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EU supports the launch of the electronic apostille in Ukraine

02.03.2026 Press and information team of the Delegation to UKRAINE

With the support of the European Union (EU) within the DT4UA project, implemented by the e-Governance Academy (eGA), the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, together with the state enterprise National Information Systems, has completed the modernisation of the Electronic Register of Apostilles. The update implements the best international practices of the Electronic Apostille Programme (e-APP) and enables the provision of an electronic apostille (e-Apostille)  in Ukraine.

From now on, when obtaining an apostille in paper form, an e-Apostille is issued at the same time, and it can be downloaded from the official website of the Ministry of Justice (https://apostille.minjust.gov.ua/ ). The electronic apostille can be downloaded in electronic form and submitted to the competent authorities of 129 countries that are parties to the Convention abolishing the requirement of legalisation of foreign public documents. However, when planning to use an e-Apostille, it is advisable to verify in advance whether the authorities of the destination country participating in the Convention accept electronic apostilles.

Today, about 7 million Ukrainians live abroad. For them, obtaining documents with an apostille is often a prerequisite for studying, finding employment, doing business, or receiving public and private services. Therefore, the development of digital services in this area is an important step towards ensuring citizen access to services and strengthening international trust in Ukrainian documents.

“Updating the Electronic Register of Apostilles is not just another technical upgrade. We are introducing a new format for issuing apostilles. This is not only convenient for our citizens abroad, but also allows us to work with partners to implement the best worldwide solutions. Our citizens abroad should not have to worry about unnecessary bureaucracy. The new apostille format allows its authenticity to be verified in a matter of minutes, leaving more time for more important things," said Olha Ryabukha, Deputy Minister of Justice for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalisation.

The updated Electronic Register of Apostilles provides for a transition from fragmented paper-based processes to a single secure digital environment.

"The modernisation of the Electronic Register of Apostilles shows that Ukraine is actively implementing the best international practices and building modern digital services for citizens. The European Union supports these changes, which increase trust in Ukrainian documents and promote Ukraine's integration into the European digital space," said Asier Santillán, Head of the European Integration, Governance and Rule of Law, Civil Society Section of the EU Delegation to Ukraine.

In particular, the updated Electronic Register of Apostilles provides for:

  • a single digital database of signature and seal samples for quick verification of documents without paper requests;
  • the issuance of both paper and fully electronic apostilles that comply with international standards;
  • a unique identifier and QR code for each apostille, allowing its authenticity to be instantly verified online;
  • the transition from the physical signature of an official to the application of a qualified electronic signature (QES);
  • automatic generation of registry records and storage of document processing history, which increases the transparency of processes;
  • the ability to centrally verify payments and maintain statistics;
  • the potential creation of a single digital tool for affixing apostilles, to which all competent authorities can be technically connected: the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Science, the State Migration Service, and the State Tax Service;
  • the possibility of expanding the network of front offices for receiving documents for apostille certification. Offline document acceptance may become available not only at judicial authorities, but also in Administrative Service Centres, diplomatic institutions and territorial divisions of other competent authorities.
  • Technical readiness for integration with the Diia Portal to launch the online e-Apostille application service.

“This modernisation reflects the close work of the e-Governance Academy team with Ukrainian partners to apply proven international standards in practice,” said Hannes Astok, Executive Director of the e-Governance Academy. “By introducing secure digital workflows in line with the e-APP, we are helping build a system that increases trust in Ukrainian documents and is ready for a fully digital apostille service in the future.”

The modernisation of the register increases protection against document falsification, speeds up verification, and reduces bureaucratic procedures. Each apostille issued through the system will receive a unique identifier and a QR code, which foreign partners can instantly verify via a single web portal (apostille.minjust.gov.ua).

The EU continues to support solutions that increase the accessibility of Ukrainian public services, enhance digital security, and comply with best international practices.