Swiss authorities only accept foreign birth, marriage, divorce and similar certificates if they are authenticated in the country that issued them. For countries that belong to the Hague Apostille Convention, that means one stamp, the apostille, from the competent authority there. For other countries, you need a three-step consular legalisation ending at the Swiss embassy or consulate. If the document is not in German, French, Italian or Romansh, you also need a certified translation.

In short

  • Apostille: a standard confirmation that a public document's signature and seal are genuine, issued in the country that issued the document (Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, SR 0.172.030.4).
  • No Swiss shortcut: Switzerland cannot apostille foreign documents. You must get the apostille in the country of origin.
  • Non-member countries: you need consular legalisation in three steps, which takes several months.
  • Translation: documents not in a Swiss official language need a certified translation as well, including of the apostille and stamps.
  • Freshness: the apostille never expires, but authorities usually want criminal record extracts no older than 3 months and certificates of capacity to marry no older than 6 months.

What an apostille is

An apostille is a standard confirmation, added by a competent authority in the country of origin as a stamp, sticker or attached sheet. It confirms:

  • that the signature on the document is genuine;
  • the capacity in which the signatory acted;
  • where relevant, that the seal or stamp is genuine.

It does not confirm that the content is true. It says nothing about whether the parents in a birth certificate are the biological parents, whether a marriage date is correct or whether a diploma reflects real study. It confirms the document's form, not its content.

Under the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (SR 0.172.030.4), this single confirmation replaces the old multi-step legalisation between member states. Most countries relevant for Swiss procedures are members, including all EU and EFTA states. Membership keeps growing, so check the current status of your country, and whether Switzerland accepted its accession, in the HCCH status table: https://www.hcch.net/de/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41

What an apostille looks like

The format is the same worldwide (Annex 1 to the Convention), with ten items:

  1. the heading "Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)";
  2. the country that issued the document;
  3. the name of the signatory;
  4. the signatory's function;
  5. the authority or institution whose seal or stamp is on the document;
  6. the place of the apostille;
  7. its date;
  8. the name and function of the authority issuing the apostille;
  9. the apostille number;
  10. the seal and signature of that authority.

It must be on the document itself or on a sheet firmly attached to it. A loose apostille is defective and may be rejected.

When you need one

You usually need an apostille, or legalisation for non-member countries, for foreign documents in these procedures.

Immigration:

  • family reunification: marriage certificate, children's birth certificates, and if relevant a former spouse's death certificate or a divorce decree;
  • permits based on family ties: marriage certificates, birth certificates of minor children, acknowledgements of paternity;
  • extensions or a move to a C permit: criminal record extracts from recent countries of origin and residence (varies by canton);
  • naturalisation under the Swiss Citizenship Act (SCA, SR 141.0), Art. 11 and 12 SCA: birth, marriage and, if relevant, divorce certificates, and criminal record extracts from all recent countries of residence (varies by canton). The language requirement is in a separate text, Art. 6 of the Citizenship Ordinance (SCO, SR 141.01). See the path to Swiss citizenship.

Civil status and family:

  • marrying in Switzerland: birth certificate, certificate of capacity to marry, and if relevant a divorce decree or a former spouse's death certificate;
  • registering a birth or marriage abroad in the Swiss register;
  • recognition of a foreign divorce under the Federal Act on Private International Law (PILA, SR 291), Art. 65: the divorce decree and, if relevant, confirmation that it is final.

Professional recognition:

  • foreign degrees (SBFI): diploma and transcript, usually apostilled, plus requirements depending on whether the profession is regulated. See the L short-stay permit;
  • regulated health professions (FOPH, MEBEKO): extra attestations and apostilles.

Other: inheritance cases with a foreign element (death certificate, will, certificate of inheritance), and powers of attorney signed abroad (notarised, with apostille).

Which documents you need, in what form, and how many years of criminal records, varies by canton. Your cantonal migration office or civil registry office decides.

Three steps at a glance

  1. Apostille if the issuing country is a Hague member. Switzerland accepts it directly, with no further legalisation, unless Switzerland objected to that country's accession (check the HCCH table).
  2. Consular legalisation if the issuing country is not a member, which applies to many African and some Asian and Middle Eastern states (see below).
  3. Certified translation if the document is not in German, French, Italian or Romansh. This is always in addition to step 1 or 2.

For example, a Spanish-language birth certificate from Argentina needs an Argentine apostille and a certified German, French or Italian translation. An apostilled but untranslated document is rejected by the civil registry office.

Who issues apostilles abroad

Each member country designates its own authorities. There is no Swiss body that can apostille a foreign document. Examples:

  • Germany: depending on the document and the Land, the Bundesverwaltungsamt (federal documents), regional or higher regional court presidents (court and notarial documents), or Land interior ministries or regional governments (civil status documents).
  • Austria: the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA), the Federal Chancellery and, for some documents, the Land governors.
  • Italy: Procura della Repubblica (court and civil status documents), Prefettura (other public documents).
  • France: since 1 May 2025, notaries, through the regional councils or chambers of notaries (online or in person); the courts of appeal no longer issue apostilles.
  • Spain: Tribunal Superior de Justicia (court documents), Ministerio de Justicia (some documents centrally), Colegios Notariales (notarial documents).
  • Portugal: Procuradoria-Geral da República.
  • USA: the Secretary of State of the relevant state (state documents); the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications (federal documents).
  • United Kingdom: the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Legalisation Office.
  • Turkey: the Valilik (governor's office) of the province for administrative documents; the Adliye (courthouse) for court documents.

This list is only a guide and can change. The current list for each country is kept by the HCCH: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/authorities1/?cid=41

You apply in person or by post in the issuing country. From Switzerland this is often awkward, so many people ask a trusted person, notary or lawyer there. Costs range from a few euros or dollars to several hundred for express services. It can take a few days (some EU states, the USA) or several months (some Latin American, African or Asian states).

Apostilles on Swiss documents

If you need to use a Swiss document abroad, for example a certificate of origin to marry abroad or a Swiss diploma for recognition abroad:

  • the Federal Chancellery in Bern apostilles federal documents, such as the federal criminal record, Federal Supreme Court decisions and federal diplomas (see its Legalisations section);
  • the cantonal state chancellery apostilles cantonal documents: civil status documents, cantonal diplomas, cantonal court documents, cantonal criminal record extracts and notarised documents.

Apply in person, by post or, in some cantons, online, with the original or a certified copy. Fees and processing times, from the same day to a few weeks, vary; check the website of the relevant chancellery.

Consular legalisation

If the issuing country is not a Hague member, you need legalisation in three steps:

  1. Local authentication: a competent body in the country of origin (notary, civil registry, court or municipality) confirms the document is a genuine public document.
  2. National authentication: a central authority, usually the foreign ministry, confirms the signature and seal of the first body.
  3. Swiss legalisation: the Swiss embassy or consulate in that country confirms the signature and seal of the central authority. Only then can the document be used in Switzerland.

This usually takes several months, sometimes much longer, and costs more than an apostille because three offices charge fees. Ask the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) or the Swiss representation for the Swiss fees. Membership changes, so always check the HCCH status table first: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41

Sometimes documents cannot be obtained at all, for example from conflict zones, failed states or countries without working registers. Swiss authorities then assess the evidence under the principles of the PILA and migration practice. Whether they will accept other evidence depends on the case. For asylum cases, see the Asylum Act glossary.

Certified translations

A document not in a Swiss official language must be translated into the official language used by the authority handling your case.

Rules on translators vary by canton. Usually you need a sworn or certified translator registered in Switzerland or sworn in at a cantonal court. Some cantons accept translations made and apostilled in the country of origin. Whether the translation itself must be notarised or apostilled also depends on the canton and authority.

A certified translation must:

  • be attached to the original or a certified copy, usually firmly;
  • carry the translator's certification with date, signature and stamp;
  • be complete, including the apostille, stamps and seals.

Prices vary with language, length, rarity and urgency; ask translators directly. Directories of sworn translators are available through cantonal courts and the Swiss Association of Translators (ASTTI).

How long documents stay valid

The apostille itself never expires. One issued in 1995 is still formally valid.

Authorities do, however, want recent underlying documents:

  • criminal record extract: usually no older than 3 months when you submit it;
  • certificate of capacity to marry: usually no older than 6 months;
  • birth certificate: recently issued, with any updates on paternity, adoption or name changes;
  • marriage certificate: recently issued, especially for registration in the Swiss family register.

Migration and civil registry offices generally prefer both document and apostille to be under 6 months old, so that no change such as a marriage, divorce or new conviction is missed. These time limits are common practice, not federal law, and vary by canton and procedure.

Asylum seekers and refugees: no contact with your home country

If you are in the asylum procedure or hold a status based on asylum law (N permit, F permit, or a B or C permit as a recognised refugee), special rules apply.

Art. 97 of the Asylum Act (AsylA, SR 142.31) protects your data from your home country. As long as your application is not finally decided, no personal data that could reveal your asylum application may in principle be passed to that country. In practice:

  • you should not go to your home country's embassy or consulate to obtain or apostille documents. This would call your fear of persecution into question and is problematic under asylum law;
  • Swiss authorities may not pass on data that could identify you.

So the normal apostille route is closed to you. Alternatives:

  • NGOs such as the Swiss Refugee Council (OSAR/SFH), HEKS, Caritas, Amnesty International or specialised advice centres can sometimes help obtain documents through other channels;
  • specialised lawyers can obtain documents via third countries, NGOs or trusted people, without contacting your home state;
  • Swiss assessment of evidence: if originals genuinely cannot be obtained, authorities assess credibility in other ways, such as sworn statements, witnesses, NGO attestations or UNHCR documents.

Common problems

  1. No apostille. The document is rejected and processing stops until you supply it. In procedures with deadlines, such as family reunification under Art. 47 of the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA, SR 142.20), act fast: an incomplete application does not necessarily protect the deadline.
  2. Wrong authority. For example, a German Land authority apostilled a document for which the federal authority was competent, or the reverse. The Swiss authority may reject it.
  3. Translation not certified. The original is apostilled but the translation is not certified, or the other way round.
  4. Document too old. The apostille is fine, but the criminal record or certificate of capacity to marry is older than the canton allows (typically over 3 or 6 months). You must get a new one.
  5. Apostille sought in the wrong country. Only the issuing country can apostille. A Spanish birth certificate must be apostilled in Spain, not in Switzerland or Germany.
  6. Incomplete legalisation. For a non-member country, only the first authentication was done, without the Swiss embassy or consulate. The document is not accepted.
  7. Loose apostille. It is not attached to the document or a firmly connected sheet, so it is rejected.

Specific documents

  • University degrees: an apostille is needed but not enough. Recognition by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI), or for health professions by the FOPH, MEBEKO or SRC, is a separate procedure that compares curriculum, ECTS credits and study length.
  • Criminal record extracts: needed for naturalisation (home country and every country of residence in the last 5 to 10 years, depending on the canton), some permit extensions and regulated professions. Usually no older than 3 months; apostilled in the issuing country.
  • Birth certificates of minors: must be recent and show all updates on paternity, adoption, name changes or guardianship. See birth of a child in Switzerland.
  • Marriage certificates: the multilingual ICCS format (International Commission on Civil Status) needs no translation and is preferred where your country issues it. Check with the issuing authority or the Swiss civil registry office. See marriage to a Swiss national and marriage between two foreign nationals in Switzerland.
  • Death certificates: needed for inheritance, remarriage and family reunification. Apostille from the issuing country; no freshness rule, though later updates can matter.
  • Divorce decrees: to remarry in Switzerland after a foreign divorce, you need the apostilled decree and confirmation that it is final. In complex cases, recognition under Art. 65 PILA is a separate procedure. See divorce and residence permit.

How Swiss authorities treat apostilles

Swiss federal and cantonal authorities in principle accept apostilles from member countries:

  • cantonal migration offices: accept apostilles, with freshness requirements for the document;
  • cantonal civil registry offices: accept apostilles, sometimes with stricter rules on translations and a preference for the ICCS format;
  • SBFI: accepts apostilles on diplomas, then carries out its own recognition;
  • Swiss criminal record office (FDJP): compares foreign apostilled records with Swiss requirements.

Some cantons add requirements, such as notarising the translation. Ask the authority handling your case.

Where to ask

  • your cantonal migration office or civil registry office: which documents you need and in what form;
  • the Federal Chancellery (federal documents) or your cantonal state chancellery (cantonal documents): Swiss apostilles;
  • the Swiss representation in the country of origin: consular legalisation;
  • a lawyer specialising in migration law, bound by the Lawyers Act (LLCA, SR 935.61): complex cases and hard-to-get documents;
  • in asylum cases: your assigned legal representative, the Swiss Refugee Council, or asylum law specialists.

Related pages