Vietnam's accession to The 1961Hague Convention abolishing the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents

In the current context of deep international integration, the need to use legal documents between countries is increasingly growing, particularly in sectors such as investment and trade. To ensure the legal validity of these documents when crossing borders, a mandatory administrative procedure known as "consular legalization" or "consular certification" must be performed. This process plays a crucial role in ensuring the legal validity and usability of administrative documents in international relations.

However, the current legalization process in Vietnam is quite time-consuming and costly for individuals and businesses. Anyone needing to legalize or certify foreign documents for use in Vietnam, or vice versa, must go through multiple complex stages. This repetitive and redundant process is not only inefficient and impractical but also creates unnecessary burdens.

For example, documents from Ecuador intended for legal use in Vietnam currently require: (1) Consular certification at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, and (2) Consular legalization at the Vietnamese Embassy. Notably, Vietnam does not have an Embassy or other diplomatic representative office in Ecuador. Consequently, documents must be legalized at a Vietnamese Embassy concurrently accredited to Ecuador located in another country (e.g., Chile). At this point, the time and costs increase significantly compared to expectations. Sending documents between countries incurs additional transportation costs, compounded by risks such as loss or damage during transit when sending physical documents multiple times. Meanwhile, Ecuador is a member of the 1961 Hague Convention; if Vietnam is also a member, it means that documents can be used directly without going through such complex, time-consuming, and costly procedures.

To address these challenges, Vietnam submitted its instrument of accession to the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention) on December 31, 2025. This move was officially notified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on January 13, 2026.

Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son signed Decision No. 330/QD-TTg dated February 25, 2026, approving the Plan for the implementation of the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (the Plan).

Implementing the Apostille Convention in Vietnam: The Leading Role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

To ensure the effective implementation of the Apostille Convention, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been assigned the lead role in coordinating with relevant ministries, sectors, and localities to execute synchronous key tasks: drafting a Decree for government submission before June 2026; establishing a system for issuing and managing Apostilles, as well as a specialized electronic database by September 2026. Simultaneously, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will promote communication campaigns, organize in-depth professional training for officials at all levels, and maintain close international cooperation.

The next key focus of this plan is to strengthen document control and promote digital transformation in the issuance of Apostille certificates. In order to ensure security and effectiveness in implementing the Apostille Convention, Vietnam will focus on two major tasks:

• Verification and handling of fraudulent documents: The Ministry of Public Security will take the lead in coordinating with other ministries, sectors, and local authorities to establish mechanisms for controlling, receiving, and processing information related to fraudulent documents, while also proposing timely preventive measures. At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will decentralize the authority to issue Apostille certificates to specialized local agencies during the period from 2027 to 2030.

• Comprehensive digital transformation: Before September 11, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will deploy a centralized software system and electronic database to manage Apostille certificates, specimen seals, and authenticated signatures. All Apostille issuance procedures will be carried out entirely online through the National Public Service Portal, ensuring that verification and supervision processes conducted in the digital environment are transparent, secure, and accurate.

The simplification of legalization procedures, which were previously slow and cumbersome, will help domestic entrepreneurs conduct transactions with foreign business partners more quickly and conveniently while significantly reducing administrative costs. Conversely, foreign investors wishing to invest in Vietnam will also benefit from the simplification of these legalization procedures. This, in turn, will attract foreign investment as well as facilitate outward investment, accelerating and improving the efficiency of investment processes and contributing to national economic growth. Similar benefits also apply to citizens who need to use documents abroad to serve their social and personal needs.

For Vietnam and other ASEAN member states, the Apostille Convention is expected to serve as a solution to this complex procedure. The Convention will act as a mechanism to facilitate ASEAN member states in the legalization of foreign documents in order to attract foreign direct investment. Furthermore, Apostille may also play a role in expanding exports from ASEAN member states to other countries. The signing and recognition of this Convention by ASEAN countries is considered a measure to expand opportunities for export and investment abroad while also enabling these countries to attract foreign direct investment into their own economies.