What changed on 11 September 2026?
Before the change a Finnish document heading to Vietnam went through the full consular chain: certification in Finland, legalisation by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (30 € per signature) and legalisation by the Vietnamese embassy. With the Convention in force those steps are gone.
From 11 September 2026 an apostille certificate from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (38 € per document) is enough. The change covers documents moving between Finland and Vietnam because Finland did not object to Vietnam's accession; only Germany, Austria and Czechia objected, and for them the Convention did not enter into force with Vietnam.
Which route applies now?
For new documents the right route is now the apostille: it is faster and cheaper than the former consular chain, and the ministry and embassy steps are no longer needed.
We still always confirm the recipient's requirements, because during the transition some recipients may ask for old-style legalisation. Tell us who receives the document in Vietnam and we check the requirement before the document goes anywhere.
What happens to already legalised documents?
Nothing: a document that went through the full consular chain is properly legalised and does not need reprocessing. The change only concerns new documents certified after the Convention enters into force.
Legalisation or apostille, handled
We tell you right away which route your document needs and when to set it in motion.
See the legalisation service