Legalisation
Degree certificate legalisation
Degree and employment certificates are legalised according to the destination country: a DVV apostille (from €138) is enough for Hague Convention countries, while the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar require full consular legalisation. We handle the whole chain for you.
Start legalisationIn short
Degree certificate legalisation: the key facts
- Apostille or legalisation
- The destination country decides. For Hague Convention countries, Saudi Arabia included, a DVV apostille is enough. The UAE, Kuwait and Qatar require full consular legalisation.
- Price
- Apostille from €138 per document, any notarisation priced separately. Full chain: UAE Finnish stages from €196, Kuwait package from €350, Qatar Finnish stages from €157 + the embassy fee. From-prices cover one signature.
- Time
- UAE Finnish stages typically 2 to 3 working days, Kuwait and Qatar about 1 to 2 weeks. Apostille as an express service in 1 to 2 working days.
- Signature
- Only a paper original with a handwritten signature is accepted. An electronic-only signature is the most common rejection cause.
- Translation
- An official translation is often needed, for the UAE and Kuwait often into Arabic. We advise per destination country.
- Start
- Scan or PDF copy first, originals only after confirmation.
What's needed
When does a degree certificate need legalising?
When you apply for work or a study place abroad, the employer, institution or immigration authority often requires proof of the certificate's authenticity. An apostille is enough for Hague Convention countries; others, such as the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, require full consular legalisation. The destination decides the procedure.
Process
How legalisation proceeds
- 01
1. Certification in Finland
The signature is first certified in Finland, depending on the document: DVV's confirmation of the signatory's competence (€27 per signature) or a notary public's certification. For Hague Convention countries the document then gets a DVV apostille.
- 02
2. Ministry for Foreign Affairs
The Finnish MFA legalises the document for the full chain (€30/signature).
- 03
3. Embassy
The destination country's embassy in Helsinki attests the document.
- 04
4. Destination MFA
Final attestation at the destination country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on arrival.
Destinations
Which countries are degree certificates usually legalised for?
Degree and employment certificates are legalised especially for work permits. Common destinations include:
- United Arab Emirates (UAE) · full legalisation
- Kuwait and Qatar · full legalisation
- Saudi Arabia · apostille (since 2022)
- Hague Convention countries · apostille
Destinations
Chain and fees by country
The destination country decides which chain the document goes through. Below are the requirements, authority fees and chain steps for each country; you get an exact quote and timeline before we start.
The UAE
Work-permit and study applications almost always require an officially attested degree certificate. The UAE is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille alone is not accepted. The document goes through the full consular chain. We handle every stage for you.
Chain steps
- 1Attestation in Finland
- 2Ministry for Foreign Affairs
- 3Embassy legalisation
- 4Confirmation at destination
The total consists of authority fees (DVV from €27 per signature, MFA €30 per signature; the embassy charges about €35 (AED 150) for standard documents and about €468 (AED 2 000) for commercial ones, the classification decides) and our service fee (€100).
Kuwait
Kuwait is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille alone is not accepted. The document goes through the full consular chain. We handle every stage for you.
Chain steps
- 1Attestation in Finland
- 2Ministry for Foreign Affairs
- 3Embassy legalisation
- 4Confirmation at destination
The total consists of authority fees (DVV from €27 per signature, MFA €30 per signature; the Kuwaiti Embassy in Stockholm confirms its own fee per order) and our service fee (€100).
Qatar
Qatar is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille alone is not accepted. The document goes through the full consular chain. We handle every stage for you. With a bachelor's degree certificate Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also requires the transcript of records; we check the attachments needed before processing.
Chain steps
- 1Attestation in Finland
- 2Ministry for Foreign Affairs
- 3Embassy legalisation
- 4Confirmation at destination
The total consists of authority fees (DVV from €27 per signature, MFA €30 per signature; the embassy fee depends on document type and is confirmed once the embassy has received the documents) and our service fee (€100).
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia joined the Hague Apostille Convention on 7 December 2022, so a DVV apostille is all that is needed. The full consular chain no longer applies. We still confirm the receiving party's requirements, as some authorities additionally ask for an official translation.
Chain steps
- 1Attestation in Finland
- 2DVV apostille
The total consists of the DVV apostille (€38) and our service fee (€100). If the degree certificate needs a notarisation before the apostille, it is priced separately after we have checked the document.
The cost builds up step by step: DVV from €27/signature, MFA €30/signature, an embassy fee that depends on the country and document class, our service fee €100. The final cost depends on the destination country.
See legalisationFAQ
Frequently asked questions
Wondering what happens after you order? The stages, the timings and who handles what are on one page.
See how your order progresses