Check two countries
Menu

Two countries

Apostille from Poland to Germany

Apostille works

At a glance

Can a document from Poland be used in Germany?

ResultApostille applies.
PolandUses apostilles member since 1
GermanyUses apostilles member since 1
Apostille issued by

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Legalisation Section (Referat ds. Legalizacji)2

National Agency for Academic Exchange (Narodowa Agencja Wymiany Akademickiej, NAWA)2

Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Department of Art Education (Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego)2

Ministry of National Education (Ministerstwo Edukacji Narodowej), school superintendents (kurator oświaty) and directors of regional examination boards2

Fee in Poland

PLN 60 (per certified document (stamp duty))2

Processing time in PolandIn person, the request is handled during the visit when no extra certification from another office is needed, with a limit of 10 documents per person per day; by post, requests are handled within 30 days of arrival at the ministry2
Last checked

Step by step

How to get a document from Poland ready for Germany

  1. Check whether your type of document needs another office to certify it first, for example the regional court for notarial and court documents or the National Chamber of Commerce for commercial documents.2
  2. Prepare the original document and the application form; a photocopy or a printout from the ePUAP platform cannot get an apostille.2
  3. Pay the stamp duty of 60 PLN per document by bank transfer, at a post office or at the cashier of the Warsaw city office, and keep the confirmation, because payment at the ministry is not possible.2
  4. To apply in person, book a visit in the e-Konsulat system and bring the printed visit confirmation, the documents, the form and the payment confirmation.2
  5. To apply by post, send the originals, the form and the payment confirmation to the Legalisation Section at al. Szucha 23 in Warsaw, and do not send cash.2
  6. If you live outside Poland, the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, name a delivery agent in Poland, because documents are returned by registered letter only to addresses in those places.2
  7. Give the document, with its apostille or legalisation, to the office in Germany that asked for it.

Situations

When the answer changes

  • Private documents.A private document, such as a power of attorney or a contract, is first signed in front of a notary public, and the apostille then goes on the notary’s certificate. A copy of a public document from another country is first certified by a notary public, then apostilled.
  • The other direction. For a document from Germany used in Poland, the apostille or legalisation starts in Germany. Check Germany to Poland

What the apostille confirms

An apostille only confirms the signature, the role of the person who signed and any seal or stamp on the document. It does not confirm what the document says. The office that receives the document decides what it accepts.

Questions

Questions about documents from Poland for Germany

Is an apostille from Poland accepted in Germany?

Yes. An apostille from Poland is enough for Germany: both are members of the Apostille Convention (Poland since 14 August 2005, Germany since 13 February 1966). The apostille is issued in Poland by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Legalisation Section (Referat ds. Legalizacji) and 3 other offices. The published fee in Poland is PLN 60. The office in Germany that receives the document decides what else it needs. Last checked 18 October 2026 against the HCCH status table.

Who issues the apostille for a document from Poland?

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Legalisation Section (Referat ds. Legalizacji), National Agency for Academic Exchange (Narodowa Agencja Wymiany Akademickiej, NAWA), Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Department of Art Education (Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego) and Ministry of National Education (Ministerstwo Edukacji Narodowej), school superintendents (kurator oświaty) and directors of regional examination boards. The apostille is always issued in the country the document comes from, not in Germany.

How much does the apostille cost in Poland?

The published fee in Poland is PLN 60. Fees can change, so check the office's own page before you apply.

Do I need to notarise a private document first?

Yes. A private document, such as a power of attorney or a contract, is first signed in front of a notary public in Poland. The apostille then goes on the notary's certificate.

Does Germany also need a translation?

The office in Germany that receives the document decides. Ask it before you start whether it needs a translation, and whether the translation needs its own certification.

Sources and verification

Sources

  1. HCCH status table: Apostille Convention (1961)Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) · HCCH · retrieved
  2. Apostille - Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych - Portal Gov.plPolish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych) · Competent authority · retrieved
  3. Beantragung einer ApostilleFederal Office for Foreign Affairs (Bundesamt für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten) · Competent authority · retrieved
  4. BfJ - Häufig gestellte FragenFederal Office of Justice (Bundesamt für Justiz) · Government · retrieved
  5. BfJ - Anerkennung von Urkunden ohne ApostilleFederal Office of Justice (Bundesamt für Justiz) · Government · retrieved
Status
Last verified: (18 October 2026)
How it was checked
Checked by our team against the sources above
Next review

Every fact on this page links to the source it was taken from. Read how we check facts.

Related

Found something wrong or out of date on this page?

Report an error