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THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM |
SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM |
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No. 293/2026/ND-CP |
Hanoi, July 23, 2026 |
ON 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, amended by Law No. 137/2025/QH15;
Pursuant to the Law on Vietnamese Representative Missions Abroad No. 33/2009/QH12, amended by Law No. 19/2017/QH14 and Law No. 08/2026/QH16;
At the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs;
The Government hereby issues a Decree on the implementation of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention).
This Decree provides regulations on:
1. The authority and procedures for issuing Apostilles in respect of public documents of Vietnam.
2. The receipt and use in Vietnam of public documents bearing an Apostille by a Contracting State in respect of which the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the Apostille Convention).
3. Verification of Apostilles and state management of the implementation of the Apostille Convention.
This Decree applies to:
1. Agencies, organizations and individuals applying for Apostilles.
2. Competent authorities for issuing Apostilles of Vietnam.
3. Agencies, organizations and individuals receiving and using in Vietnam public documents bearing an Apostille by a Contracting State of the Convention.
4. Other agencies and organizations related to the issuance, verification, state management and international cooperation on Apostilles.
For the purposes of this Decree, the following terms shall be construed as follows:
1. “Contracting State” means a party that has acceded to the Apostille Convention through signature, ratification or accession in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.
2. “Apostille” means a certificate issued by a competent authority of Vietnam or of a Contracting State to certify the origin of the public document, including the authenticity of the signature, the capacity of the person signing and the seal or stamp affixed to the public document (if any), as prescribed in Article 4 of this Decree.
3. “Public document” means a document or paper prepared in paper form or electronic form by a competent agency, organization or individual in accordance with the law of the country where the document is prepared, in the exercise of their functions, duties and powers under the law of that country, including: documents prepared by a court or judicial authority or an official thereof; administrative documents; notarial acts; and official certifications on documents signed in a private capacity.
4. “Competent authority for issuing Apostilles” means an authority designated by a Contracting State in accordance with the provisions of the Convention to issue Apostilles; for the purposes of this Decree, this includes competent authorities of Vietnam and of Contracting States in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam.
5. “Electronic Apostille (e-Apostille)” means an Apostille issued in the form of electronic data, signed with a digital signature in accordance with the law on electronic transactions and meeting the technical requirements prescribed in clause 3 of Article 20 of this Decree.
6. “Information system for the issuance and management of Apostilles” means a professional information system developed, managed and operated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to serve the receipt, processing, issuance, storage, lookup and verification of Apostilles (hereinafter referred to as the Apostille Information System).
7. “Electronic Apostille Data Repository” (hereinafter referred to as the Data Repository) means a component of the Apostille Information System used to store, look up and verify information on issued Apostilles, developed, managed, operated and maintained with data security in accordance with the law on electronic transactions, the law on data and the law on cybersecurity.
8. “Electronic register (e-Register)” means the public online lookup interface of the Data Repository, which allows verification of the authenticity of Apostilles in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.
Article 4. Matters certified by an Apostille
1. An Apostille certifies the origin of the public document, including the authenticity of the signature, the capacity of the person signing and the seal or stamp affixed to the public document (if any).
2. An Apostille does not certify the content or form of the public document.
Article 5. Requirements for issuance of Apostilles and order of priority of application
1. Public documents of Vietnam shall bear an Apostille at the request of agencies, organizations or individuals for use in a Contracting State in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam. The issuance of an Apostille is not mandatory where the 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 law or practice applied in the country where the document is to be used. The issuance of an Apostille does not replace notarization or certification as prescribed by law where the public document is to be used in Vietnam.
2. To be used in Vietnam, public documents of a Contracting State in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam must bear an Apostille, except for documents refused under Article 26 of this Decree, or where an international treaty to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a party, or Vietnamese law and practice, provides for exemption from or does not require consular legalization or other certification procedures for such documents.
3. Public documents of Vietnam for use abroad and public documents of foreign countries for use in Vietnam shall be certified in the following forms:
a) By Apostille as prescribed in this Decree, applicable to public documents circulating between Vietnam and a Contracting State in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam;
b) By consular authentication or consular legalization in accordance with the law on consular authentication and consular legalization, applicable to public documents circulating in relation to a country that is not a Contracting State;
c) Where an international treaty to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a party provides for simpler requirements or exempts the requirement for certification or authentication of public documents compared to the forms prescribed in points a or b of this clause, the provisions of that international treaty shall take precedence.
Public documents that have been consularly authenticated or consularly legalized may still bear an Apostille for use in a Contracting State in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam, and vice versa.
4. Where a Contracting State has objected to Vietnam’s accession, or vice versa, in accordance with Article 12 of the Convention, the Apostille Convention shall not be in force between the two countries; public documents circulating between the two countries shall be governed by the provisions of point b of clause 3 of this Article.
ISSUANCE OF APOSTILLES IN RESPECT OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS OF VIETNAM
Article 6. Competent authorities for issuing Apostilles of Vietnam
1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the competent authority for issuing Apostilles of Vietnam. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall specify the authority carrying out the issuance of Apostilles (hereinafter collectively referred to as the Apostille-issuing authority).
2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall notify the depositary of the Convention of the Apostille-issuing authority and any related changes through diplomatic channels.
3. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall prescribe the criteria, conditions and implementation roadmap for the delegation of authority to issue Apostilles to People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-affiliated cities, and the responsibilities of People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-affiliated cities to which authority is delegated, in accordance with the law on organization of the Government and the law on organization of local governments.
Article 7. Applicants for Apostilles
1. Agencies, organizations and individuals may apply for an Apostille in respect of their own documents or those of another person without a power of attorney.
2. A person applying for an Apostille in respect of another person’s documents shall be legally responsible for the legality of the submission and use of such documents and shall comply with the law on personal data protection and relevant legal provisions.
Article 8. Language used and places of issuance of Apostilles
1. The languages used for issuance of Apostilles are Vietnamese and English; the heading “Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)” shall be expressed in French in accordance with Article 4 of the Apostille Convention.
2. The issuance of Apostilles shall be carried out at the office of the Apostille-issuing authority.
Article 9. Fees for the issuance of Apostilles
1. Applicants for Apostilles must pay the fees prescribed for consular authentication and consular legalization at the time of submitting the application in accordance with the law on fees and charges.
2. Where the application is submitted and the result is received by postal service, the applicant must pay postal fees.
3. Where the application is submitted online, payment of fees shall be governed by the law on carrying out administrative procedures in an electronic environment.
4. Where the application has been returned due to expiry of the verification period and the applicant resubmits the application as prescribed in point c of clause 5 of Article 15 of this Decree, the resubmitted application shall continue to be processed on the basis of the previously submitted application and fees.
Article 10. Public documents of Vietnam eligible for the issuance of an Apostille
Public documents of Vietnam eligible for the issuance of an Apostille include:
1. Documents prepared, issued or certified by competent agencies or persons in judicial and enforcement proceedings in accordance with the law through the years, including: judgments, decisions and procedural documents of People’s Courts, People’s Procuracies and investigative authorities; decisions, records and documents of civil judgment enforcement management authorities, civil judgment enforcement authorities and criminal judgment enforcement authorities; and bailiffs’ records and other documents prepared by bailiffs and enforcement officers in the exercise of their duties.
2. Administrative documents prepared, issued or certified by competent agencies, organizations or persons in accordance with the law, including: civil status, nationality and adoption documents; criminal record certificates; degrees, diplomas, certificates and academic records; medical examination certificates, health certificates, medical assessment reports and other medical documents; and other administrative documents issued or certified by state authorities or organizations authorized or delegated by the State to provide public services in accordance with the law.
3. Notarial acts in accordance with the law on notarization through the years, including notarized contracts, transactions, translations and copies.
4. Certified documents prepared by competent agencies, organizations or persons in accordance with the law on certification, including: certification of copies from originals; certification of signatures and certification of translators’ signatures; and certification of contracts and transactions.
5. Other public documents prepared, issued or certified by competent agencies, organizations or persons of Vietnam in the exercise of their functions and duties as prescribed by law that are also eligible for the issuance of an Apostille, except in the cases prescribed in clause 1 of Article 11 of this Decree.
Article 11. Documents outside the scope of or not eligible for Apostille issuance
1. The following documents are outside the scope of Apostille issuance:
a) Documents prepared or issued by diplomatic officials or consular officials of Vietnam in the exercise of their diplomatic and consular functions in accordance with Vietnamese law and international law;
b) Administrative documents directly relating to commercial or customs operations, except for documents that, prior to the date the Apostille Convention enters into force for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, were subject to consular authentication in accordance with the law on consular authentication and consular legalization. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall specify the documents referred to in this point in the list prescribed in clause 7 of Article 30 of this Decree;
c) Documents not prepared, issued or certified by a competent agency, organization or person in the exercise of their functions, duties and powers as prescribed by law and not yet notarized or certified;
d) Public documents prepared, issued or certified by a competent agency, organization or person of a foreign country.
2. The following documents are not eligible for Apostille issuance:
a) Documents that have been unlawfully altered, modified or falsified in content;
b) Documents for which there are grounds to determine that they are forged;
c) Documents for which the verification result under Article 15 of this Decree determines that the document was not issued by the competent authority, or that the seal, signature, title or authority on the document is not authentic, exceeds the authority, is not an original seal, is not an original signature or does not conform to the registered specimen;
d) Public documents that have been declared invalid, revoked, annulled or determined to have been issued in violation of the law by a decision, judgment or legally effective document of a competent state authority;
dd) Public documents subject to restriction from being taken abroad under Vietnamese law;
e) Public documents of Vietnam 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 meet the technical format requirements under the law on electronic transactions.
Article 12. Application documents and methods of submission of applications for Apostilles
An application for an Apostille shall be prepared in one set. The components of the application by method of submission are as follows:
1. Direct submission at the single-window division or by postal service:
a) An application form for an Apostille in the template issued by the Minister of Foreign Affairs;
b) The original public document for which an Apostille is requested; where the public document is a certified copy or a certified translation in accordance with the law on notarization and certification, such certified copy or certified translation shall be submitted. The public document must be kept intact and must not be disassembled, altered or have its content changed.
2. Fully online submission through the National Public Service Portal or the national identity application:
a) An application form using the interactive electronic form;
b) The electronic 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 Apostilles
The receipt of applications for Apostilles shall be carried out in accordance with the law on carrying out administrative procedures under the one-stop-shop and linked one-stop-shop mechanism and the law on carrying out administrative procedures in an electronic environment, in the following sequence:
1. The receiving authority shall verify the identity of the applicant through their electronic identity account. Where the application is submitted in person or by postal services and identity information cannot be retrieved, or where the information retrieved is incomplete, verification and cross-checking shall be carried out on the basis of identity documents or documents proving the legal personality of an organization presented or additionally submitted by the applicant.
2. The receiving authority shall check the completeness and validity of the application and cross-check the information on the public document against the information in the application form for an Apostille.
3. Where the public document is found to show signs of forgery, unauthorized alteration or modification, the receiving authority shall record such information in the document for handling in accordance with Articles 14 and 15 of this Decree.
4. Where the application is incomplete or non-conforming, the receiving authority shall guide the applicant to supplement and complete the application once. Within 7 working days from the date of receipt of the guidance, the applicant shall be responsible for supplementing and completing the application; this period shall not be counted towards the processing deadline.
Article 14. Processing of applications for Apostilles
1. The Apostille-issuing authority shall cross-check the signatures, seals, titles and authority on the public document against the data on seals, signatures, titles and authority prescribed in Article 23 of this Decree.
2. The processing of the cross-checking result shall be carried out as follows:
a) Where the cross-checking result is matching, the Apostille-issuing authority shall issue an Apostille as prescribed in Article 16 of this Decree;
b) Where the application falls within one of the cases requiring verification prescribed in clause 1 of Article 15 of this Decree, the Apostille-issuing authority shall carry out verification as prescribed in Article 15 of this Decree;
c) Where the cross-checking result is non-matching and there are grounds to determine that the data prescribed in Article 23 of this Decree has not been fully updated or contains errors, the Apostille-issuing authority shall carry out verification as prescribed in Article 15 of this Decree before deciding on the issuance of the Apostille. For other non-matching cases that do not fall within the cases requiring verification prescribed in clause 1 of Article 15 of this Decree, the Apostille-issuing authority shall refuse to issue the Apostille as prescribed in Article 18 of this Decree;
d) Where the public document is a certified copy or a certified translation bearing a certified signature of the translator, and there are reasonable grounds to doubt the authenticity of the certified copy or certified translation, the Apostille-issuing authority shall prioritize accessing and cross-checking electronic notarization and certification data in accordance with the law on notarization and certification; where such data cannot be accessed, the applicant shall be required to present the original for inspection and cross-checking.
3. The receipt, processing and delivery of results shall be updated on the administrative procedure processing information system and synchronized with the National Public Service Portal in accordance with the law on carrying out administrative procedures under the one-stop-shop and linked one-stop-shop mechanism.
Article 15. Verification of the authenticity of public documents
1. The Apostille-issuing authority shall carry out verification of the authenticity of the public document in one of the following cases:
a) The signature, seal, title and authority on the public document are not yet in the data on seals, signatures, titles and authority prescribed in Article 23 of this Decree, or have not yet been formally notified 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, unauthorized alteration or modification;
c) There is information, signs or reports that the public document is subject to restriction from being taken abroad or restricted from use abroad under specialized law.
2. Where the application falls within a case prescribed in clause 1 of this Article, the Apostille-issuing authority shall suspend the processing of the document in question, notify the applicant of the verification, clearly stating the reasons and expected verification period, and send a written request for verification as follows:
a) For cases prescribed in points a and b of clause 1 of this Article: send to the authority or organization that issued the document, or the superior state management authority thereof, for confirmation of the authenticity of the document, seal, signature, title and authority; the applicant shall not be required to submit additional documents;
b) For cases prescribed in point c of clause 1 of this Article: send to the competent state authority managing the relevant field for confirmation of the circulation status of the document.
3. The authority requested to carry out verification shall be responsible for responding in writing within 5 working days from the date of receipt of the request; in complex cases, the deadline shall not exceed 10 working days and the reasons must be notified to the authority that sent the request.
4. Immediately upon receipt of the written verification result, the Apostille-issuing authority shall proceed as follows:
a) Where the result confirms the authenticity and the document is eligible for circulation, the Apostille-issuing authority shall issue an Apostille as prescribed in Article 16 of this Decree;
b) Where the result confirms that the document is not authentic, the Apostille-issuing authority shall refuse to issue an Apostille and return the document to the applicant, with notification as prescribed in Article 18 of this Decree; where the document contains elements of forgery or was issued by an authority or organization without competence, the Apostille-issuing authority shall refuse to issue and carry out the retention and transfer of the document as prescribed in clause 4 of Article 18 of this Decree;
c) Where the document is authentic but is subject to restriction from being taken abroad or restricted from use abroad under specialized law, the Apostille-issuing authority shall refuse to issue an Apostille, with notification as prescribed in Article 18 of this Decree, and transfer the document to the competent state authority managing the relevant field for handling in accordance with specialized law.
5. Where the verification period has expired without receipt of a response, the following procedures shall apply:
a) After 15 days from the date of sending the written request for verification without receipt of a response, the Apostille-issuing authority shall be responsible for following up with the authority requested to carry out verification;
b) After 30 days from the date of sending the written request for verification without receipt of a response, the Apostille-issuing authority shall notify the applicant in writing of the verification process and return the document together with the public document;
c) Where the verification result is received after the deadline prescribed in point b of this clause and the document has been returned, the Apostille-issuing authority shall notify the applicant to resubmit the application as prescribed in Article 12 of this Decree.
Article 16. Issuance of Apostilles and delivery of results
1. A paper Apostille shall contain all the particulars prescribed in Article 20 of this Decree in a format prescribed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and shall be stamped or affixed directly onto the public document or expressed on a separate sheet firmly attached to the public document.
2. An electronic Apostille shall be integrated with or inseparably linked to the electronic public document, ensuring the integrity in accordance with the technical requirements prescribed in clause 3 of Article 20 of this Decree.
3. The delivery of results to the applicant shall be carried out by the method registered upon submission of the application: in person at the single-window division; by postal service; or as an electronic document sent to the personal data repository of the applicant on the administrative procedure processing information system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Public Service Portal as prescribed by law, or to the applicant’s email address. The issuance and management of result codes and the storage of electronic results shall be carried out in accordance with the law on carrying out administrative procedures under the one-stop-shop and linked one-stop-shop mechanism.
4. Immediately upon issuance of an Apostille, the Apostille-issuing authority shall update the information in the Data Repository as prescribed in Article 21 of this Decree.
Article 17. Processing deadlines
1. The deadline for issuing an Apostille shall be calculated from the date of receipt of the complete and conforming application and shall be determined according to the number of public documents for which an Apostille is requested in one application set and the method of submission. For applications for paper Apostilles submitted as prescribed in clause 1 of Article 12 of this Decree, the processing deadlines shall be as follows:
a) 1 working day for applications containing one to four public documents;
b) 2 working days for applications containing five to nine public documents;
c) 4 working days for applications containing ten or more public documents.
2. For applications for electronic Apostilles submitted through fully online submission as prescribed in clause 2 of Article 12 of this Decree, the processing deadlines shall be as follows:
a) Within the same working day for applications containing one to four public documents received before the cut-off time as prescribed by the law on carrying out administrative procedures in an electronic environment; applications received after the cut-off time shall be counted from the next working day;
b) 1 working day for applications containing five to nine public documents;
c) 3 working days for applications containing ten or more public documents.
The commencement of the processing deadline prescribed in this clause shall be determined in accordance with the law on carrying out administrative procedures in an electronic environment.
3. The deadlines prescribed in clauses 1 and 2 of this Article shall not include the verification period as prescribed in Article 15 of this Decree.
4. Where an application cannot be processed within the deadline prescribed in clauses 1 and 2 of this Article due to objective reasons, technical system failures or force majeure events as prescribed by law, and such cases do not fall within the verification cases prescribed in Article 15 of this Decree, the Apostille-issuing authority must notify the applicant in writing before the expiry of the deadline, clearly stating the reasons and the new processing deadline in accordance with the law on carrying out administrative procedures under the one-stop-shop and linked one-stop-shop mechanism. The extension of the processing deadline may be made only once.
Article 18. Handling of refusals and retention of documents
1. The Apostille-issuing authority shall refuse to issue an Apostille in the following cases:
a) The document is outside the scope of Apostille issuance as prescribed in clause 1 of Article 11 of this Decree;
b) The public document is not eligible for Apostille issuance as prescribed in clause 2 of Article 11 of this Decree;
c) The deadline prescribed in clause 4 of Article 13 of this Decree has expired but the application still does not satisfy the requirements prescribed in Article 12 of this Decree;
d) The cross-checking result under clause 1 of Article 14 of this Decree confirms that the signature, seal, title or authority on the public document does not match the data on seals, signatures, titles and authority prescribed in Article 23 of this Decree.
2. When refusing to issue an Apostille, the Apostille-issuing authority must notify the applicant in accordance with the law on carrying out administrative procedures under the one-stop-shop and linked one-stop-shop mechanism within the deadlines prescribed in clauses 1 and 2 of Article 17 of this Decree; for refusals prescribed in point c of clause 1 of this Article, the notification deadline is 1 working day from the date of expiry of the deadline prescribed in clause 4 of Article 13 of this Decree. The notification must clearly state the reasons and legal basis. The original public documents received shall be returned to the applicant together with the refusal notification, except in the cases prescribed in clause 4 of this Article.
3. The Apostille-issuing authority shall guide the applicant to carry out the appropriate procedure as prescribed by law, such as consular authentication or consular legalization procedures in accordance with the law on consular authentication and consular legalization, for cases where the document is to be used in a country that is not a Contracting State.
4. Where the written verification result confirms that the document contains elements of forgery or was issued by an authority or organization without competence, the Apostille-issuing authority shall:
a) Retain all public documents and related materials in the application; prepare a record of retention bearing the signature of the applicant, or clearly state the reasons for the applicant’s refusal to sign;
b) Notify the applicant in writing of the retention of the documents and the transfer of the documents to the competent authority for handling, clearly stating the reasons;
c) Within 5 working days from the date of preparation of the record of retention, notify in writing the competent authority as prescribed by law at the location where the Apostille-issuing authority has its office to come and receive all retained documents and the record of retention for consideration and handling in accordance with the law.
Article 19. Annulment, revocation and replacement of issued Apostilles
1. The authority that issued the Apostille shall annul the Apostille in the following cases:
a) The application for an Apostille is determined to contain elements of forgery on the basis of a verification result under Article 15 of this Decree or a conclusion of the competent authority;
b) The public document bearing an Apostille is determined by the competent authority to have been issued in violation of the law or to have had no legal effect at the time the Apostille was issued.
An annulled Apostille shall have no legal effect from the time of its issuance.
2. Except in the cases prescribed in clause 1 of this Article, where there are errors in the issuance of the Apostille not attributable to the fault of the applicant that render the document unusable abroad, the authority that issued the Apostille shall revoke and replace it at the request of the applicant.
A revoked Apostille shall cease to have legal effect from the time information on the revocation is made publicly available on Vietnam’s electronic register.
The replacement Apostille shall have a new serial number and tracking number as prescribed in points h and l of clause 1 of Article 20 of this Decree. The replacement shall be carried out on the basis of the previously submitted application and fees. Where the attached public document cannot be reused for replacement, the Apostille-issuing authority shall guide the applicant to provide another original or a certified copy or certified translation of the same public document and shall not require resubmission of the application. The request for replacement shall be made in person at the single-window division, by postal services or online; the revocation and replacement shall be carried out immediately upon receipt of the request.
3. The Apostille-issuing authority shall carry out the annulment or revocation and replacement of the Apostille as prescribed in clause 1 or clause 2 of this Article. At the latest by the next working day from the date of the annulment or revocation and replacement decision, the Apostille-issuing authority shall update the validity status of the Apostille in the Data Repository as prescribed in Article 21 of this Decree, make publicly available on Vietnam’s electronic register, and notify the person issued with the Apostille of the annulment or revocation and replacement by an appropriate method. For electronic Apostilles, the invalidation of the electronic administrative procedure result shall be carried out in accordance with the law on carrying out administrative procedures in an electronic environment. Where there are grounds to determine that the Apostille has been used or is in the process of being verified in a Contracting State, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall notify the competent authority of that Contracting State of the annulment or revocation and replacement in writing or by electronic means; where necessary, the notification shall be made through diplomatic channels.
On the basis of inspection activities or state management of Apostilles, where the Apostille-issuing authority has not carried out the annulment or revocation and replacement as prescribed in clause 1 or clause 2 of this Article, the Minister of Foreign Affairs shall issue a written request to the Apostille-issuing authority to carry out such action within 5 working days from the date of receipt of the request. Where the Apostille-issuing authority fails to do so within the above deadline, the Minister of Foreign Affairs shall directly decide on the annulment or revocation and replacement and shall be responsible for such decision.
4. The annulment or revocation and replacement of an Apostille shall not affect the handling of the consequences of transactions established in the country receiving the document under the law of that country. In Vietnam, the legitimate rights and interests of bona fide third parties shall be protected in accordance with civil law.
Article 20. Model Apostille of Vietnam
1. An Apostille shall have the heading and language as prescribed in clause 1 of Article 8 of this Decree and shall contain the following particulars:
a) The name of the country where the Apostille is issued;
b) The full name of the person signing the public document;
c) The title of the person signing the public document;
d) The name of the authority whose seal or stamp is on the public document, in cases where the public document does not bear a signature;
dd) The place of issuance of the Apostille;
e) The date of issuance of the Apostille;
g) The name of the Apostille-issuing authority;
h) The serial number of the Apostille;
i) The seal or stamp of the Apostille-issuing authority;
k) The signature of the authorized person of the Apostille-issuing authority;
l) The tracking number.
2. The Apostille shall be integrated with a QR code linked to the Data Repository prescribed in Article 21 of this Decree, enabling online lookup and verification of information on the issued Apostille through the electronic register.
3. In addition to the requirements prescribed in clauses 1 and 2 of this Article, an electronic Apostille must meet the following technical requirements:
a) It must be signed with the official-use digital signature of the Apostille-issuing authority in accordance with the law on electronic transactions and the law on cipher;
b) It must bear a timestamp specifying the time of issuance of the Apostille;
c) It must be inseparably linked to the electronic public document; ensuring the integrity so that its content cannot be altered after issuance.
4. The model Apostille of Vietnam must contain all the particulars prescribed in clauses 1 and 2 of this Article; for electronic Apostilles, it must additionally meet the technical requirements prescribed in clause 3 of this Article; and it must ensure conformity with the Model Certificate annexed to the Convention. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall prescribe in detail the presentation format of the model Apostille.
Article 21. Electronic Apostille Data Repository and electronic register
1. The Data Repository prescribed in clause 7 of Article 3 of this Decree shall be managed and operated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The electronic register prescribed in clause 8 of Article 3 of this Decree shall meet the requirements for registration and verification of Apostilles in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.
2. Upon issuance of an Apostille, the Apostille-issuing authority shall update the following information in the Data Repository:
a) The serial number and date of issuance of the Apostille;
b) The full name and title of the person signing the public document, or the name of the authority whose seal is on the public document;
c) Whether the Apostille is issued in paper or electronic form;
d) The validity status of the Apostille;
dd) The electronic Apostille as issued;
e) The tracking number of the Apostille.
3. The electronic register shall ensure continuous public online access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by the serial number of the Apostille or by scanning the QR code on the Apostille; no account registration shall be required; all information prescribed in clause 2 of this Article shall be displayed in full. The lookup interface shall be provided in at least Vietnamese and English.
4. Information in the Data Repository shall be stored in accordance with the law on archiving, ensuring that it meets the requirements for online lookup and verification of Apostilles in accordance with the Apostille Convention; the confidentiality, backup, access, sharing and information security shall be governed by the law on data, cybersecurity and personal data protection.
Article 22. Records of Apostille issuance
1. The components of paper documents arising in the course of issuing Apostilles shall be governed by the law on consular authentication and consular legalization; the preservation regime and archiving period shall be governed by the law on archiving.
2. The storage and preservation of information on electronic Apostilles shall be governed by the provisions of Article 21 of this Decree.
Article 23. Data on seals, signatures, titles and authority of persons authorized to sign public documents of Vietnam
1. Data on seals, signatures, titles and authority of persons authorized to sign public documents of Vietnam in the consular authentication and consular legalization information system shall be carried forward and updated into the Apostille Information System to serve cross-checking and verification in the issuance of Apostilles.
2. The Apostille-issuing authority shall access and use the specimen seal, signature, title and authority data of persons authorized to sign documents in accordance with the law on consular authentication and consular legalization to cross-check and verify the origin of public documents prior to issuing Apostilles.
3. The formal notification, updating and management of specimen seals, signatures, titles and authority of persons authorized to sign public documents shall be governed by the law on consular authentication and consular legalization.
Article 24. Verification of Apostilles issued by Vietnam at the request of foreign authorities
1. Where the competent authority of a Contracting State in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam sends a request for verification of an Apostille issued by Vietnam, the Apostille-issuing authority that issued the Apostille shall be responsible for verifying and responding regarding the authenticity of the Apostille on the basis of information stored in the electronic register or the records on documentation.
2. Verification under this Article is for the purpose of confirming the authenticity of the Apostille and information on its issuance, and does not include certifying the content of the public document bearing the Apostille.
3. Verification requests and verification results shall be exchanged directly between competent authorities in writing or by electronic means; where necessary, they may be transmitted through diplomatic channels.
4. The deadline for responding to a verification request is 5 working days from the date of receipt of the verification request; in cases requiring additional verification or involving complex factors, the deadline shall not exceed 10 working days.
5. The Apostille-issuing authority shall notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the verification results for monitoring and compilation in service of state management of the implementation of the Apostille Convention.
EXEMPTION FROM CONSULAR LEGALIZATION AND USE IN VIETNAM OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS OF CONTRACTING STATES
Article 25. Principles for exemption from consular legalization and use of public documents bearing Apostilles
1. In this Chapter, “Contracting State” means a Contracting State in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam, unless otherwise provided.
2. Public documents of a Contracting State in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam that have been bearing an Apostille by the competent authority of that Contracting State, and that do not fall within the cases prescribed in Article 26 of this Decree, shall be exempt from consular legalization and may be used in Vietnam without any additional certification procedures being required under relevant law.
3. Agencies and organizations in Vietnam shall not require additional consular authentication or consular legalization procedures in respect of public documents that have been validly bearing an Apostille.
4. An electronic Apostille issued by the competent authority of a Contracting State shall have the same legal effect as a paper Apostille and shall not be denied legal effect solely because it is expressed in the form of electronic data. The authenticity of an electronic Apostille shall be verified through the electronic register of the Contracting State that issued it as prescribed in Article 27 of this Decree, or in accordance with the mechanism provided for by the Apostille Convention.
Article 26. Cases of refusal to receive public documents bearing Apostilles
Documents of a Contracting State in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam that have been bearing an Apostille shall be refused receipt in Vietnam in the following cases:
1. The document bearing the Apostille is not a public document under the law of the country where it was prepared, or is a document prepared by diplomatic or consular officials, or is an administrative document directly relating to commercial or customs operations.
2. The Apostille was not issued by the competent authority of the Contracting State where the public document was prepared, or the Apostille does not bear the French-language heading “Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)” and does not contain all the particulars required by the Model Certificate annexed to the Apostille Convention.
3. The public document and the Apostille show signs of forgery, unauthorized alteration or modification.
4. 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 on public order and social morality.
5. The Apostille has been annulled or revoked by the competent authority of the Contracting State.
Article 27. Use of public documents of Contracting States in Vietnam
1. Public documents bearing an Apostille that are not 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.
2. A valid Apostille shall be received and used in Vietnam without any additional consular legalization procedures being required. Where necessary, the receiving agency or organization may verify the Apostille through the electronic register of the Contracting State that issued it by online lookup or by scanning the QR code on the Apostille.
3. Where there are reasonable grounds to doubt the authenticity of the Apostille and it is not possible to conduct an online lookup through the electronic register of the relevant Contracting State, the receiving agency or organization may request the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist with verification as prescribed in Article 28 of this Decree.
Article 28. Assistance with verification of Apostilles issued by competent authorities of Contracting States at the request of domestic agencies and organizations
1. Domestic agencies and organizations falling within the cases prescribed in clause 3 of Article 27 of this Decree may request the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist with verification of an Apostille in writing, accompanied by information on the Apostille to be verified.
2. Immediately upon receipt of the request, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall send a verification request to the competent authority for issuing Apostilles of the Contracting State in writing or by electronic means; upon receipt of a response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall immediately notify the requesting agency or organization of the result.
3. Where the verification result shows that the Apostille 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 the law; and, where necessary, notify the Contracting State that issued the Apostille.
STATE MANAGEMENT AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF AGENCIES, ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE APOSTILLE CONVENTION
Article 29. Scope of state management
The scope of state management of the implementation of the Apostille Convention includes:
1. Formulation, promulgation and organization of implementation of legal normative documents on the implementation of the Apostille Convention.
2. Organization and direction of the issuance of Apostilles; the receipt and use in Vietnam of public documents of Contracting States bearing Apostilles.
3. Development, management and operation of the Apostille Information System and the electronic register.
4. Inspection, supervision and handling of violations of the law in the field of implementation of the Apostille Convention.
5. Training and professional development of officials and civil servants carrying out the issuance of Apostilles.
6. Dissemination and communication of the law on the Apostille Convention.
7. International cooperation in the field of implementation of the Apostille Convention.
8. Statistical 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 unified state management of the implementation of the Apostille Convention and shall have the following tasks and powers:
1. Serve as the national focal point for the implementation of the Apostille Convention; take charge of the organization and implementation of this Decree.
2. Organize the issuance of Apostilles through the Apostille-issuing authority. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall delegate authority to issue Apostilles to People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-affiliated cities in accordance with the criteria, conditions and implementation roadmap prescribed in clause 3 of Article 6 of this Decree.
3. Develop, manage and operate the Apostille Information System, the electronic register and the technical infrastructure for the issuance of Apostilles; ensuring connectivity and interoperability with the National Public Service Portal.
4. Prescribe the presentation format of the model Apostille; issue application forms, interactive electronic forms and professional forms; organize the printing and issuance of the model Apostille; notify the model Apostille of Vietnam to the depositary of the Convention and Contracting States through diplomatic channels.
5. Update and publish the list of Contracting States in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam and information on whether these Contracting States continue to recognize or do not recognize the results of consular authentications issued prior to the date the Convention enters into force for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; make publicly available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ electronic information portal and the National Public Service Portal.
6. Serve as the national focal point for verification of Apostilles under the Apostille Convention; monitor and compile verification of Apostilles issued by Vietnam at the request of foreign authorities; assist domestic agencies and organizations in verifying Apostilles issued by Contracting States and follow up with the competent authority of the Contracting State in cases of delayed response to verification requests.
7. Guide and inspect the implementation of this Decree; take charge and coordinate with relevant ministries and ministerial-level agencies to review and issue lists and professional guidance documents on categories of public documents within and outside the scope of Apostille issuance in accordance with specialized law. The lists and professional guidance documents shall be made publicly available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ electronic information portal for uniform reference and application by agencies, organizations and individuals.
8. Compile and report to the Government on the implementation of the Apostille Convention on an annual basis or as required.
Article 31. Responsibilities of ministries, ministerial-level agencies and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-affiliated cities
Ministries, ministerial-level agencies and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-affiliated cities, within the scope of their tasks and powers, shall:
1. Coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the implementation of this Decree;
2. Direct subordinate agencies and organizations to receive public documents of Contracting States bearing Apostilles in accordance with this Decree; not require the Apostille procedure in respect of public documents already exempt from consular legalization under other international treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a party or under specialized law; and proactively coordinate on verification when necessary as prescribed.
Article 32. Responsibilities of agencies and organizations that prepare and issue public documents of Vietnam
1. Be legally responsible for the authenticity, content and form of documents they prepare and issue.
2. Promptly notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of specimen seals, signatures, titles, authority and authorization periods of agencies, organizations and persons authorized to sign and issue public documents in accordance with the law on consular authentication and consular legalization.
3. Agencies and organizations that prepare and issue public documents, upon receipt of a verification request as prescribed in clause 2 of Article 15 of this Decree, shall be responsible for responding in writing within the deadline prescribed in clause 3 of Article 15 of this Decree.
Article 33. Responsibilities of relevant agencies, organizations and individuals
1. Agencies, organizations and individuals applying for Apostilles shall:
a) Be legally responsible for the intended use, content, authenticity and legality of the documents;
b) Provide relevant information to the Apostille-issuing authority.
2. Vietnamese agencies and organizations receiving and using documents bearing an Apostille by a Contracting State shall:
a) Review and cross-check against the provisions of law and relevant documents to decide on the acceptance or non-acceptance of the documents in resolving matters within the scope of their functions and powers;
b) Proactively coordinate with the competent authority to verify the authenticity of foreign documents when necessary.
This Decree comes into force as of September 11, 2026.
Article 35. Application of law on Apostilles and consular authentication and consular legalization
1. From the date this Decree comes into force, the certification of public documents for use in a Contracting State in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam shall be governed by the provisions of this Decree.
2. Consular authentication and consular legalization shall continue to be carried out in accordance with the law on consular authentication and consular legalization in the following cases:
a) Public documents of Vietnam for use in a country that is not a Contracting State;
b) Documents outside the scope of public documents prescribed in clause 3 of Article 3 and Article 10 of this Decree, or outside the scope of Apostille issuance as prescribed in clause 1 of Article 11 of this Decree;
c) Other cases outside the scope of this Decree.
Article 36. Transitional provisions
1. Applications for consular authentication in respect of public documents of Vietnam that were validly received prior to the date this Decree comes into force but have not yet been resolved by that date, including cases where the application is in the process of additional verification, shall continue to be processed and results delivered in accordance with the law on consular authentication and consular legalization. The use of such consular authentication results in a Contracting State shall be governed by international treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a party or the principle of reciprocity. The person issued with the consular authentication shall have the right to apply for an Apostille in respect of that public document as prescribed in this Decree.
2. The transitional mechanism for documents already certified or authenticated prior to the date this Decree comes into force shall be as follows:
a) Public documents of Contracting States that have been consularly legalized by the competent authority of Vietnam prior to the date this Decree comes into force shall continue to be valid for use in Vietnam; receiving agencies and organizations shall not require the user to carry out Apostille procedures in respect of such public documents;
b) Public documents of Vietnam that have been consularly authenticated prior to the date this Decree comes into force and that need to be used in a Contracting State in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam, the person issued with the consular authentication shall have the right to apply to the Apostille-issuing authority for an Apostille in respect of that public document as prescribed in this Decree, without being required to apply for re-issuance of the original public document. Fees shall be charged in accordance with Article 9 of this Decree.
3. From the date the Convention enters into force in relation to Vietnam, Apostilles issued by competent authorities of Contracting States in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam prior to that date shall be received and used in Vietnam where they do not fall within the cases of refusal prescribed in Article 26 of this Decree.
4. The deployment of electronic components in the issuance and management of Apostilles shall be carried out in accordance with the implementation roadmap for 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 Apostilles as prescribed in this Decree; the receipt and processing of applications by online submission shall be carried out on the administrative procedure processing information system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs connected to the National Public Service Portal; aspects of the procedure that are eligible to be carried out in an electronic environment shall be deployed on these systems immediately; the recording, storage, online lookup and verification of issued Apostilles shall be carried out on the basis of the retained records, ensuring that the requirements of the Apostille Convention are met;
b) The issuance of electronic Apostilles, the operation of the electronic register, integration of QR codes on Apostilles and the receipt and processing of applications through fully online submission shall be carried out from the time the Apostille Information System is put into operation;
c) The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall announce the time when the Apostille Information System is put into operation and shall direct the transition of the method of issuing Apostilles, ensuring uninterrupted issuance of Apostilles.
1. From the date the Apostille Convention enters into force for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, diplomatic missions and consular posts of Vietnam abroad shall not carry out consular legalization in respect of public documents of Contracting States in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam that are exempt from consular legalization under the provisions of the Apostille Convention.
2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall guide and inspect the implementation of clause 1 of this Article; direct diplomatic missions and consular posts of Vietnam abroad to notify the 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 in respect of public documents of Contracting States in respect of which the Convention is in force for Vietnam, and guide the carrying out of Apostille issuance procedures. Notifications shall be made in a timely manner, ensuring uninterrupted authentication of public documents.
3. Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies and Chairpersons of People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-affiliated cities shall implement this Decree.
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ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT
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