It lets you use the documents abroad.

You need apostilled documents whenever your Estonian company must prove its legal standing abroad. The apostille lets foreign banks, authorities, and business partners trust that the papers are genuine, enabling you to open non-Estonian bank accounts, sign contracts, or complete transactions in other countries without additional verification.

Apostille proves the authenticity.

An apostille is an internationally recognised certificate—attached to a public document—that confirms the authenticity of the signer, seal, and capacity in which the document was issued. It allows the document to be accepted in any other state that has joined the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention (you can check the current list of member countries on the convention’s website).

In Estonia, only public notaries may issue a public document. Because the same notary cannot both notarise a document and apostille it, the process normally involves two separate notaries:

1. Notary A notarises or authenticates the original document.

2. Notary B adds the apostille that certifies Notary A’s authority and signature.

After notarisation and apostilling, the document is usually translated by a sworn translator into the language required by the receiving country. Courier or postal delivery costs are extra and depend on the shipping method you select.