Legalization guidelines

Japan differentiates between the legalization of public (apostille) and private (full legalization) documents. Please consult the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs ahead of time to find out which form of legalization your documents require.

Public documents: Legalization with Apostille

The apostille is issued by the appropriate national public authorities designated by the individual countries that are party to the Apostille Convention

Please note:

• The apostille must appear on the original document or on a sheet attached to it

• Please note that we can only accept documents in which the notary public or the education authority have confirmed the authenticity of the signature of the person who has issued the document. Documents in which the notary public or the education authority have confirmed only that the copy is identical to the original cannot be accepted.

• Only official documents can be legalized by apostille. Each individual contracting state defines independently which documents are regarded as official and which as private.

Private documents: full legalization

Please note:

• The legalization must be certified on the original document

• After the legalization process in the issuing country, your documents must also be legalized by the appropriate Austrian representative authority

Required procedure:

1. Legalization by the appropriate government ministry (ministry of education) of the country in which the document was issued

2. Additional legalization by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country 

3. Completion of the legalization process by the appropriate Austrian representative authority (Austrian embassy or consulate)

Translation guidelines

You can present your documents either in German or in English. If the documents were issued in a language other than German or English, they have to be translated by an officially certified court interpreter.

Please note:

• The original document must have all the required legalization stamps before it is translated

• The translation must be permanently attached to the original document by the interpreter

Required procedure for translations done in Austria:

1. Legalization of the original document (see above)

2. Translation of the legalized original
   Click here for a list of all Austrian certified court interpreters

 

Required procedure for translations done in the issuing country:

1. Legalization of the original document (see above)

2. Translation of the legalized original

3. Legalization of the translation attached to the original document (see above)