Legalisation by means of an Apostille – Exemption from Legalisation

Legalisation Guidelines

The selected country is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention.

All documents from the educational area (school leaving certificates, bachelor diplomas, etc.) issued in this country must be certified by means of an apostille in order to be recognised in Austria. Birth certificates and certificates of citizenship do not have to be certified.

An apostille is a confirmation of authenticity. It confirms the authenticity of the signature affixed onto a document, the capacity in which the undersigned has acted, and the authenticity of the seal or stamp affixed onto the document, if any.

The apostille is issued by the internal state authorities appointed by the relevant contractual state (e.g. Foreign Ministry) only. More information can be found at http://hcch.e-vision.nl/index_en.php and http://www.bmaa.gv.at/

Please note:

Certifications can only be affixed to original documents. (Enclosures must be inseparably attached to the original  and must equally bear a seal of confirmation).

FH JOANNEUM will only accept photocopies of documents with an endorsement of proof of authenticity of the document. A mere confirmation stating that the photocopy is in agreement with the original document is therefore not deemed sufficient.

Translation Guidelines

All documents necessary for a full application which were originally not issued in German must be submitted in the form of certified translations into German or English.

Please note:

Translations must be done by a legally sworn interpreter who is officially registered in that particular country.

The interpreter has to confirm that the translation before him or her fully corresponds to the original by affixing the following:

List of legally sworn interpreters in Austria: http://www.sdgliste.justiz.gv.at/

Procedure: certification and translation

1. The original documents themselves must bear an apostille before being translated since these certifications and/or endorsements on the original must also be fully translated.
2. The apostilled documents must be translated by a legally sworn interpreter.
3. In the case that a translation consists of more than one sheet, these are to be inseparably attached together by means of a vignette or label. The attachment of the individual sheets must be recognisable from the seal / stamp which must be visible partly on the vignette and partly on the first page of the translation.