How to Get an Apostille on a Georgian Diploma and Transcript

Whether you need your diploma, diploma supplement or school certificate for study, work or recognition of a qualification abroad, the receiving side almost always wants two things: proof that the document is genuine and a translation it can read. The apostille takes care of the first; the translation, often notarized, takes care of the second.

This article explains what an apostille actually confirms, which authority handles education documents, what to check before you apply and in what order to go through the process, so that you neither lose time nor end up doing the same work twice.

What an apostille is

An apostille is a special certificate established by the 1961 Hague Convention. Countries that are party to the Convention accept each other's public documents with an apostille and do not ask for additional consular legalization.

It matters what an apostille confirms and what it does not. It confirms that the signature and seal of the authority or official who issued the document are genuine. It does not check or assess the content of the document - the grades, the courses, the credits. So an apostille does not mean a foreign university will automatically recognize your qualification: recognition is a separate procedure on the receiving side.

Who does what

According to the Hague Conference registry, Georgia has three apostille competent authorities, and each one works on its own documents:

• The Public Service Development Agency of the Ministry of Justice - the general authority for every document not handled by the other two, including notarial acts. Applications are taken at the Public Service Hall;
• The National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE) - the competent authority for education documents: diplomas, supplements, school certificates and others;
• The Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - for documents it issues itself, such as the criminal record certificate.

For an education document, two bodies work together:

• The Public Service Hall (Public Service Development Agency) - accepts the application. It does not examine the education document itself and forwards the application electronically to NCEQE;
• The National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement - the competent authority for apostilles on education documents. It checks that the document was issued by an authorized institution and to the person named in it, and decides on the apostille.

This is why education documents are a separate track. Unlike other documents, the check here is not limited to the signature and seal: the Center confirms that the institution was entitled to issue such a document and that it really was issued to that person. That takes extra time, and you need to build it into your plan from the start.

Which documents this applies to

The education-document track covers every document that confirms completed studies or the course of studies. In practice the most common ones are:

• Diploma - bachelor's, master's, doctoral or any other level;
• Diploma supplement - courses, credits and grades. This is the document a foreign university reads most closely;
• School certificate - the certificate of completed general education, needed when applying for a bachelor's programme;
• Transcript - an extract of grades, when the receiving side asks for it separately;
• Academic certificate - for example, one confirming current enrolment or completed courses.

The key rule: each document stands on its own and each needs its own apostille. An apostille on the diploma does not cover the supplement or the transcript. Before you apply, check in the receiving side's requirements exactly which documents need an apostille, and submit all of them in one application.

What to check before you apply

A few minutes of checking before you go to the Public Service Hall will often save you a second visit:

• Identity document - ID card or passport;
• Originals - the apostille is placed on the original, so bring the original of every document you need, not a copy;
• Name and surname - compare them with your passport. If your surname changed after your studies, have the document confirming the change at hand and ask when applying whether it is needed;
• Seals and signatures - they must be legible. A damaged or faded seal makes the check harder;
• The receiving side's requirement - which documents need an apostille, whether a translation and notarization are required, and into which language.

Step by step

1. Check the original. The name and surname must match the passport, and the seals and signatures must be legible. The diploma and the supplement are separate documents and each needs its own apostille;
2. Apply at the Public Service Hall with your identity document and the originals;
3. Wait for the Center's check. The Hague Conference registry (updated October 2023) lists 10 working days for education documents. Check the current term when applying;
4. Collect the document with the apostille;
5. Have the document translated together with the apostille and, if needed, notarized. With us this is ready the same or next day.

Translation after the apostille

Once attached, the apostille becomes part of the document, so the translation has to render it just like the diploma text, the seals and the signatures. We translate the diploma, the supplement and transcript and the apostille text together, by one translator, so that course names and terms are identical across every document.

Grades stay in the translation exactly as in the original: converting them into another system is the receiving side's job, not the translator's. We never use AI on the content of client documents. Translation and notarization are ready the same or next day. More detail: diploma translation and school certificate translation.

Two different apostilles

Some countries ask for two apostilles. The first goes on the diploma and confirms that the education document is genuine. The second goes on the notarized translation and confirms the notary's signature and seal. The second is issued by the Public Service Development Agency and does not replace the first.

These two apostilles are decisions of different authorities and happen at different points: the first before translation, the second after notarization. If the receiving side asks for both, plan for both stages. What each one confirms: notarization or apostille.

Soviet-era diplomas and liquidated institutions

A diploma issued in the Soviet period can be apostilled too, but the check is harder. The Center has to confirm that the document was issued by an authorized institution and to the person named in it. When the institution no longer exists, has been renamed or has merged with another one, verifying these facts may take longer.

Nobody can promise you an exact term in such a case, so the only sound advice is to start early. If the diploma is old or damaged, or the institution has been liquidated, mention this up front when applying and ask what the check may require. We cannot start the translation in parallel - it is prepared after the apostille.

Common mistakes

• Translating before the apostille. The apostille will not appear in the translation, and the translation has to be done again;
• An apostille on the diploma only. If the university also asks for the supplement, it needs its own apostille as well;
• Leaving it to the last week. Checking a Soviet-era diploma or one from a liquidated institution may take longer.

When you do not need an apostille

An apostille only works between parties to the 1961 Hague Convention. If the document is going to a country that is not a party, consular legalization is required instead and the process is different - details: apostille or legalization. And in some cases no apostille is needed at all: many universities ask only for a notarized translation at the application stage and want the apostille after enrolment. So read the receiving side's requirements first.

Sources

• HCCH: Georgia - Competent Authority (Art. 6);
• National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement.

How to plan the process

Frequently asked questions

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