Legal certification of public documents in Luxembourg
Last update
Summary:
Legal or apostille certification of a public document intended for a foreign authority can be requested online via MyGuichet.lu, or in person at the passport and legalisation counter.
The legalisation department, which is part of the Directorate of Consular Affairs (Direction des Affaires consulaires) of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Cooperation and Foreign Trade (Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes, de la Défense, de la Coopération et du Commerce extérieur), is responsible for issuing legal certifications and apostilles that certify the authenticity of signatures appended to documents by the Luxembourg public authorities. These documents are intended to be recognised by foreign government departments and official bodies.
Legal or apostille certifications can be requested:
- in person at the Directorate of Consular Affairs' passport and legalisation counter; or
- online via MyGuichet.lu (see Online services and forms).
For companies, documents can be submitted by hand:
- through a courier service; or
- in person, by placing them in the post box provided for that purpose in the waiting room near the Directorate of Consular Affairs' passport and legalisation counter.
Documents can be collected by hand in one of the following ways only:
- courier services: your documents are available in the boxes provided for this purpose at the passport and legalisation counter;
- private individuals: collection is by appointment only; to arrange an appointment, click on the link sent in the confirmation email.
Who is concerned
Who is concerned
Anyone who needs to provide a foreign authority with a public document established in Luxembourg that requires legal certification or an apostille can submit a request.
Type of certification
A Luxembourg public document may require legal certification or an apostille, depending on the country in which it is to be presented. The purpose of these two certifications is to confirm the authenticity of the signature, seal or stamp on the document, so that it can be recognised by a foreign authority.
- Legal certification
- Apostille
Legal certification applies to Luxembourg public documents that need to be presented in a State that is not a member of the European Union or a party to the Hague Convention. It is often required for:
- civil status documents;
- administrative or legal documents;
- notarised deeds; and
- official certifications of private documents.
Legal certification entails authenticating the signature and stamp of the issuing authority so that the document is considered valid by the foreign authorities concerned.
If the document is to be presented in a country that is a member of the Hague Convention, the apostille procedure is the one that applies. The apostille procedure covers the same categories of documents (civil status documents, administrative or legal documents, notarised deeds, and official certifications), and is a simpler way of confirming the authenticity of the signature, seal or stamp than the legal certification procedure.
Exemption from formalities
For public documents issued in Luxembourg that are to be presented to the authorities of another European Union Member State, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016 shall apply. This Regulation seeks to facilitate the free movement of citizens by simplifying the conditions for presenting certain public documents within the European Union.
Accordingly, certain public deeds and documents are exempt from legal certification and apostille formalities.
For instance, in Luxembourg, this exemption applies to the following public documents:
- birth certificates;
- certificates of recognition establishing filiation;
- marriage certificates;
- certificates of legal capacity to marry;
- death certificates;
- stillborn child certificates;
- grand ducal decree of change of name;
- grand ducal decree of change of first name(s);
- certificates of declaration of partnership;
- certificates of denunciation of the partnership;
- property settlement agreements fixing the patrimonial effects of the partnership;
- life certificates;
- certificates of residence;
- extended certificates of residence;
- certificates of registration at a reference address;
- ministerial decrees modifying the mention of gender and first name(s);
- judicial decisions on gender reassignment;
- ministerial decrees of nationality;
- certificates of nationality;
- deeds of recognition before a notary;
- extracts from the criminal record, records no. 3, no. 4 and no. 5;
- certificate of registration on the electoral roll;
- multilingual extracts from civil status records under ICCS Convention No. 16;
- judicial decisions declaring births;
- judicial decisions on simple adoption;
- judicial decisions on full adoption;
- judicial decisions establishing parentage (determination of maternity, determination of paternity);
- judicial decisions contesting parentage (contesting maternal or paternal relationship);
- judicial decisions of divorce;
- judicial decisions to annul a marriage;
- judicial decisions of legal separation;
- judicial decisions declaring absence;
- judicial decisions revoking adoption.
Prerequisites
Legal certification can be requested for:
- documents emanating from an authority or a public official under a government jurisdiction, including those emanating from the Public Prosecutor's Office, a registrar or a bailiff;
- administrative documents (birth certificates, diplomas, etc.);
- notarised deeds;
- official statements such as registration entries, confirmations that a document existed on a certain date, and authentications of signatures on private documents.
To be legally certified, documents must include a handwritten signature (not just initials) or an electronic signature, or bear the stamp or official seal of the issuing authority.
This signature or stamp must have been affixed by:
- an authorised Luxembourg civil servant;
- a notary established in Luxembourg; or
- a sworn translator working in Luxembourg.
Please note that only public documents issued in Luxembourg and signed or stamped by one of the aforementioned persons are eligible for legal or apostille certification.
Costs
The procedure for legal or apostille certification of a public document costs EUR 20.
Payment can be made:
- online at the time of application via MyGuichet.lu;
- in person, at the Directorate of Consular Affairs' passport and legalisation counter, by bank card only; or
- by bank transfer to the following account:
Account holder: TS CE BUREAU PASSEPORTS SERVICE LEGALIS
IBAN: LU62 1111 3104 0606 0000
BIC: CCPLLULL
To ensure that your request is processed quickly and efficiently, please clearly indicate the number of legal certifications and/or apostilles required and the date of your application when making the transfer.
Filing an application
Applications for legal and/or apostille certification of public documents established in Luxembourg must be filed with the Directorate of Consular Affairs' legalisation department.
Applications can be submitted online on MyGuichet.lu (see Online services and forms).
Online applications can be submitted with or without authentication using a LuxTrust product or an electronic identity card (eID).
Please note that as of 6 May 2026, all applications pertaining to electronic documents must be submitted using a LuxTrust product or electronic identity card (eID).
- With authentication
- Without authentication
The procedure with authentication using a LuxTrust product or electronic identity card (eID) has several advantages and can also be used to apply for electronic legal or apostille certification.
If you have a personal or professional eSpace on MyGuichet.lu, the procedure with authentication provides a number of additional features, such as:
- automatic pre-population of the application form with data that has already been saved in your eSpace;
- tracking of your application, and direct access to government department messages from your dashboard;
- the option to view all of your previous applications.
In addition, once your application has been filed, you will receive an email notification and a message in your personal/professional eSpace on MyGuichet.lu, in the 'My messages' section.
Without authentication, you will receive an email notification:
- after you have filed your application;
- whenever there is a change in your application's status.
If you do not receive any emails after filing your application, please check your spam folder.
Supporting documents
Documents to be legally certified must be:
- submitted in person at the Directorate of Consular Affairs' legalisation counter; or
- sent by post.
If you send your documents by post, you should enclose a Luxembourg-stamped, self-addressed envelope with them.
The country of destination of the documents must be specified, either when submitting the documents in person at the legalisation counter, or in the covering letter submitted with the application.
If payment was made by bank transfer, a copy of the transfer must be presented when submitting the application.
Good to know
Legal certification procedure
There are two types of legal certification procedures, depending on whether the country that the document is intended for is a signatory to the Hague Convention. Legal certification is always manifested in the form of an official sticker affixed to the public document, be it a legal certification sticker or an apostille. These two certifications can be issued:
- in paper form; or
- in electronic form (electronic legal certification or e-apostille).
The Hague Convention, to which Luxembourg is party, provides that signatory States are mutually exempt from conventional legal certification. For documents intended for these countries, an apostille (or e-apostille) is sufficient to certify the authenticity of the signature, seal or stamp on the document.
Consult the list of States that have signed the Hague Convention.
Legal certification or an apostille certifies:
- the authenticity of the signature on the document;
- the capacity or official position of the civil servant who signed the document;
- the identity of the seal or stamp on the document.
Duration for the legal certification of a document
The processing time for legal certification is three (3) working days, regardless of the payment method chosen.
Please note that applications that are filed online will be given priority.
Specific case of electronic documents
Electronically signed documents (for example, extracts from the Trade and Companies Register) must be submitted in electronic form via MyGuichet.lu.
The Directorate of Consular Affairs' legalisation department will then send the e‑apostilles and/or e‑legalisations directly to the MyGuichet.lu platform.
Electronically signed documents are no longer accepted in paper form.
Online services and forms
Who to contact
Directorate of Consular Affairs and International Cultural Relations Legalisation service
- Address:
- 6, rue de l’Ancien Athénée L-1144 Luxembourg
- Phone:
- (+352) 247 88 300
- Email address:
- service.legalisation@mae.etat.lu
Closed ⋅ Opens at 8.30
- Tuesday:
- 8.30 to 11.30 et 13.00 to 16.00
- Wednesday:
- 8.30 to 11.30 et 13.00 to 16.00
- Thursday:
- 8.30 to 11.30 et 13.00 to 16.00
- Friday:
- 8.30 to 11.30 et 13.00 to 16.00
- Saturday:
- Closed
- Sunday:
- Closed
- Monday:
- 8.30 to 11.30 et 13.00 to 16.00
Related procedures and links
Procedures
Links
Further information
-
States that have signed the Hague Convention
on the website of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH)
-
Guide utilisateur pour la légalisation/apostille de documents électroniques
Word • 4.17 Mb
Legal references
-
Convention of 5 October 1961 (The Hague)
Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents
-
Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016
on promoting the free movement of citizens by simplifying the requirements for presenting certain public documents in the European Union
