Apostille is a stamp or a certificate issued by the competent authorities of a state signatory to the Hague Convention, for official documents drawn up in that country, which are to be presented on the territory of another state signatory to the Convention.

The purpose of issuing the apostille is to authenticate the origin of an official document, to prevent the use of forged documents for the purpose of producing legal effects.

The procedure for issuing the apostille for official administrative documents issued by authorities of the central or local public administration, as well as by other administrative authority bodies in Romania, which organize an activity of public interest, within strictly defined competences established by law, is carried out through the apostille office organized within the prefect’s institutions.

The issuance of the apostille is free of charge and is carried out by the prefect’s institution in the county where:

• the holder of the document or his/her spouse or a relative up to the second degree has residence/last residence;

or

• the issuer of the document has headquarters.

By exception, criminal record certificates and civil status certificates may be apostilled at any prefect’s institution.

More information regarding the Hague apostille is available in the Apostille section on the website of the Prefect’s Institution—Bihor County