Ukraine presents modernized Electronic Register of Apostilles at Permanent Bureau of Hague Conference – Ministry of Justice

A delegation from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine visited the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), where it presented the updated functionality of the Electronic Register of Apostilles (e-APP), which officially launched in Ukraine on March 2, 2026.

"The delegation of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, headed by Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitization Olha Riabukha, visited the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). The purpose of the visit was to present the updated functionality of the Electronic Register of Apostilles (e-APP), which officially started operating in Ukraine on March 2, 2026. During the first month of operation, 30,744 apostilles were issued through the updated Register. Annually, Ministry of Justice bodies alone issue about 400,000 apostilles, which accounts for approximately 65% of the total volume," a report on the ministry’s website reads.

It is noted that the modernized system completely changes the approach to the legalization of documents, replacing traditional "wet" seals and manual signatures with digital technologies.

"QR verification: each apostille now contains a QR code for instant online verification; Transparency: during verification, a foreign institution sees not only the apostille itself, but also a scanned copy of the original document; ASiC-E format: Ukraine has implemented the issuance of electronic apostilles in ASiC-E format, which complies with eIDAS standards. This significantly increases the level of trust and expands the range of use for Ukrainian electronic documents in EU countries," the Ministry of Justice stated.

The new system allows for receiving the service without a physical presence in Ukraine and also significantly reduces the administrative burden on Ukrainian consulates.

"In 2026, we must complete the systemic transformation—moving from fragmented paper processes to a single secure digital environment. Our priority is to fully launch the ‘one-click’ service so that Ukrainians can quickly and conveniently receive an electronic apostille and submit documents online through the Diia portal," Riabukha noted.

Currently, the Ministry of Justice is actively working on scaling the system to all authorized bodies: the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Migration Service, the State Tax Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Education and Science, with which integration processes have already begun.

"Combining all bodies in a single functionality will ensure the uniformity of the apostille and increase the recognition of Ukrainian documents in foreign institutions, which, in turn, will reduce the time for additional checks and bureaucratic procedures for Ukrainians," the ministry emphasized.

The project was implemented with the support of the European Union within the framework of the DT4UA project, implemented by the e-Governance Academy (eGA).