Apostille · private intermediary
Apostille in Warsaw – MFA and Regional Court, handled remotely
An Apostille from the MFA costs 260 zł with us, including the official fee, and your document is usually ready in 1–3 working days. There’s no slot to book at the MFA, no queuing and no day off work – just send a photo of the document through the quote form, then hand over the original at a meeting in central Warsaw or send it via a parcel locker from any city.
/ The certificate
What an Apostille is and when you need one
An Apostille is a certificate in which an authority of the country that issued a document confirms the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the signatory acted and the seal on the document. It was introduced by the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, which Poland has applied since 2005. A document with an Apostille is recognised in all the convention countries – nearly 130 states today, including the whole European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Ukraine, Turkey and Israel – without any further legalisation at a consulate.
The certificate does not confirm what the document says, nor does it replace a translation, which is why an office abroad usually wants both the document with the Apostille and its sworn translation. In Poland, the Apostille is a hologram sticker that the MFA puts on the last page of the document or on a sheet attached to it.
You need an Apostille when a Polish document is going to be used abroad – for marriage or registering a child in another country, work and a residence permit, studies, setting up a company or opening a bank account, an inheritance or court case, or a power of attorney for someone outside Poland.
Legalisation is needed instead when the destination country is not a party to the convention – for example, the UAE or Egypt. In that case the MFA legalises the document rather than issuing an Apostille, and that country’s consulate then certifies it as well. We take care of the MFA legalisation for the same price as an Apostille, and you take the document to the consulate yourself. We’ll check whether your document needs an Apostille or legalisation when we prepare your quote.
/ Offices
Where to get an Apostille for your document
That depends on whose signature is on the document, not on what it says. In most cases the MFA is the only stop, but a document from a notary or a court first goes through the Regional Court, and a criminal record certificate or company register extract has to be obtained before anything else. Apostilo is a private company, not affiliated with the MFA or the courts – we file and collect documents on your behalf.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
MFA Legalisation Section, ul. Krucza 38/42
The MFA issues Apostilles on civil status records from the registry office, criminal record certificates from the National Criminal Register, company documents, notarial and court documents once the court has certified them, and sworn translations. The ministry only sees visitors in person by appointment, booked through the e-Konsulat system, so we book the slot, file the document and collect it for you – you can handle the whole thing remotely.
MFA Apostille260,- zł
Regional Court
Regional Court in Warsaw, al. „Solidarności” 127, and Regional Court Warszawa-Praga, ul. Poligonowa 3
The court certifies the signatures of notaries in its area, as well as court documents such as judgments, decisions and court-issued copies. In Warsaw, which court you need depends on where the notary’s office is. The left bank of the Vistula is covered by the court at al. „Solidarności”, and the right bank (Praga, Białołęka, Targówek, Wawer), plus Legionowo, Otwock and Wołomin, by the Warszawa-Praga court. Only after this step does the document go to the MFA for the Apostille. If your notary is outside Warsaw, you take the document to the local court yourself, in person or by post (26 zł), and then we get the Apostille at the MFA for 260 zł.
Court and MFA380,- zł
KRK / KRS
Obtaining the document on your behalf, then the Apostille at the MFA
Criminal record certificates from the National Criminal Register (KRK), and extracts and certificates from the National Court Register (KRS) – most often needed for work, tenders and company matters abroad. We obtain the criminal record certificate on your behalf under a power of attorney, so you can arrange everything remotely, even from another city or country, and we send you the finished certificate with the Apostille via a parcel locker or, if you’re abroad, by DHL courier. A printout from e-KRK won’t get an Apostille.
With Apostille460,- zł
The order matters. A notarial document is first certified by the Regional Court and only then goes to the MFA. If it’s filed directly with the ministry, it comes back without an Apostille – and that’s a week lost. You’ll find the offices’ addresses and opening hours on the contact page.
/ Documents
Which documents can get an Apostille
Civil status records
This covers birth, marriage and death certificates, as well as certificates of marital status or of capacity to marry. The Apostille goes on a copy issued by the registry office – full, abridged or multilingual, but never a photocopy.
Criminal record certificate
Most often needed for work or residence abroad. We obtain the certificate from the National Criminal Register on your behalf and then get the Apostille at the MFA – 460 zł in total, usually in 2–5 working days.
Company documents
You can get an Apostille on a KRS company register extract, a CEIDG certificate, articles of association, resolutions and commercial powers of attorney when a company is bidding in a tender, opening a bank account or registering a branch abroad. A KRS extract needs the stamp and signature of the KRS Central Information Office, and a CEIDG certificate those of the ministry, because a printout from the website isn’t enough. Articles of association, resolutions and powers of attorney are first certified by a notary and then by the Regional Court. We don’t handle invoices or certificates of origin – those are legalised by the Polish Chamber of Commerce (KIG).
Notarial documents
Notarial deeds, powers of attorney, signatures certified by a notary, declarations and consent for a child to travel first go to the Regional Court, which certifies the notary’s signature, and then the MFA issues the Apostille – 380 zł in total, usually within 3–5 working days.
Court documents
Divorce judgments, inheritance decisions and copies of rulings follow the same route as notarial documents – first the Regional Court, then the MFA. For a quote, we need a photo of every page that bears a signature and seal.
Sworn translations
An Apostille can also go on the translation itself. It then confirms the signature of a sworn translator on the Minister of Justice’s list, so it has to be the original translation, not a copy. You can order the translation and Apostille together.
The MFA won’t put an Apostille on photocopies, printouts of electronic documents, laminated documents or documents not signed by an authorised person. Diplomas from Ukraine are part of our everyday work – see Apostille for documents from Ukraine.
If you’re not sure whether your document qualifies, send a photo of it through the quote form and we’ll reply before you order anything. And if the MFA still refuses to issue an Apostille on a Polish document, we refund the full amount, including the official fee.
/ Timing and prices
How long it takes and what it costs – Apostille in Warsaw
An Apostille from the MFA costs 260 zł including the official fee, and the document is usually ready in 1–3 working days. If you’re in a hurry, our express service (350 zł) means we file it the same day, provided we have the original and proof of payment by 11:00 and the document doesn’t need translating first. There is no express option for notarial and court documents, because they first have to go through the Regional Court, which takes at least two working days. Including the MFA, the whole process usually takes 3–5 days and costs 380 zł.
The time is counted from the day we have the original and proof of payment. Public holidays don’t count, as the MFA and the courts are closed. We send you a scan of the finished document straight away, and you collect the original at a meeting in central Warsaw or receive it via a parcel locker. Delivery within Poland is included for orders of 350 zł or more; for smaller orders it costs 30 zł each way. We send documents abroad by DHL Express – about 300 zł per shipment, with the exact amount in your quote.
- MFA Apostille260,- zł
- Certification at the Regional Court (before the MFA Apostille)120,- zł
- Court and MFA – notarial document with Apostille380,- zł
- Obtaining a KRK, KRS or USC document (without Apostille)200,- zł
- KRK certificate with Apostille460,- zł
- Sworn translation90,- zł / page
Prices include the official fees – 60 zł for the MFA Apostille and 26 zł per signature at the court, the same as you would pay filing it yourself. We confirm the final amount once we’ve seen the document, usually within 15 minutes. See the full price list for Apostille and translations.
/ Order of steps
Apostille or translation – which comes first?
There’s no single rule – it depends on the institution that will receive the document and the country it’s going to. Most often the original gets the MFA Apostille first and the sworn translation is made afterwards, covering the Apostille as well; Italy and Spain, for example, usually want an Apostille on the translation too. Sometimes an Apostille on the translation alone is enough. So it’s worth asking the office you’re submitting the document to: “What needs the Apostille – the original, the translation or both?” If it’s the original, we translate the document together with the Apostille, because a translation made earlier would have to be supplemented later, which means a second fee and a few extra days.
With foreign documents intended for a Polish office, it works the other way round: they get the Apostille in the country that issued them, and we do the sworn translation into Polish here. That’s how our Apostille for documents from Ukraine service works – we obtain the Apostille through a partner in Ukraine, so you don’t have to travel there, and the translation is priced separately from the Apostille. Let us know in the quote form which option you need – we can handle any of them.
/ FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Apostille
How long does an Apostille take in Warsaw?
Usually 1–3 working days for documents going straight to the MFA. With our express service (350 zł), we file the document the same day if we have the original and proof of payment by 11:00 and the document doesn’t need translating first. There is no express option for notarial and court documents, because they first have to go through the Regional Court, which takes at least two working days. Sometimes the MFA has to verify a document with the office that issued it – for example, a certificate from a vehicle registration office or a disability certificate. The Apostille then takes longer, from a week to as long as a month. We can’t speed up that stage, but we file the document straight away and let you know the same day if there is a delay.
Where in Warsaw is an Apostille issued?
At the MFA Legalisation Section, ul. Krucza 38/42, which only sees visitors by appointment, booked through the e-Konsulat system. Notarial and court documents are first certified by the Regional Court covering the area where the issuing notary or court is based – in Warsaw, that is the court at al. „Solidarności” 127 or, for the right bank of the Vistula, the court at ul. Poligonowa 3. We file and collect documents at the Warsaw courts and the MFA ourselves, so you don’t need to book a slot or come in – details are on the contact page.
Does the Apostille go on the original or a copy?
On the original or on an official copy issued by an office – a plain photocopy won’t get an Apostille. If you’d rather not part with your only original, a notary can make a certified copy; the Apostille then confirms the notary’s signature, which the Regional Court certifies first. The notary charges separately for the copy. A photo is enough for a quote, and you hand over the original at a meeting in central Warsaw or send it via a parcel locker.
Is the translation done before or after the Apostille?
It depends on the institution that will receive the document and the country it’s going to. Most often the original gets the Apostille first, then the sworn translation is made, and finally the translation gets an Apostille too – Italy and Spain, for example, usually require this. Sometimes an Apostille on the translation alone is enough. Check the requirements with whoever you’re submitting the document to, and tell us which option you need when you ask for a quote – we can handle any of them.
What does an Apostille look like?
In Poland, it is a printed sticker with a hologram and the heading “Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)”. It has ten fields: the country, who signed the document, in what capacity, whose seal it bears, the place and date of certification, the issuing authority, the number, and the seal and signature of the official. The MFA sticks it on the last page of the document or on a sheet attached to it. Poland has no public online register for checking Apostilles, so what counts is the original with the sticker.
Does an Apostille expire?
The certificate itself doesn’t expire, but the document can – offices abroad often want a civil status record or criminal record certificate that is no more than 3–6 months old. So it’s best to get the Apostille when you actually need the document, not “just in case”.
When is legalisation needed instead of an Apostille?
When the destination country is not a party to the Hague Convention – for example, the UAE or Egypt. In that case the MFA legalises the document rather than issuing an Apostille, and that country’s consulate then certifies it as well, usually for a separate fee. We take care of the MFA legalisation for you at the same price as an Apostille, 260 zł. You’ll need to visit the consulate yourself, as we don’t handle that step.
Can I go to the MFA myself?
Yes. You book an appointment through the e-Konsulat system, pay the 60 zł official fee in advance (it can’t be paid at the MFA) and turn up at the booked time on a working day. New slots are released on working-day mornings for the next two weeks, so the earliest free one is often several days away. You can also send the document to the MFA by post, but then it can take up to 30 days to come back, and a notarial document still has to go through the Regional Court first. Through us, the Apostille costs 260 zł including the official fee. You send a photo through the quote form, hand over the original in central Warsaw or send it via a parcel locker, and we take care of everything else, from booking the slot to collecting the document.
Do I need an Apostille within the European Union?
Yes. In practice, offices, courts, employers and banks in other EU countries ask for an Apostille just as they do outside the EU, so it’s best to assume you’ll need one. If the recipient tells you plainly that they don’t want it, you simply don’t order it.
Questions about handing over documents, shipping and payment are answered on the contact page, and prices for all our services are in the price list.