Poland and Ukraine are both Hague Apostille Convention parties, so a Polish document for Ukraine gets an apostille from the MSZ (Poland's foreign ministry): 60 PLN per document, usually issued during an in-person visit. A 1993 treaty exempts official documents from legalisation, yet many Ukrainian institutions still ask for the apostille. Translate into Ukrainian last.
Two regimes: the Hague Convention and the 1993 treaty
This is why you hear contradictory advice from friends, notaries and forums. Two sets of rules apply at once.
The first is the Hague Convention. It took effect for Ukraine on 22 December 2003 and for Poland on 14 August 2005. Since that date a Polish document with an apostille has been accepted in Ukraine without consular legalisation.
The second is the Poland-Ukraine treaty on legal assistance in civil and criminal matters, signed in Kyiv on 24 May 1993 (Dz.U. 1994 nr 96 poz. 465, in force since 14 August 1994). The Polish Embassy in Kyiv states on its gov.pl page that under art. 15 of the treaty Polish and Ukrainian official documents are recognised in both countries without legalisation. Ukrainian rules do allow for this. The Rules on State Registration of Civil Status Acts (Ukrainian Ministry of Justice order No. 52/5) accept a foreign civil status certificate if it is legalised, "unless otherwise provided by international treaties of Ukraine". The Procedure for Notarial Acts has the same carve-out for powers of attorney made abroad.
So on paper, a Polish marriage certificate (odpis aktu małżeństwa) or a power of attorney signed before a Polish notary can go to Ukraine without an apostille. In practice it depends on the clerk in front of you. One will accept the document under the treaty; the next will insist on an apostille, and arguing with them from Warsaw takes time.
Our rule of thumb: if you are carrying the document yourself and could return to Poland after a refusal, ask the receiving office in writing whether they need an apostille. If the original is going by courier or with a relative, get the apostille upfront. The 60 PLN fee costs less than a second round of shipping. For the wider decision between apostille, legalisation and treaty exemptions, see apostille or consular legalisation.
Who apostilles which Polish document
The MSZ only apostilles paper originals. It won't certify a photocopy or an ePUAP printout, so an electronic civil registry extract or an e-KRK certificate has to be replaced with a paper document bearing a signature and seal.
| Document | Where the apostille is issued | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Birth, marriage or death certificate (odpis aktu) from the USC civil registry | MSZ | a paper odpis with signature and seal |
| Criminal record certificate (zaświadczenie z KRK) | MSZ | paper certificate only, not an e-KRK printout |
| Notarial power of attorney or notarial copy | sąd okręgowy (regional court) first, then MSZ | the court certifies the notary's signature |
| Court judgment, e.g. a divorce | prezes sądu okręgowego first, then MSZ | the MSZ won't accept it without the court's certification |
| University diploma and supplement | NAWA | up to 60 days from registration of the request |
| School certificate, świadectwo dojrzałości (secondary school leaving certificate) | kurator oświaty or the OKE exam board that issued it | these don't go to the MSZ |
| Sworn translation | MSZ | 60 PLN, original translation only, not a copy |
More detail: apostille on USC certificates and diplomas via NAWA and the kuratorium.
How the MSZ apostille works, step by step
- Pay 60 PLN in advance. The fee goes to the Centrum Obsługi Podatnika account at Bank Handlowy, with the transfer title "opłata skarbowa za wydanie apostille". You can't pay at the MSZ itself, and cash enclosed with a postal application isn't processed.
- Book a slot in the e-Konsulat system (legalizacja.msz.gov.pl). Walk-ins at ul. Krucza 38/42 aren't served.
- Bring the printed booking confirmation, the completed application, the original document and proof of payment. Someone else can attend for you with a written authorisation (upoważnienie) you've signed by hand.
- Collect the document. In person, the case is usually handled during the visit. The limit is 10 documents per person per day; anything above that is collected on a later date.
Postal applications go to al. Szucha 23, not to Krucza. The MSZ handles them within 30 days of receipt and returns documents by registered letter only to addresses in Poland, the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. If you live in Ukraine, the application has to name a recipient in Poland (pełnomocnik do doręczeń). We see this mistake all the time: an original certificate is posted from Kyiv with a Ukrainian return address, and the case stalls for weeks.
Translation into Ukrainian: in Poland or in Ukraine
The apostille itself is filled in in Polish, so both the document and the stamp need translating. That sets the order: apostille first, translation second. A translation ordered earlier will have to be redone.
You then have three routes.
A sworn translator in Poland. The Ministry of Justice list includes tłumacze przysięgli (sworn translators) for Ukrainian. Their translation is a Polish document, and the MSZ can apostille it for Ukraine as well, for another 60 PLN. You end up with the original plus apostille and the translation with its own apostille. This works well when everything is assembled in Warsaw and a finished pack is sent to Ukraine.
A translation done in Ukraine. A translator translates and a Ukrainian notary certifies the translator's signature. In a September 2025 explainer, Ukraine's Ministry of Justice reminded that any notary, state or private, can do this. It suits cases where the document is going to relatives or to a notary in Ukraine anyway.
The Ukrainian consulate in Poland. Under article 38 of Ukraine's Law on Notariat, consuls certify the accuracy of a translation from one language into another, for a consular fee.
Which route to pick depends on who receives the document. A Ukrainian notary or civil registry office (DRACS) works more easily with a translation certified by a Ukrainian notary or consul: it's a Ukrainian document, so nobody asks about its legalisation. If the document is going to a university, bank or employer, ask them upfront which translation they accept. We quote Polish sworn translations from a scan of the document; see the sworn translation page.
Power of attorney for Ukraine: Polish notary or Ukrainian consul
A power of attorney to sell a flat, handle an inheritance or deal with paperwork in Ukraine is the most common document on this route. Via a Polish notary it is also the longest one: the notary drafts the power of attorney, the sąd okręgowy certifies the notary's signature, the MSZ adds the apostille, then it is translated into Ukrainian. Each link is a separate visit or courier. We walked through the whole chain in apostille on a power of attorney.
The Ukrainian consulate in Poland is the shorter way. Under the same article 38 of the Law on Notariat, consuls certify powers of attorney. The exception covers contracts disposing of or pledging real estate in Ukraine: a consul won't certify the sale contract itself, but will certify a power of attorney to sell. That document is drawn up in Ukrainian by a Ukrainian authority, so it needs neither an apostille nor a translation for use in Ukraine.
A typical case: a woman in Wrocław signs a power of attorney at a Polish notary so her brother can sell her flat in Vinnytsia. The notary in Vinnytsia asks for an apostille and a translation with a certified translator's signature. So the document goes through the sąd okręgowy and the MSZ, and her brother orders the translation in Vinnytsia from a translator whose signature a local notary certifies. Had she gone to the Ukrainian consulate first, half of those steps would never have happened.
Common scenarios
Marriage in Poland and a surname change in Ukrainian documents. Order a paper odpis aktu małżeństwa from the USC, add an MSZ apostille if the recipient wants one, then translate into Ukrainian.
A child born in Poland. Ukrainian authorities need an odpis aktu urodzenia (birth certificate extract) from the USC; the scheme is the same: apostille if the recipient asks, then translation.
A Polish university diploma for work or study in Ukraine. NAWA issues the apostille and can take up to 60 days. Like the MSZ, NAWA posts documents only to addresses in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, so if you live in Ukraine you need a recipient in Poland.
A criminal record certificate for a Ukrainian employer, court or notary. You need a paper KRK certificate, apostilled by the MSZ. The mechanics are in apostille on a KRK certificate.
Can I get the apostille in Ukraine or at a Polish consulate?
No. Only Polish authorities apostille Polish documents: the MSZ in Warsaw, NAWA, the kurator oświaty or the OKE. The Polish Embassy in Kyiv states that consuls don't act as intermediaries for apostilles. Ukrainian ministries apostille Ukrainian documents only, so they won't touch a Polish certificate.
What it costs and how long it takes
The MSZ fee is 60 PLN per document, plus another 60 PLN if you apostille a sworn translation. In person, the document is usually ready the same day; by post, up to 30 days. NAWA takes up to 60 days for diplomas.
Our fee for an MSZ apostille on a ready Polish document is 500 PLN, with the state fee on top. You don't need to travel: courier the original to our Warsaw office (we send the address once the order is confirmed). We obtain a KRK certificate under a power of attorney for 500 PLN including state fees, the apostille on it is another 500 PLN, and we quote a sworn Ukrainian translation on request.
Mistakes we see most often
- The translation was ordered before the apostille. The stamp stays untranslated and you pay for translation twice.
- Someone brought an e-KRK printout or an electronic odpis. The MSZ only works with paper; this and other refusal reasons are covered in why the MSZ sends documents back.
- The document was posted to the MSZ with a return address in Ukraine.
- A diploma went to NAWA a month before departure, and the review took nearly all of the 60 days.
- A power of attorney was signed at a Polish notary when the Ukrainian consulate route was shorter: no court, no MSZ, no translation.
If you have several documents heading to different recipients in Ukraine, a consultation sorts out the route faster: 300 PLN, credited towards the service if you order it.