Last updated on October 21st, 2026 at 03:42 pm
As of September 11, 2026, foreign investors and workers in Vietnam are allowed to use an apostille to replace consular legalization for most documents. This change affects administrative procedures in Vietnam that contain documents from abroad.
This article gives the country list, the fees, and the documents that need an apostille.
Is Vietnam part of the Hague Apostille Convention?
Yes.
Vietnam is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, and it applies in Vietnam from September 11, 2026.
Vietnam deposited its instrument of accession at the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) on December 31, 2025. The member states then had six months to object.
Two legal texts put the Convention into practice in Vietnam:
- Decree 293/2026/ND-CP. The Government issued it on July 23, 2026. It took effect on September 11, 2026.
- Official Dispatch 7751/BNG-LS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued it on September 3, 2026.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs counts 130 parties to the Convention, including Vietnam. Apostilles apply between Vietnam and 125 of them.
The term “Hague Convention” also means other treaties of the HCCH. Vietnam is a party to the Hague Conventions on intercountry adoption and on the service of documents abroad. Vietnam is not a party to the Hague Child Abduction Convention. This article is about the Apostille Convention only.
What is an apostille?
An apostille is an official certificate from a government office. It authenticates that the signature, the seal, and the position of the official on a public document. Then the document will be accepted in other member countries of the Hague Apostille Convention. You do not need a stamp of consular legalization.
A public document is a document from a government body, a court or a notary. Examples are a birth certificate, a university degree and a certificate of incorporation. In Vietnam, the official term for an apostille is “chứng nhận Apostille”.
Apostille vs. consular legalization: what changed
Consular legalization is the old two-step process. The foreign ministry of the issuing country certified the document. Then a Vietnamese embassy or consulate certified it again. This process often took four to eight weeks and added courier and agency costs.
The apostille removes the embassy step. You get one certificate in the country that issued the document.
| Item | Consular legalization (before) | Apostille (from September 11, 2026) |
| Number of steps | Two: foreign ministry, then Vietnamese embassy | One: competent authority of the issuing country |
| Where you apply | In the issuing country and at a Vietnamese mission | In the issuing country only |
| Typical time | Four to eight weeks | Set by the issuing country. In Vietnam, 1 to 4 working days |
| Who still uses it | Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, all non-member countries, and Thailand until February 28, 2027 | 125 member countries |
Vietnamese embassies stopped legalizing apostille-eligible documents from member countries on September 11, 2026. Many Vietnamese embassies and consulates published notices about this change.
- United States (Embassy in Washington, D.C.)
- Japan (Embassy in Tokyo)
- India (Embassy in New Delhi)
- China (Embassy in Beijing and Consulate General in Shanghai)
Before you send a document to Vietnam, read the notice of the Vietnamese embassy or consulate in the country that issued the document.
Transitional processes for documents that you prepared before September 11, 2026
The Vietnam regulations protect documents from before the change:
- If a document received consular legalization before September 11, 2026, it stays valid in Vietnam. You do not need a new apostille.
- If a foreign authority issued an apostille before September 11, 2026, Vietnam accepts it.
- If the Vietnamese office received your legalization application before September 11, 2026, it completes the application under the old rules.
What Official Dispatch 7751/BNG-LS says
Official Dispatch 7751/BNG-LS gives Vietnamese agencies instructions for the new rules. It states that an apostilled foreign document does not replace the Vietnamese language rule.
If Vietnamese law requires a dossier in Vietnamese, you must translate the apostilled document and get the translation notarized. Then you submit it to a government office, a licensing center, or a bank.
Which countries does the apostille cover for Vietnam?
The apostille covers 125 countries in relation to Vietnam. The table that follows gives the status of each group on September 11, 2026.
| Group | Count | Apostille valid with Vietnam? | What you do |
| All parties to the Convention, including Vietnam | 130 | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Countries with mutual recognition | 125 | Yes | Get an apostille in the issuing country |
| Countries that objected (Germany, Austria, Czech Republic) | 3 | No | Get consular legalization |
| Thailand (in force on February 28, 2027) | 1 | No, until February 28, 2027 | Get consular legalization until that date |
Full list of the 125 countries
These 125 countries and territories have mutual apostille recognition with Vietnam:
| Albania | Greece | Pakistan |
| Algeria | Grenada | Palau |
| Andorra | Guatemala | Panama |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Guyana | Paraguay |
| Argentina | Honduras | Peru |
| Armenia | Hungary | Philippines |
| Australia | Iceland | Poland |
| Azerbaijan | Indonesia | Portugal |
| Bahamas | India | Romania |
| Bahrain | Ireland | Russian Federation |
| Bangladesh | Israel | Rwanda |
| Barbados | Italy | Saudi Arabia |
| Belarus | Jamaica | Senegal |
| Belgium | Japan | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| Belize | Kazakhstan | Saint Lucia |
| Bolivia | Korea, Republic of | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Kosovo | Samoa |
| Botswana | Kyrgyzstan | San Marino |
| Brazil | Latvia | Sao Tome and Principe |
| Brunei Darussalam | Lesotho | Serbia |
| Bulgaria | Liberia | Seychelles |
| Burundi | Liechtenstein | Singapore |
| Canada | Lithuania | Slovakia |
| Cape Verde | Luxembourg | Slovenia |
| Chile | Malawi | South Africa |
| China (including Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR) | Malta | Spain |
| Colombia | Marshall Islands | Suriname |
| Cook Islands | Mauritius | Sweden |
| Costa Rica | Mexico | Switzerland |
| Croatia | Moldova, Republic of | Tajikistan |
| Cyprus | Monaco | Tonga |
| Denmark | Mongolia | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Dominica | Montenegro | Tunisia |
| Dominican Republic | Morocco | Türkiye (Turkey) |
| Ecuador | Namibia | Ukraine |
| El Salvador | Netherlands | United Kingdom |
| Estonia | New Zealand | United States of America |
| Eswatini (Swaziland) | Nicaragua | Uruguay |
| Fiji | Niue | Uzbekistan |
| Finland | North Macedonia | Vanuatu |
| France | Norway | Venezuela |
| Georgia | Oman |
Some countries have territories that issue documents with their own authorities, for example the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and China. Name the territory where the authority issued the document. The Convention does not apply to Greenland (Denmark). It applies to the Faroe Islands.
The HCCH status table gives the official status.
Countries that still need consular legalization
If a document comes from one of the countries in this section, the apostille does not work in Vietnam. You must use consular legalization.
Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic
Under Article 12 of the Convention, a member state can object to a new member. If it objects, the Convention does not apply between the two states. Three states objected to the accession of Vietnam:
- Germany objected on May 20, 2026.
- Austria objected on June 19, 2026.
- The Czech Republic objected on July 2, 2026.
All public documents from these three countries won’t enter Vietnam with an apostille only. You must get the document legalized at a Vietnamese embassy or consulate.
If you use a Vietnamese document in these countries, you must get it legalized at the embassy of that country in Hanoi.
Thailand until February 28, 2027
Thailand deposited its accession on June 30, 2026. The Convention applies to Thailand from February 28, 2027. Until that date, Thai documents need consular legalization for use in Vietnam.
Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Taiwan
Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Myanmar are not parties to the Apostille Convention. Taiwan is also outside the Convention. Documents from these places still need consular legalization for use in Vietnam.
How to get an apostille in your country for use in Vietnam
You must apply for the apostille in the country where the original document was issued. A Vietnamese embassy does not issue apostilles for foreign documents. Rules and fees change often. Before you apply, get the current rules from the competent authority.
Which documents need to get an apostille?
Five groups of public documents that get an apostille:
- Court and judicial documents
- Administrative and civil status documents
- Notarial acts
- Official certifications on private documents
- Other public records
The law of the issuing country decides whether a document is a public document. A board resolution is a private document. A notary must certify it first. Then the apostille goes on the notarial certificate.
Article 11 of Decree 293 excludes these documents from the apostille:
- Documents that diplomatic or consular officers issued.
- Administrative documents that relate directly to commercial or customs operations, for example commercial invoices, waybills and certificates of origin.
- Documents with changes, erasures or signs of forgery, and documents that the issuer cancelled.
How VNBG helps with your apostille and business setup dossier
VNBG offers free document review and consultation for foreign companies, founders and HR teams in Vietnam. Our team examines each foreign document for apostille eligibility before you send it abroad. We organize the notarized Vietnamese translation. We also prepare and support the business setup application to the Department of Finance.
One wrong date or missing apostille delay investment approval for weeks.
Book a free meeting with VNBG for a document review
Send us scans of your documents and book a free meeting. In a free 1-on-1 consultation, our team tells you which documents need an apostille and which still need legalization. We also give you a list of the documents for your business formation dossier in Vietnam.
