Apostille on a medical certificate in Ukraine (via the MFA)

Who apostilles a medical certificate (the MFA, not the Ministry of Health)

The first thing competitors get wrong: an apostille on medical documents is issued not by the Ministry of Health but by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The Ministry of Health is not authorised to issue apostilles at all - it only issues or oversees the issuing of the medical documents themselves. So if you are promised an "apostille at the Ministry of Health", that is a mistake, and a document routed that way will not be valid.

Here is why: under Ukraine's division of authorities, each document type has its own body. Education goes to the Ministry of Education and Science, civil-registry, notarial and court documents to the Ministry of Justice, the criminal-record certificate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and medical and "all other" documents to the MFA. These are four separate authorities, and all the relevant departments are in Kyiv. We follow exactly this map of authorities, so we submit your medical certificate where it belongs - to the MFA, not "somewhere on the health-ministry side".

Which medical certificates can be apostilled

Apostilles are most often placed on the 082-o certificate (a medical conclusion on a person's state of health), extracts from a medical record or case history, vaccination certificates and immunisation records, drug-dependency and psychiatric-clinic certificates, and medical conclusions for employment, residence permits, study or adoption.

The exact route depends on who issued the document. A state-issued medical certificate (bearing the signature and seal of a state medical institution) usually goes through pre-certification at the regional health department first, and only then the apostille at the MFA. Certificates from private clinics or notarised copies of medical documents may follow a different path (a notarised copy goes via the Ministry of Justice). The precise route depends on the specific document, so we determine it after reviewing your scans - so you don't pay for unnecessary steps.

The order of steps: regional health department then the MFA

The classic sequence for a state-issued medical certificate is this: first, pre-certification of the document at the regional health department (confirming the authenticity of the medical institution's signature and seal), then submission for the apostille at the MFA in Kyiv. We take both of these steps on under a power of attorney, so you don't have to travel anywhere.

The main difference between a medical apostille and the others is the timeframe. The MFA is entitled to send a query to the institution that issued the document to verify its authenticity. If such a query is made, processing takes longer than a standard apostille - roughly 20 working days or more. This is not a delay on our side but a feature of the procedure for medical documents specifically, and we flag it in advance so you can plan your trip or submission with time to spare.

Timeframes, cost, translation and the double apostille

Timeframe: longer than a standard apostille because of the possible MFA query to the issuer - roughly from 20 working days; we give an exact figure after reviewing the document. The MFA state fee is paid at the ministry's tariff (the MFA charges roughly double for urgency); this is a separate amount and should not be confused with the Ministry of Justice or Ministry of Education fee - medical documents have their own tariff.

Translation and the double apostille: for employment, a residence permit or study, many countries require a notarised translation of the medical document, and sometimes a "double apostille" - first the apostille on the original, then a notarised translation, then a second apostille on the translation. Whether that second apostille is needed depends on the destination country. If your country is not in the Hague Convention, consular legalisation applies instead of an apostille. We work out the correct sequence in advance so nothing has to be redone or paid for twice.

How we work

1. 1Send a scan of the medical certificateA photo or scans of the document via Telegram, Viber or WhatsApp. We advise for free on whether you need the regional health-department pre-certification, a translation or a double apostille, and quote an indicative turnaround for your country.
2. 2Pre-certification at the regional health departmentWhere required, we arrange the pre-certification of the document at the regional health department - confirming the medical institution's signature and seal before submission to the MFA.
3. 3Apostille at the MFA (Kyiv) on your behalfWe submit the document for the apostille at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv under a power of attorney; where needed we add a notarised translation and a second apostille to suit your country.
4. 4We return it by Nova PoshtaWe send the finished apostilled document by Nova Poshta to your branch or parcel locker across Ukraine, or abroad.

Prices

• Apostille on a medical certificate at the MFA (our service) + MFA state fee at tarifffrom UAH 950
• Pre-certification at the regional health department depends on the documenton request
• Notarised translation per documentfrom UAH 250
• Double apostille (on the translation) + state fee, if the country requires itfrom UAH 950
• Delivery by Nova Poshta at the carrier's ratesfrom UAH 80

Prices are indicative ("from") and exclude the MFA state fee, which is paid at the ministry's tariff (roughly double for urgency). The turnaround is longer than other apostilles because the MFA may query the issuer. We quote the final price and timeframe for free after reviewing your scan.

FAQ