil status documents usually take one to three business days; notarial acts and court documents about the same; education documents up to five. Add 1-2 hours for the translation and a few days for auktoriserad re-certification where required. Swedish notarius publicus apostilles are typically same-day or next-day. Skatteverket wants civil status documents recently issued, and the belastningsregistret utdrag and the Georgian conviction certificate are accepted for a limited period, so timing matters. The errors we correct most often are an untranslated apostille certificate, a belastningsregistret envelope opened before the notarius publicus, a personbevis of the wrong type (Skatteverket issues several; the right utdrag depends on the purpose), a marital status certificate obtained too early, a Georgian document in a maiden name that differs from the passport, Swedish å, ä and ö transliterated inconsistently into Georgian, and a bundle unstapled for scanning. Send photos of both sides of every page and we run this check before submitting.

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