Legalization

We assist our clients with the legalization of documents, including notarization and apostillation.

Legalization is the confirmation of a signature on a document. Only original documents or documents with an original signature can be legalized.

By virtue of being an English solicitor, Flemming Keller Hendriksen is able to attest English documents which are subject to special regulations.

In order for Danish documents to be recognized abroad, they will often have to be translated by an authorized translator prior to legalization. When a document is being translated for the purpose of legalization, the translation itself must also be legalized. This is accomplished by having the translator appear before a notary to sign their translation, and subsequently the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will confirm the signature of the notary, thereby legalizing the document.

Newer documents issued by public authorities can be legalized directly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the Ministry will retain a copy of the public official’s signature and will therefore be able to confirm its validity. Other types of signatures, older court documents whose signature the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not retain a copy of and signatures from third parties are not always able to be legalized by the Ministry. The requirements of foreign notaries may differ, but where legalization is not possible, an alternative is to provide a legal opinion drafted by a Danish attorney which elaborates on the issue according to Danish law. Said legal opinion may then be signed by the attorney before a Danish notary, in order to certify that the signature on the document is that of the attorney. Typically the notary will require confirmation from the Danish Bar and Law Society that the person in question is a licensed attorney, and sometimes the signature of the Danish Bar and Law Society’s representative must be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Apostille Stamp is always in English and Danish and is not available in any other languages.

The legalization process differs depending on whether or not the country in which the legalized document must be recognized has acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention of 5 October 1961. If the country in question has not acceded to this convention, the legalization process requires an extra step, as the document will have to be legalized once more by the relevant country’s embassy once it has been legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

We advise on all aspects of legalization and utilize a network of skilled translators who are usually able to assist with urgent matters at brief notice.

Call Flemming Keller Hendriksen at +45 70 90 90 60 for additional information.