DECREE
Guiding the Implementation of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention)
Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government No. 63/2025/QH15;
Pursuant to the Law on International Treaties No. 108/2016/QH13, as amended and supplemented by Law No. 137/2025/QH15;
Pursuant to the Law on Vietnamese Representative Missions Abroad No. 33/2009/QH12, as amended and supplemented by Law No. 19/2017/QH14 and Law No. 08/2026/QH16;
At the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs;
The Government promulgates this Decree guiding the implementation of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention).
Chapter I
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1. Scope of regulation
This Decree provides for:
The competence, order and procedures for issuing Apostille Certificates for Vietnamese public documents.
The receipt and use in Vietnam of public documents issued with Apostille Certificates by Contracting States to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the “Apostille Convention”).
Verification of Apostille Certificates and state management of the implementation of the Apostille Convention.
Article 2. Subjects of application
This Decree applies to:
Agencies, organizations and individuals requesting the issuance of Apostille Certificates.
Competent authorities of Vietnam issuing Apostille Certificates.
Agencies, organizations and individuals receiving and using in Vietnam public documents issued with Apostille Certificates by Contracting States to the Convention.
Other agencies and organizations involved in the issuance, verification, state management and international cooperation concerning Apostille Certificates.
Article 3. Interpretation of terms
In this Decree, the following terms shall be construed as follows:
“Contracting State to the Convention” means a party that has participated in the Apostille Convention through signature, ratification or accession in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.
“Apostille Certificate” means a certificate issued by a competent authority of Vietnam or of a Contracting State to the Convention to certify the origin of a public document, including the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted, the authority of the signatory, and the seal or stamp on the public document, if any, in accordance with Article 4 of this Decree.
“Public document” means a document or instrument made in paper or electronic form by a competent agency, organization or individual in accordance with the laws of the country where the document is made, in the performance of its functions, duties and powers under the laws of that country, including: documents issued by an authority or official connected with a court or tribunal or judicial authority; administrative documents;
notarial acts; official certifications placed on documents signed in a private capacity.
“Competent authority for issuing Apostille Certificates” means an authority designated by a Contracting State to the Convention in accordance with the Convention for the purpose of issuing Apostille Certificates; under this Decree, this includes competent authorities of Vietnam and of Contracting States to the Convention having applicable relations with Vietnam.
“Electronic Apostille Certificate (e-Apostille)” means an Apostille Certificate issued in electronic data form, digitally signed in accordance with the law on electronic transactions and satisfying the technical requirements prescribed in Clause 3, Article 20 of this Decree.
“Information System for the Issuance and Management of Apostille Certificates” means the professional information system developed, managed and operated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the receipt, processing, issuance, storage, retrieval and verification of Apostille Certificates (hereinafter referred to as the “Apostille Information System”).
“Electronic Data Repository for Apostille Certificates” (hereinafter referred to as the “Data Repository”) means a component of the Apostille Information System used to store, retrieve and verify information on issued Apostille Certificates, which is developed, managed, operated and secured in accordance with the law on electronic transactions, data and cybersecurity.
“Electronic Register (e-Register)” means the publicly accessible online retrieval interface of the Data Repository, enabling verification of the authenticity of Apostille Certificates in accordance with the Convention.
Article 4. Contents of an Apostille Certificate
An Apostille Certificate certifies the origin of a public document, including the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the signatory has acted, the authority of the signatory, and the seal or stamp on the public document, if any.
An Apostille Certificate does not certify the content or form of the public document.
Article 5. Requirements for issuance of Apostille Certificates and order of priority in application
Vietnamese public documents shall be issued with Apostille Certificates at the request of agencies, organizations or individuals for use in Contracting States to the Convention having applicable relations with Vietnam.
The issuance of an Apostille Certificate is not mandatory if such public document is exempt from, or does not require, certification or authentication under an international treaty to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a party, or under the laws or practices applicable in the country where the document is to be used.
The issuance of an Apostille Certificate does not replace notarization or certification as prescribed by law where such public document is to be used in Vietnam.
For use in Vietnam, a public document of a Contracting State to the Convention having applicable relations with Vietnam must bear an Apostille Certificate, except for documents refused under Article 26 of this Decree or cases where an international treaty to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a party, or Vietnamese laws and practices, provide for exemption from or do not require consular legalization or another certification procedure for that type of document.
Vietnamese public documents for use abroad and foreign public documents for use in Vietnam shall be certified in the following forms:
a) Apostille certification in accordance with this Decree, applicable to public documents circulating between Vietnam and Contracting States to the Convention having applicable relations with Vietnam;
b) Consular certification or consular legalization in accordance with the law on consular certification and consular legalization, applicable to public documents circulating in relations with countries that are not Contracting States to the Convention;
c) Where an international treaty to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a party provides for a simpler form of certification or exempts public documents from certification or authentication requirements compared with the forms specified in Point a or Point b of this Clause, the provisions of such international treaty shall prevail.
Public documents that have already been consularly certified or legalized may still be issued with an Apostille Certificate for use in a Contracting State to the Convention having applicable relations with Vietnam, and vice versa.
Where a Contracting State to the Convention objects to Vietnam’s accession, or vice versa, in accordance with Article 12 of the Convention, the Apostille Convention shall not have effect between the two countries; public documents circulating between the two countries shall be handled in accordance with Point b, Clause 3 of this Article.
Chapter II
ISSUANCE OF APOSTILLE CERTIFICATES FOR VIETNAMESE PUBLIC DOCUMENTS
Article 6. Competent authority for issuing Apostille Certificates of Vietnam
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the competent authority for issuing Apostille Certificates of Vietnam. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall specifically designate the authorities responsible for issuing Apostille Certificates (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Apostille Issuing Authority”).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall notify the Apostille Issuing Authority and any relevant changes to the depositary of the Convention through diplomatic channels.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall prescribe the criteria, conditions and roadmap for decentralizing the authority to issue Apostille Certificates to provincial-level People’s Committees and the responsibilities of provincial-level People’s Committees receiving such decentralized authority in accordance with the law on organization of the Government and the law on organization of local government.
Article 7. Persons and entities requesting Apostille Certificates
Agencies, organizations and individuals may request an Apostille Certificate for their own documents or those of another person without requiring a power of attorney.
A person requesting an Apostille Certificate for another person’s documents shall be legally responsible for the lawfulness of the submission and use of such documents and shall comply with the law on personal data protection and other relevant laws.
Article 8. Language and place of issuance of Apostille Certificates
The languages used for issuing Apostille Certificates shall be Vietnamese and English; the heading “Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)” shall be presented in French in accordance with Article 4 of the Apostille Convention.
Apostille Certificates shall be issued at the premises of the Apostille Issuing Authority.
Article 9. Fees for issuance of Apostille Certificates
A person requesting an Apostille Certificate shall pay the consular certification and consular legalization fee at the time of submitting the application in accordance with the law on fees and charges.
Where the application is submitted and the result is received by postal service, the requester shall pay the postal charges.
Where the application is submitted online, payment of fees shall be made in accordance with the law on administrative procedures conducted in the electronic environment.
Where an application has been returned due to expiry of the verification period and the requester resubmits the application in accordance with Point c, Clause 5, Article 15 of this Decree, the resubmitted application shall continue to be processed on the basis of the application dossier and fees already paid.
Article 10. Vietnamese public documents eligible for Apostille certification
Vietnamese public documents eligible for Apostille certification include:
Documents made, issued or certified by competent authorities or persons in judicial proceedings and enforcement proceedings in accordance with the law applicable from time to time, including judgments, decisions and procedural documents of People’s Courts, People’s Procuracies and Investigation Agencies; decisions, records and documents of civil judgment enforcement management authorities, civil judgment enforcement authorities and criminal judgment enforcement authorities; bailiff records and other documents made by bailiffs and enforcement officers in the performance of their duties.
Administrative documents made, issued or certified by competent agencies, organizations or persons in accordance with law, including documents relating to civil status, nationality and adoption; judicial record certificates; diplomas, certificates, certificates of academic or research results; health examination documents, medical certificates, medical assessment conclusions and other medical documents; and other administrative documents issued or certified by state agencies or organizations to which the State has decentralized or delegated the provision of public services in accordance with law.
Notarial documents in accordance with the law on notarization applicable from time to time, including contracts, transactions, translations and notarized copies.
Certified documents made by competent agencies, organizations or persons in accordance with the law on certification, including certification of copies from originals; certification of signatures; certification of translators’ signatures; and certification of contracts and transactions.
Other Vietnamese public documents made, issued or certified by competent agencies, organizations or persons in the performance of their functions and duties in accordance with law, except for cases specified in Clause 1, Article 11 of this Decree.
Article 11. Documents outside the scope of, or not eligible for, Apostille certification
The following documents are outside the scope of Apostille certification:
a) Documents made or issued by Vietnamese diplomatic or consular officials in the course of performing diplomatic or consular functions in accordance with Vietnamese law and international law;
b) Administrative documents directly related to commercial or customs activities, except for documents that, before the Apostille Convention took effect for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, were subject to consular certification under the law on consular certification and consular legalization. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall specifically determine the documents referred to in this Point in the list prescribed in Clause 7, Article 30 of this Decree;
c) Documents not made, issued or certified by a competent agency, organization or person in the performance of their functions, duties and powers in accordance with law and which have not been notarized or certified;
d) Public documents made, issued or certified by foreign agencies, organizations or competent persons.
The following documents are not eligible for Apostille certification:
a) Documents that have been erased, altered or unlawfully modified;
b) Documents for which there are grounds to determine that they are forged;
c) Documents for which the verification results under Article 15 of this Decree determine that the competent authority did not issue the document, or that the seal, signature, title or authority appearing on the document is not authentic, is unauthorized, is not an original seal or original signature, or does not conform to the registered specimen;
d) Public documents that have been declared invalid, revoked or annulled, or determined to have been issued unlawfully pursuant to an effective decision, judgment or document of a competent state authority;
e) Public documents falling within the category prohibited from being taken abroad under Vietnamese law;
f) Vietnamese public documents in electronic data form that do not bear a valid digital signature of the competent agency, organization or person, or whose digital signature does not satisfy the technical format prescribed by the law on electronic transactions.
Article 12. Application dossier and methods of submission for Apostille certification
An application dossier for an Apostille Certificate shall consist of one set. The dossier components according to the method of submission are prescribed as follows:
Submission in person at the One-Stop Section or by postal service:
a) An application form for issuance of an Apostille Certificate according to the form issued by the Minister of Foreign Affairs;
b) The original public document for which an Apostille Certificate is requested; where the public document is a certified copy or a certified translation in accordance with the law on notarization and certification, such copy or translation shall be submitted.
The public document must remain intact and must not be detached, erased or altered in content.
Fully online submission through the National Public Service Portal or the National Identification Application:
a) The application form in an interactive electronic form;
b) An electronic version of the public document bearing a valid digital signature of the competent agency, organization or person in accordance with the law on electronic transactions.
Article 13. Receipt of applications for Apostille certification
The receipt of applications for Apostille certification shall be carried out in accordance with the law on administrative procedures under the one-stop and interconnected one-stop mechanisms and the law on administrative procedures conducted in the electronic environment, according to the following order:
The receiving authority shall authenticate the identity of the requester through an electronic identification account. Where an application is submitted in person or by postal service and identification information cannot be retrieved or the retrieved information is incomplete, verification and comparison shall be carried out on the basis of identity documents or documents proving the legal status of an organization presented or additionally submitted by the requester.
The receiving authority shall examine the completeness and validity of the application dossier and compare the information on the public document with the information in the application form for an Apostille Certificate.
Where the public document shows signs of forgery, erasure or unlawful alteration, the receiving authority shall make a note in the dossier for handling in accordance with Articles 14 and 15 of this Decree.
Where the dossier is incomplete or invalid, the receiving authority shall provide guidance to the requester to supplement and complete the dossier once. Within 07 working days from the date of receiving such guidance, the requester shall supplement and complete the dossier; this period shall not be included in the processing period.
Article 14. Processing of applications for Apostille certification
The Apostille Issuing Authority shall compare the signature, seal, title and authority appearing on the public document with the information and data on seals, signatures, titles and authority prescribed in Article 23 of this Decree.
The results of the comparison shall be handled as follows:
a) Where the comparison results conform, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall issue an Apostille Certificate in accordance with Article 16 of this Decree;
b) Where the dossier falls within one of the cases requiring verification under Clause 1, Article 15 of this Decree, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall conduct verification in accordance with Article 15 of this Decree;
c) Where the comparison results do not conform but there are grounds to determine that the information and data prescribed in Article 23 of this Decree have not been fully updated or contain discrepancies, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall conduct verification in accordance with Article 15 of this Decree before deciding whether to issue the Apostille Certificate.
In other cases of non-conformity that do not fall within the cases requiring verification under Clause 1, Article 15 of this Decree, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall refuse to issue the Apostille Certificate in accordance with Article 18 of this Decree;
d) Where the public document is a certified copy or a translation bearing certification of the translator’s signature, and there are reasonable grounds to doubt the authenticity of the copy or translation, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall prioritize retrieval and comparison of electronic notarization or certification data in accordance with the law on notarization and certification; where such data cannot be retrieved, the requester shall be required to present the original for examination and comparison.
The receipt, processing and return of results shall be updated in the Information System for Administrative Procedure Resolution and synchronized with the National Public Service Portal in accordance with the law on administrative procedures under the one-stop and interconnected one-stop mechanisms.
Article 15. Verification of authenticity of public documents
The Apostille Issuing Authority shall verify the authenticity of a public document in any of the following cases:
a) The signature, seal, title and authority appearing on the public document are not yet included in the information and data on seals, signatures, titles and authority prescribed in Article 23 of this Decree or have not been officially introduced to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
b) There are reasonable grounds to doubt the authenticity of the document, including cases where the document shows signs of forgery, erasure or unlawful alteration;
c) There is information, an indication or a report that the public document falls within a category prohibited from being taken abroad or subject to restrictions on use abroad under specialized laws.
Where an application falls within the cases specified in Clause 1 of this Article, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall suspend processing of the document in question, notify the requester of the verification, clearly state the reasons and expected verification period, and send a written request for verification as follows:
a) For cases specified in Points a and b, Clause 1 of this Article: the request shall be sent to the agency or organization that issued the document or to the superior state management agency of such agency to confirm the authenticity of the document, seal, signature, title and authority; the requester shall not be required to submit additional documents;
b) For cases specified in Point c, Clause 1 of this Article: the request shall be sent to the competent state authority responsible for the relevant sector to confirm the status of circulation of the document.
The authority requested to conduct verification shall respond in writing within 05 working days from the date of receiving the request; in complex cases, the period shall not exceed 10 working days, and the reasons shall be notified to the requesting authority.
Immediately after receiving the written verification results, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall handle the matter as follows:
a) Where the results confirm the authenticity and the document is eligible for circulation, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall issue an Apostille Certificate in accordance with Article 16 of this Decree;
b) Where the results confirm that the document is not authentic, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall refuse to issue an Apostille Certificate and return the document to the requester, with notification in accordance with Article 18 of this Decree; where the document contains elements of forgery or was issued by an unauthorized agency or organization, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall refuse issuance and retain and transfer the dossier in accordance with Clause 4, Article 18 of this Decree;
c) Where the document is authentic but falls within a category prohibited from being taken abroad or subject to restrictions on use abroad under specialized laws, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall refuse to issue an Apostille Certificate, notify the requester in accordance with Article 18 of this Decree, and transfer the dossier to the competent state authority responsible for the relevant sector for handling in accordance with specialized laws.
Where the verification period expires without receiving a response, the matter shall be handled as follows:
a) After 15 days from the date of sending the written request for verification without receiving a response, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall urge the authority requested to conduct verification;
b) After 30 days from the date of sending the written request for verification without receiving a response, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall notify the requester in writing of the verification process and return the dossier together with the public document;
c) Where verification results are received after the period specified in Point b of this Clause and the dossier has already been returned, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall notify the requester to resubmit the dossier in accordance with Article 12 of this Decree.
Article 16. Issuance of Apostille Certificates and return of results
A paper Apostille Certificate shall contain all information prescribed in Article 20 of this Decree, in the form prescribed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and shall be affixed or attached directly to the public document or presented on a separate sheet attached to, bound with and inseparable from the public document.
An electronic Apostille Certificate shall be integrated into or attached to the electronic public document, ensuring integrity in accordance with the technical requirements prescribed in Clause 3, Article 20 of this Decree.
Results shall be returned to the requester by the method registered upon submission of the application: directly at the One-Stop Section; by postal service; or in electronic form sent to the electronic data repository of the organization or individual on the Information System for Administrative Procedure Resolution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Public Service Portal in accordance with law, or to the requester’s email address.
The issuance and management of result codes and the storage of electronic results shall comply with the law on administrative procedures under the one-stop and interconnected one-stop mechanisms.
Immediately after issuing an Apostille Certificate, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall update the information in the Data Repository in accordance with Article 21 of this Decree.
Article 17. Processing time limits
The period for issuing an Apostille Certificate shall be calculated from the date of receipt of a complete and valid dossier and shall be determined according to the number of public documents for which Apostille Certificates are requested in one dossier and the method of submission.
For applications for paper Apostille Certificates submitted in accordance with Clause 1, Article 12 of this Decree, the processing period shall be as follows:
a) 01 working day for applications containing 01 to 04 public documents;
b) 02 working days for applications containing 05 to 09 public documents;
c) 04 working days for applications containing 10 or more public documents.
For applications for electronic Apostille Certificates submitted fully online in accordance with Clause 2, Article 12 of this Decree, the processing period shall be as follows:
a) Within the same working day for applications containing 01 to 04 public documents received before the time prescribed by law on administrative procedures conducted in the electronic environment; where received after such time, the application shall be counted as received on the following working day;
b) 01 working day for applications containing 05 to 09 public documents;
c) 03 working days for applications containing 10 or more public documents.
The time at which the processing period begins shall be determined in accordance with the law on administrative procedures conducted in the electronic environment.
The periods prescribed in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article do not include the verification period prescribed in Article 15 of this Decree.
Where an application cannot be processed within the periods prescribed in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article due to objective reasons, a system technical incident or a force majeure event as prescribed by law, and the case does not fall within the verification cases prescribed in Article 15 of this Decree, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall notify the requester in writing before the expiry of the deadline, clearly stating the reason and the new processing period in accordance with the law on administrative procedures under the one-stop and interconnected one-stop mechanisms.
An extension of the processing period may only be made once.
Article 18. Handling of refusals and retention of documents
The Apostille Issuing Authority shall refuse to issue an Apostille Certificate in the following cases:
a) The document is outside the scope of Apostille certification as prescribed in Clause 1, Article 11 of this Decree;
b) The public document is not eligible for Apostille certification as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 11 of this Decree;
c) The period prescribed in Clause 4, Article 13 of this Decree has expired and the dossier still fails to satisfy the requirements prescribed in Article 12 of this Decree;
d) The comparison results under Clause 1, Article 14 of this Decree confirm that the signature, seal, title or authority appearing on the public document does not conform to the information and data on seals, signatures, titles and authority prescribed in Article 23 of this Decree.
Upon refusing to issue an Apostille Certificate, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall notify the requester in accordance with the law on administrative procedures under the one-stop and interconnected one-stop mechanisms within the periods prescribed in Clauses 1 and 2, Article 17 of this Decree.
For refusal under Point c, Clause 1 of this Article, the notification period shall be 01 working day from the date on which the period prescribed in Clause 4, Article 13 of this Decree expires.
The notification shall clearly state the reasons and applicable legal grounds.
The original public document received shall be returned to the requester together with the refusal notification, except for the case prescribed in Clause 4 of this Article.
The Apostille Issuing Authority shall guide the requester to carry out the appropriate procedure as prescribed by law, such as consular certification or consular legalization under the law on consular certification and consular legalization where the document is required for use in a country that is not a Contracting State to the Convention.
Where written verification results confirm that the document contains forged elements or was issued by an unauthorized agency or organization, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall:
a) Retain all public documents and relevant materials in the application dossier; prepare a retention record bearing the signature of the requester or clearly state the reason why the requester did not sign;
b) Notify the requester in writing of the retention of the document and transfer of the dossier to the competent authority for handling, clearly stating the reasons;
c) Within 05 working days from the date of preparation of the retention record, notify in writing the competent authority under the law at the place where the Apostille Issuing Authority is headquartered to come and receive all retained documents and the retention record for consideration and handling in accordance with law.
Article 19. Cancellation, revocation and replacement of issued Apostille Certificates
The authority that issued an Apostille Certificate shall cancel the Apostille Certificate in the following cases:
a) The application dossier for issuance of the Apostille Certificate is determined to contain forged elements on the basis of verification results under Article 15 of this Decree or a conclusion of a competent authority;
b) The public document for which an Apostille Certificate has been issued is determined by a competent authority to have been unlawfully issued or to have no legal validity at the time the Apostille Certificate was issued.
A cancelled Apostille Certificate shall have no legal validity from the time of its issuance.
Except for the case specified in Clause 1 of this Article, where an error in the issuance of an Apostille Certificate not attributable to the requester results in the document being unusable abroad, the issuing authority shall revoke and replace the Apostille Certificate at the requester’s request.
A revoked Apostille Certificate shall cease to be effective from the time information on its revocation is publicly posted on Vietnam’s Electronic Register.
The replacement Apostille Certificate shall have a new certificate number and management number as prescribed in Points h and l, Clause 1, Article 20 of this Decree.
Replacement shall be carried out on the basis of the dossier and fees already submitted.
Where the public document previously attached cannot be reused for replacement, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall instruct the requester to provide another original or a certified copy or certified translation of the same public document and shall not require resubmission of the application dossier.
A request for replacement may be submitted directly at the One-Stop Section, by postal service or online; revocation and replacement shall be carried out immediately after receipt of the request.
The Apostille Issuing Authority shall cancel or revoke and replace Apostille Certificates in accordance with Clause 1 or Clause 2 of this Article.
No later than the following working day after the date of the decision on cancellation or revocation and replacement, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall update the validity status of the Apostille Certificate in the Data Repository in accordance with Article 21 of this Decree, publicly post it on Vietnam’s Electronic Register, and notify the holder of the Apostille Certificate of the cancellation or revocation and replacement by an appropriate method.
For electronic Apostille Certificates, invalidation of the electronic administrative procedure result shall be carried out in accordance with the law on administrative procedures conducted in the electronic environment.
Where there are grounds to determine that an Apostille Certificate has been used or is being verified in a Contracting State to the Convention, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall notify the competent authority of that Contracting State in writing or electronically of the cancellation or revocation and replacement; where necessary, such notification may be made through diplomatic channels.
On the basis of inspection or state management of Apostille Certificates, where the Apostille Issuing Authority has not carried out cancellation or revocation and replacement in accordance with Clause 1 or Clause 2 of this Article, the Minister of Foreign Affairs shall issue a written request requiring the Apostille Issuing Authority to do so within 05 working days from the date of receipt of the request.
If the Apostille Issuing Authority fails to do so within the above period, the Minister of Foreign Affairs shall directly decide on the cancellation or revocation and replacement and shall be responsible for such decision.
The cancellation or revocation and replacement of an Apostille Certificate shall not affect the handling of consequences arising from a transaction established in the country receiving the document under the law of that country.
In Vietnam, the lawful rights and interests of a bona fide third party shall be protected in accordance with civil law.
Article 20. Form of Vietnam’s Apostille Certificate
An Apostille Certificate shall have the heading and language prescribed in Clause 1, Article 8 of this Decree and shall contain all of the following:
a) Name of the country where the Apostille Certificate is issued;
b) Full name of the person who signed the public document;
c) Capacity of the person who signed the public document;
d) Name of the authority bearing the seal or stamp on the public document where the public document does not bear a signature;
dd) Place of issuance of the Apostille Certificate;
e) Date of issuance of the Apostille Certificate;
g) Name of the authority issuing the Apostille Certificate;
h) Number of the Apostille Certificate;
i) Seal or stamp of the authority issuing the Apostille Certificate;
k) Signature of the competent person of the authority issuing the Apostille Certificate;
l) Management number.
An Apostille Certificate shall incorporate a QR code linked to the Data Repository prescribed in Article 21 of this Decree, enabling retrieval and verification of information concerning the issued Apostille Certificate through the Electronic Register.
In addition to the requirements prescribed in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article, an electronic Apostille Certificate shall satisfy the following technical requirements:
a) It shall be signed using a specialized official-duty digital signature of the Apostille Issuing Authority in accordance with the law on electronic transactions and cryptographic law;
b) It shall contain a timestamp identifying the time of issuance of the Apostille Certificate;
c) It shall be attached to and inseparable from the electronic public document and shall ensure integrity and prevent any alteration of its contents after issuance.
Vietnam’s Apostille Certificate form must contain all information prescribed in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article; for electronic Apostille Certificates, it must additionally satisfy the technical requirements prescribed in Clause 3 of this Article; and it must conform to the Certificate Model annexed to the Convention.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall prescribe the detailed presentation of the Apostille Certificate form.
Article 21. Electronic Data Repository for Apostille Certificates and Electronic Register
The Data Repository prescribed in Clause 7, Article 3 of this Decree shall be managed and operated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Electronic Register prescribed in Clause 8, Article 3 of this Decree shall satisfy the requirements for registration and verification of Apostille Certificates under the Convention.
Upon issuing an Apostille Certificate, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall update the following information in the Data Repository:
a) Number and date of issuance of the Apostille Certificate;
b) Full name and capacity of the person who signed the public document or name of the authority whose seal appears on the public document;
c) Form of Apostille certification, whether paper or electronic;
d) Validity status of the Apostille Certificate;
dd) Electronic copy of the issued Apostille Certificate;
e) Management number of the Apostille Certificate.
The Electronic Register shall ensure public and continuous access 24 hours a day and 07 days a week by means of the Apostille Certificate number or by scanning the QR code on the Apostille Certificate; no account registration shall be required.
It shall display all information prescribed in Clause 2 of this Article.
The retrieval interface shall be provided at a minimum in Vietnamese and English.
Information in the Data Repository shall be stored in accordance with the law on archives and shall ensure the requirements for retrieval and verification of Apostille Certificates under the Apostille Convention.
The security, backup, exploitation, sharing and information security of such information shall be carried out in accordance with the law on data, cybersecurity and personal data protection.
Article 22. Records retained for issuance of Apostille Certificates
Paper documents generated during the issuance of Apostille Certificates shall be handled in accordance with the law on consular certification and consular legalization; the preservation regime and retention period for such records shall comply with the law on archives.
The storage and preservation of information concerning electronic Apostille Certificates shall be carried out in accordance with Article 21 of this Decree.
Article 23. Information and data on seals, signatures, titles and authority of persons competent to sign Vietnamese public documents
Information and data on seals, signatures, titles and authority of persons competent to sign Vietnamese public documents contained in the information system for consular certification and consular legalization shall be inherited and updated in the Apostille Information System to serve comparison and verification in the issuance of Apostille Certificates.
The Apostille Issuing Authority shall access and use specimen data on seals, signatures, titles and authority of competent persons signing documents in accordance with the law on consular certification and consular legalization to compare and verify the origin of public documents before issuing Apostille Certificates.
The introduction, updating and management of specimens of seals, signatures, titles and authority of persons competent to sign public documents shall be carried out in accordance with the law on consular certification and consular legalization.
Article 24. Verification of Apostille Certificates issued by Vietnam at the request of foreign authorities
Where a competent authority of a Contracting State to the Convention having applicable relations with Vietnam sends a request to verify an Apostille Certificate issued by Vietnam, the Apostille Issuing Authority that issued the certificate shall be responsible for verifying and responding regarding the authenticity of the Apostille Certificate on the basis of information stored in the Electronic Register or retained records.
Verification under this Article is intended to confirm the authenticity of the Apostille Certificate and information concerning its issuance and does not include confirmation of the content of the public document for which the Apostille Certificate was issued.
Verification requests and verification results shall be sent and received directly between competent authorities in writing or electronically; where necessary, they may be transmitted through diplomatic channels.
The deadline for responding to a verification request shall be 05 working days from the date of receipt of the verification request; where additional verification is required or the case involves complex factors, the period shall not exceed 10 working days.
The Apostille Issuing Authority shall notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the verification results for monitoring and consolidation in support of state management of the implementation of the Apostille Convention.
Chapter III
EXEMPTION FROM CONSULAR LEGALIZATION AND USE IN VIETNAM OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS OF CONTRACTING STATES TO THE CONVENTION
Article 25. Principles of exemption from consular legalization and use of public documents bearing Apostille Certificates
In this Chapter, “Contracting State to the Convention” means a Contracting State to the Convention having applicable relations with Vietnam, unless otherwise provided.
A public document of a Contracting State to the Convention having applicable relations with Vietnam that has been issued with an Apostille Certificate by the competent authority of that Contracting State and does not fall within the case prescribed in Article 26 of this Decree shall be exempt from consular legalization and may be used in Vietnam without carrying out any additional certification procedure under relevant law.
Agencies and organizations in Vietnam may not require additional consular certification or consular legalization procedures for public documents bearing a valid Apostille Certificate.
An electronic Apostille Certificate issued by a competent authority of a Contracting State to the Convention shall have legal validity equivalent to that of a paper Apostille Certificate and shall not be denied legal validity merely because it is presented in electronic data form.
The authenticity of an electronic Apostille Certificate shall be verified through the Electronic Register of the issuing Contracting State in accordance with Article 27 of this Decree or through a mechanism prescribed by the Apostille Convention.
Article 26. Cases of refusal to accept public documents bearing Apostille Certificates
A document of a Contracting State to the Convention having applicable relations with Vietnam that has been issued with an Apostille Certificate shall be refused acceptance in Vietnam in the following cases:
The document bearing the Apostille Certificate is not a public document under the law of the country where the document was made, or is a document made by a diplomatic or consular official, or is an administrative document directly related to commercial or customs activities.
The Apostille Certificate was not issued by the competent authority of the Contracting State to the Convention where the public document was made, or the Apostille Certificate does not bear the French heading “Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)” and does not contain all information required under the Certificate Model annexed to the Apostille Convention.
The public document or Apostille Certificate shows signs of forgery, erasure or unlawful alteration.
The content of the public document violates Vietnamese law, infringes upon the interests of the Vietnamese State, or is contrary to the fundamental principles of Vietnamese law concerning public order or social morality.
The Apostille Certificate has been cancelled or revoked by the competent authority of the Contracting State to the Convention.
Article 27. Use in Vietnam of public documents of Contracting States to the Convention
A public document bearing an Apostille Certificate that is not made in Vietnamese must be translated into Vietnamese; the translation must be notarized or certified in accordance with Vietnamese law, unless otherwise provided by specialized law.
A valid Apostille Certificate shall be accepted and used in Vietnam without any additional consular legalization procedure.
Where necessary, the receiving agency or organization may verify the Apostille Certificate through the Electronic Register of the issuing Contracting State by online retrieval or by scanning the QR code on the Apostille Certificate.
Where there are reasonable grounds to doubt the authenticity of an Apostille Certificate and it cannot be retrieved through the Electronic Register of the relevant Contracting State, the receiving agency or organization may request the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist in verification in accordance with Article 28 of this Decree.
Article 28. Assistance in verifying Apostille Certificates issued by competent authorities of Contracting States to the Convention at the request of domestic agencies and organizations
A domestic agency or organization falling within the case specified in Clause 3, Article 27 of this Decree may request the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in writing to assist in verifying an Apostille Certificate, together with information concerning the Apostille Certificate requiring verification.
Immediately upon receiving the request, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall send a verification request to the competent authority issuing Apostille Certificates of the relevant Contracting State to the Convention in writing or electronically; upon receiving the response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall immediately notify the agency or organization that requested verification of the results.
Where the verification results show that the Apostille Certificate is invalid or shows signs of forgery, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security and relevant authorities to consider and handle the matter in accordance with law; where necessary, it shall also notify the Contracting State that issued the Apostille Certificate.
Chapter IV
STATE MANAGEMENT AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF AGENCIES, ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS IN IMPLEMENTING THE APOSTILLE CONVENTION
Article 29. Contents of state management
State management of the implementation of the Apostille Convention includes:
Formulating, promulgating and organizing the implementation of legal normative documents concerning the implementation of the Apostille Convention.
Organizing and directing the issuance of Apostille Certificates; and the receipt and use in Vietnam of public documents of Contracting States to the Convention bearing Apostille Certificates.
Developing, managing and operating the Apostille Information System and Electronic Register.
Inspecting, supervising and handling violations of law in the field of implementation of the Apostille Convention.
Training and fostering officials and public servants performing Apostille certification.
Disseminating and educating the public about the law concerning the Apostille Convention.
International cooperation in the field of implementation of the Apostille Convention.
Collecting statistics and reporting on the implementation of the Apostille Convention.
Article 30. Responsibilities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall assist the Government in exercising unified state management of the implementation of the Apostille Convention and shall have the following duties and powers:
Act as the national focal point for implementation of the Apostille Convention and take the lead in organizing the implementation of this Decree.
Organize the issuance of Apostille Certificates through the Apostille Issuing Authority.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall decentralize the authority to issue Apostille Certificates to provincial-level People’s Committees according to the criteria, conditions and roadmap prescribed in Clause 3, Article 6 of this Decree.
Develop, manage and operate the Apostille Information System, Electronic Register and technical infrastructure serving the issuance of Apostille Certificates; ensure connection and interoperability with the National Public Service Portal.
Prescribe the presentation of the Apostille Certificate form; issue application forms, interactive electronic forms and professional forms; organize the printing and issuance of Apostille Certificate forms; notify the depositary of the Convention and Contracting States to the Convention of Vietnam’s Apostille Certificate form through diplomatic channels.
Update and publish the list of Contracting States to the Convention having applicable relations with Vietnam and information on whether such Contracting States continue to recognize or do not recognize consular certification results issued before the Convention took effect for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; publicly post such information on the electronic portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Public Service Portal.
Act as the national focal point for verification of Apostille Certificates under the Apostille Convention; monitor and consolidate verification of Apostille Certificates issued by Vietnam at the request of foreign authorities; assist domestic agencies and organizations in verifying Apostille Certificates issued by Contracting States to the Convention and urge competent authorities of Contracting States to the Convention where responses to verification requests are delayed.
Guide and inspect the implementation of this Decree; take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and ministerial-level agencies in reviewing and issuing lists and professional guidance documents on types of public documents falling within and outside the scope of Apostille certification under specialized laws.
The lists and professional guidance documents shall be publicly posted on the electronic portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for agencies, organizations and individuals to consult and apply uniformly.
Consolidate and report to the Government on the implementation of the Apostille Convention annually or when necessary at the Government’s request.
Article 31. Responsibilities of ministries, sectors and provincial-level People’s Committees
Ministries, ministerial-level agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees, within the scope of their duties and powers, shall:
Coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in organizing the implementation of this Decree;
Direct subordinate agencies and organizations to receive public documents of Contracting States to the Convention bearing Apostille Certificates in accordance with this Decree; not require Apostille certification for public documents exempt from consular legalization under another international treaty to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a party or under specialized law; and proactively coordinate in verification when necessary in accordance with law.
Article 32. Responsibilities of agencies and organizations making and issuing Vietnamese public documents
Be responsible under law for the authenticity, content and form of documents and instruments made or issued by them.
Promptly notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of specimens of seals, signatures, titles, authority and authorization periods of agencies, organizations and competent persons authorized to sign and issue public documents in accordance with the law on consular certification and consular legalization.
Agencies and organizations making or issuing public documents, upon receiving a verification request under Clause 2, Article 15 of this Decree, shall respond in writing within the period prescribed in Clause 3, Article 15 of this Decree.
Article 33. Responsibilities of relevant agencies, organizations and individuals
Agencies, organizations and individuals requesting Apostille Certificates shall:
a) Be legally responsible for the purpose of use, content, authenticity and lawfulness of documents and instruments;
b) Provide relevant information to the Apostille Issuing Authority.
Vietnamese agencies and organizations receiving and using documents and instruments bearing Apostille Certificates issued by Contracting States to the Convention shall:
a) Examine and compare them with the provisions of law and relevant documents in order to decide whether to accept or reject the documents and instruments in handling matters within the scope of their functions and powers;
b) Proactively coordinate with competent authorities to verify the authenticity of foreign documents and instruments when necessary.
Chapter V
IMPLEMENTATION PROVISIONS
Article 34. Effect
This Decree shall enter into force on 11 September 2026.
Article 35. Application of the law on Apostille certification and consular certification and legalization
From the effective date of this Decree, certification of public documents for use in Contracting States to the Convention having applicable relations with Vietnam shall be carried out in accordance with this Decree.
Consular certification and consular legalization shall continue to be carried out in accordance with the law on consular certification and consular legalization in the following cases:
a) Vietnamese public documents for use in countries that are not Contracting States to the Convention;
b) Documents and instruments that do not fall within the scope of public documents prescribed in Clause 3, Article 3 and Article 10 of this Decree or do not fall within the scope of Apostille certification under Clause 1, Article 11 of this Decree;
c) Other cases outside the scope of regulation of this Decree.
Article 36. Transitional provisions
Applications for consular certification of Vietnamese public documents that were validly received before the effective date of this Decree but had not yet been resolved by that date, including applications undergoing additional verification, shall continue to be processed and results returned in accordance with the law on consular certification and consular legalization.
The use of the resulting consular certification in a Contracting State to the Convention shall be carried out in accordance with international treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a party or on the basis of reciprocity.
The holder of such certification shall have the right to request an Apostille Certificate for the public document in accordance with this Decree.
The transitional mechanism for documents certified or authenticated before the effective date of this Decree shall be implemented as follows:
a) Public documents of Contracting States to the Convention that were consularly legalized by competent Vietnamese authorities before the effective date of this Decree shall continue to be valid for use in Vietnam; receiving agencies and organizations may not require the user to obtain an Apostille Certificate for such public documents;
b) Vietnamese public documents that were consularly certified before the effective date of this Decree, where they are required for use in a Contracting State to the Convention in which the Convention is effective in relation to Vietnam, may, at the holder’s request, be issued with an Apostille Certificate by the Apostille Issuing Authority in accordance with this Decree without requiring reissuance of the original public document.
Fees shall be charged in accordance with Article 9 of this Decree.
From the date on which the Convention takes effect in relation to Vietnam, Apostille Certificates issued by competent authorities of Contracting States to the Convention having applicable relations with Vietnam before that date shall be accepted and used in Vietnam provided that they do not fall within the cases of refusal of acceptance prescribed in Article 26 of this Decree.
The implementation of the electronic components for issuing and managing Apostille Certificates shall be carried out according to the operational roadmap of the Apostille Information System as follows:
a) During the period before the Apostille Information System is put into operation, the Apostille Issuing Authority shall issue paper Apostille Certificates in accordance with this Decree.
The receipt and processing of applications submitted online shall be carried out on the Information System for Administrative Procedure Resolution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs connected to the National Public Service Portal.
Elements of the procedure eligible for implementation in the electronic environment shall be implemented immediately on these systems.
Recording, storage, retrieval and verification of issued Apostille Certificates shall be carried out on the basis of retained records, ensuring compliance with the requirements of the Apostille Convention;
b) The issuance of electronic Apostille Certificates, operation of the Electronic Register, integration of QR codes into Apostille Certificates, and receipt and processing of fully online applications shall commence from the time the Apostille Information System is put into operation;
c) The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall announce the date on which the Apostille Information System is put into operation and direct the transition between methods of issuing Apostille Certificates, ensuring that the issuance of Apostille Certificates is not interrupted.
Article 37. Organization of implementation
From the date on which the Apostille Convention takes effect for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Vietnamese diplomatic missions and consular missions abroad shall not carry out consular legalization for public documents of Contracting States to the Convention having applicable relations with Vietnam that are exempt from consular legalization under the Apostille Convention.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall guide and inspect the implementation of Clause 1 of this Article; direct Vietnamese diplomatic and consular missions abroad to notify competent authorities of the host country, the Vietnamese community and relevant organizations and individuals of the application of the Apostille mechanism in place of consular legalization for public documents of Contracting States to the Convention having applicable relations with Vietnam, and guide the procedures for issuing Apostille Certificates.
Such notification shall be made promptly to ensure uninterrupted authentication of public documents.
Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, and Chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees and centrally governed municipalities shall be responsible for implementing this Decree.
RECIPIENTS
The Party Central Committee Secretariat;
The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers;
Ministries and ministerial-level agencies;
Provincial-level People’s Councils and People’s Committees;
The Office of the Party Central Committee and Party Central Committee Commissions;
The Office of the General Secretary;
The Office of the President;
The Council of Ethnic Affairs and Committees of the National Assembly;
The Office of the National Assembly;
The Supreme People’s Court;
The Supreme People’s Procuracy;
The State Audit Office of Vietnam;
The Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front;
Central-level bodies of socio-political organizations;
The Government Office: Minister-Chairman, Deputy Minister-Chairmen, Assistants to the Prime Minister, Departments, Authorities, Official Gazette;
Archives: Administration Office, International Relations Department (02).
ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT
FOR THE PRIME MINISTER
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Phạm Gia Túc
