The phrase “double apostille” can sound as though there is a special, stronger form of Hague Apostille. There is not. In practice, a double apostille means that two separate public acts within the same document package are authenticated separately: first the source document, and later an official or notarial certification connected with its translation.
The need for this process is determined not simply by the destination country but by the receiving authority and the chosen translation route.
What is a double apostille? Short answer
A typical double-apostille workflow is:
- obtain an apostille on the original Ukrainian public document;
- translate the document together with the first apostille;
- have the translation or translator’s signature notarised;
- obtain a second apostille on the notarial certification.
The second apostille does not authenticate the first apostille again.
It concerns a different public act, usually the signature, seal and authority of the notary who certified the translation or translator’s signature.
The better question is therefore:
“Does the receiving authority require both an apostilled source document and an apostilled notarial certification of its translation?”
What does each apostille authenticate?
An apostille certifies the origin of a public document.
It can confirm:
- the authenticity of the signature;
- the capacity in which the signatory acted;
- where relevant, the authenticity of the seal or stamp.
It does not certify whether the factual information in the document is true, nor does it certify the linguistic quality of a translation.
The first apostille may therefore authenticate a Ukrainian birth certificate.
A second apostille may later authenticate the Ukrainian notary’s certification associated with the translated package.
They perform different functions.
Can a translation itself receive an apostille?
That depends on the law of the state of origin.
The Hague Conference explains that in some Contracting Parties a translation prepared by an official, sworn or accredited translator can itself have the status of a public document.
Where a translation is not a public document, it may still be used in the Apostille system if the translator makes the relevant declaration before a notary or the translation is formally certified by an authority.
The notarial act or official certification then becomes the public document that receives the apostille.
In Ukraine, a notary can certify a translation where the notary knows the relevant languages, or certify the authenticity of the translator’s signature.
This is why the phrase “apostille on the translation” often technically means an apostille on the notarial certification connected with that translation.
When can two apostilles genuinely be required?
The process becomes relevant where a receiving institution wants the complete document package prepared in Ukraine and requires international authentication of both layers:
the original public document + the officially/notarially certified translation.
This can occur in particular administrative, education, civil-status, immigration, court or notarial procedures.
It should never be assumed solely from the destination country, however.
A practical example: a Ukrainian birth certificate
Suppose a foreign authority asks for:
- the original Ukrainian birth certificate with an apostille;
- a Ukrainian notarised translation;
- an apostille authenticating the notarial certification.
The workflow can be:
Step 1: obtain the first apostille on the original certificate.
Step 2: translate the certificate and the apostille.
Step 3: have the translation or the translator’s signature notarised.
Step 4: obtain the second apostille for the notarial act.
Current Ukrainian Ministry of Justice guidance is particularly relevant here: a certified copy of a Ukrainian civil-status document with a translation may be apostilled for foreign use only after the original document has first been legalised or apostilled.
This is one of the clearest practical examples of a two-stage apostille process.
How the process differs by document type
Diplomas and education records
The first apostille on a Ukrainian education document falls within the competence of the Ministry of Education and Science.
If the destination authority also requires an apostilled Ukrainian notarial translation, the second public act belongs to the notarial-document route.
The two apostilles can therefore be issued through different competent authorities.
Criminal-record certificates
The first authentication of an eligible Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs document follows the competence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
A notarised translation subsequently creates a separate official act.
Powers of attorney
A Ukrainian notarised power of attorney is already a notarial public document.
It may first be apostilled for use in another Hague Convention state.
If a separate Ukrainian notarised translation is subsequently produced and the foreign recipient specifically requires its certification to be apostilled, a second apostille can arise.
For which countries is a double apostille required?
The most important answer is:
there is no official universal list of “double-apostille countries”.
The Hague Apostille Convention does not classify Contracting Parties according to whether they require one or two apostilles.
The result depends on:
- the type of source document;
- where and by whom the translation is prepared;
- the exact requirements of the receiving authority.
Current European procedures demonstrate why country-wide lists are unreliable.
|
Country |
Typical official route |
Is a second Ukrainian apostille always required? |
|---|---|---|
|
Italy |
The Ukrainian original may be apostilled in Ukraine and a sworn translation subsequently prepared before the competent Italian court |
No |
|
France |
Where authentication is required, the foreign document is prepared accordingly and the French translation is generally produced by an approved translator or another recognised professional |
No |
|
Spain |
The foreign public document is apostilled/legalised first and then officially translated into Spanish |
No; current consular guidance states that the translation itself does not need legalisation |
|
Greece |
The foreign public document is apostilled first and then officially translated |
No; official Greek guidance specifically states that the apostille is not affixed to the translation |
The institution is therefore more important than the country name alone.
Italy: a double apostille is not automatically required
The Italian Embassy in Kyiv currently describes an official route under which a Ukrainian certificate can first be apostilled in Ukraine and then taken to the competent court in Italy for a traduzione asseverata.
That route uses one Ukrainian apostille on the source document.
Other Italian procedures can involve different translation or consular arrangements.
For this reason, the correct question is whether the specific Comune, university, court or other Italian institution requires a translation prepared in Ukraine or accepts/requests a sworn translation produced in Italy.
France: two Ukrainian apostilles are not a general rule
French administrative procedures commonly require foreign-language documents to be accompanied by an appropriate French translation prepared by an approved translator or another professional recognised under the applicable rules.
If the translation is produced in France by a traducteur agréé, there is no Ukrainian notarial act relating to that translation and therefore no reason to obtain a second Ukrainian apostille for it.
A different route can be used where a particular authority accepts a document package fully prepared in Ukraine.
The correct format must be confirmed before the translation is commissioned.
Spain and Greece: examples of a one-apostille route
Current Spanish consular instructions expressly state that the source document should first be legalised or apostilled and then translated.
They further clarify that the translation does not itself need legalisation.
Greek official guidance follows the same underlying logic: an eligible foreign public document is apostilled before it is sent for official translation. Greek authorities specifically note that an apostille is not placed on the translation in the standard process.
These examples demonstrate why a second apostille should not be purchased simply “to make the document safer”.
An unnecessary authentication does not create additional legal value.
When should you not order a second apostille automatically?
When the translation will be prepared in the destination country
If the institution requires a local sworn or certified translator, a Ukrainian notarised translation may serve no purpose at all.
The correct approach may be to apostille only the source document in Ukraine.
When an international treaty removes authentication requirements
Some categories of documents can be exempt from apostille or legalisation under international agreements.
In such a case, beginning with a “double apostille” would be fundamentally incorrect.
When the receiving authority accepts the translation without separate notarisation
If no second public act is created, there is normally nothing for a second apostille to authenticate.
When the Apostille Convention does not govern the relationship
Where the Convention does not apply, the required mechanism may instead be consular legalisation or another international-certification route.
A double apostille is not a substitute for consular legalisation.
Which apostille should be obtained first?
Where the full two-stage process is genuinely required, the standard logic is:
source document → first apostille → complete translation → notarisation → second apostille.
Translating the document before obtaining the first apostille can cause unnecessary rework because the apostille itself forms part of the final package and may need to be translated.
Which Ukrainian authorities issue apostilles?
Competence depends on the source of the public document.
As of 2026, relevant authorities include:
- Ministry of Education and Science for education-related documents;
- Ministry of Justice for documents issued by justice authorities, courts and state archives and for documents prepared by Ukrainian notaries;
- Ministry of Internal Affairs for documents falling within its competence, including relevant criminal-record extracts;
- State Migration Service for its documents;
- State Tax Service for documents within its competence;
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs for other eligible categories assigned to it.
This means that the first and second apostilles in one package do not necessarily pass through the same authority.
What changed in Ukraine in 2026?
Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice introduced an updated apostille procedure in 2026.
The Electronic Register of Apostilles was also modernised, creating a more centralised environment for issuing and verifying Ministry of Justice apostilles.
From March 2026, new application functionality became available to civil-registry departments of the territorial justice authorities and state notary offices.
Digitalisation improves verification but does not change the principle of a double-apostille package: if two distinct public acts genuinely require international authentication, each is dealt with separately.
Practical checklist before paying for two apostilles
Confirm six points with the foreign institution or in its official instructions:
- Does the source document require an apostille?
- Who must prepare the translation — a translator in Ukraine or a sworn translator in the destination country?
- If the translation is prepared in Ukraine, must it be notarised?
- Must the notarial certification itself receive an apostille?
- Does the authority require the original, a notarised copy or both?
- Does it accept an electronic apostille and electronic filing?
If the official instructions contain no requirement for the second authentication, it generally should not be added simply as a precaution.
How long does a double apostille take?
A two-apostille package is not simply a normal apostille turnaround multiplied by two.
Translation and notarisation must be completed between the two authentication stages, and the two apostilles may involve different authorities.
Timing depends on:
- document type;
- verification requirements;
- first competent authority;
- translation length;
- notarial processing;
- second authority;
- urgency;
- courier logistics.
Applicants facing a university, citizenship, marriage or immigration deadline should calculate the entire document chain rather than only the first apostille stage.
What determines the cost?
The overall cost can include:
- the first apostille;
- professional translation;
- notarial certification;
- the second apostille;
- copies;
- urgency;
- domestic or international delivery.
For an accurate quotation, it is better to provide a scan together with the destination country, exact receiving institution and purpose of use.
Common mistakes
Ordering two apostilles based only on the country name.
Preparing an apostilled Ukrainian translation where the recipient actually requires a local sworn translator.
Translating before the first apostille has been issued.
Assuming the second apostille certifies translation quality.
Failing to check treaty exemptions.
Using an outdated online country list instead of the current instructions of the receiving authority.
How to choose a translation and apostille provider
A competent provider should not begin with a blanket statement that a particular country “always needs two apostilles”.
The provider should first identify:
- the receiving institution;
- document type;
- purpose of use;
- accepted translation format;
- original/copy requirements;
- the specific public act that each apostille is intended to authenticate.
This is more important than simply comparing the price of two stamps.
Double apostille services through Admiral
Admiral Translation Agency provides apostille, translation and notarial document services and also handles document packages involving a double-apostille workflow where it is genuinely required.
Its website states that clients in Ukraine can use a network of more than 120 offices or begin the process fully online.
For an initial review, provide:
- a scan of the document;
- destination country;
- exact receiving authority;
- intended procedure;
- deadline;
- any written instructions already received.
The route can then be determined correctly: one apostille plus a sworn translation abroad, two apostilles in Ukraine, or an entirely different form of document authentication.
FAQ: double apostille
What is a double apostille?
It is a practical term for two separate apostilles issued for two different public acts within one document package — for example, the original certificate and the later notarial certification connected with its translation.
Is there an official list of countries requiring a double apostille?
No. Requirements are document- and procedure-specific.
Does Italy always require two apostilles?
No. The Italian Embassy in Kyiv currently describes a route where the Ukrainian source document is apostilled in Ukraine and the sworn translation is prepared in Italy.
Does the second apostille certify the quality of the translation?
No. It authenticates the origin of the relevant public or notarial act.
Which comes first, the apostille or the translation?
Where the source document requires an apostille, it is generally apostilled first. The complete document is then translated, followed by notarisation and a second apostille only where required.
Conclusion
A double apostille is not a special “stronger” version of an apostille and is not a mandatory standard for a fixed group of countries.
It arises when a receiving authority needs two separate official elements of a document package to be authenticated internationally: the source public document and a separate notarial or official certification associated with its translation.
In 2026, relying on generic country lists is particularly risky. Italy, France, Spain, Greece and other jurisdictions provide different acceptable translation routes, and requirements can vary even between institutions in the same country.
Admiral Translation Agency can review a document package remotely and, where required, coordinate the correct sequence of apostille, translation, notarial certification and delivery without adding unnecessary authentication stages.
