Legalisation and apostille in Andorra: foreign documents, Andorran documents abroad

The principle

According to the government, any foreign public document must be legalised to be valid in Andorra. There are two routes: the Hague apostille for countries that are parties to the convention, or traditional diplomatic legalisation for the others. The apostille is a single procedure: a stamp certifies the authenticity of the signature; the document is then recognised in all the countries that are parties without any further formality.

Andorra is a party to the convention

Andorra acceded to the convention of 5 October 1961 abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents; the Consell General bulletin states that it has been in force there since 31 December 1996. France is also a party: a French public document intended for Andorra therefore falls under the apostille.

French documents to be used in Andorra

Residency file, marriage, birth, criminal record, diploma, power of attorney, articles of association: request the apostille from the competent French authority, then, if necessary, a sworn translation into Catalan (or a language accepted by the department concerned). Before getting the apostille, check whether the Andorran department requires a document less than three or six months old, which varies depending on the procedure.

Andorran documents to be used abroad

The request is submitted to the government's Servei de Tràmits, with the document issued by the Andorran authority and the legalisation request form (Hague apostille). The authorities empowered to apostille have changed over time; check the list currently in force and any fees on the government's website.

Common mistakes

• Requesting the apostille on an uncertified copy.
• Forgetting the translation when it is required.
• Exceeding the accepted validity period for a criminal record or a civil status certificate in a residency file: see documents, deadlines and costs.
• Confusing the apostille (authenticity of the signature) with the content of the document (legalisation of the content: never).

Organise early

Documents that take a long time to obtain (criminal record, civil status certificates, diplomas) determine the timetable of a residency application or a company formation: see 90-day checklist and setting up a company.