“As a result of long-term work with the German side, new rules regarding the recognition of official documents have come into force, which will greatly facilitate the work of our citizens.”
Modern.az reports that this was stated by Nasimi Aghayev, Azerbaijan's ambassador to Germany.
The ambassador also clarified what the change was about:
“The legalization of documents by embassies between Germany and Azerbaijan has been completely stopped. Instead, the apostille procedure has been started.
What does this mean?
Both countries are participants in the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961. According to this Convention, only an apostille seal is sufficient for the recognition of official documents issued in one country in another country. No additional legalization or confirmation is required.
As a result of relevant work carried out with the German side, the Apostille Convention entered into full force between the two states in March 2026.
Thus, official documents issued in Germany are only certified with an apostille seal by the relevant German state institutions, and this is sufficient for the recognition of these documents in Azerbaijan. There is no longer any need to additionally legalize these documents at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Berlin.
Also, documents issued in Azerbaijan are recognized in Germany only with an apostille seal, and no additional legalization is required at the German embassy in Baku.
This important innovation once again clearly demonstrates that effective cooperation between Azerbaijan and Germany, based on mutual trust, is constantly developing in the interests of our peoples.”
