EMBASSY OF VIET NAM IN ROMANIA

ANNOUNCEMENT

On the Application of Apostille Certification in Place of
Consular Legalization from September 11, 2026

1. General Information

Viet Nam has acceded to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, done at The Hague on October 5, 1961 (Apostille Convention). The Convention enters into force for Viet Nam on September 11, 2026. From this date onward, public documents circulating between Viet Nam and Contracting States that have an operational relationship with Viet Nam require only a single certification - an Apostille - in place of the previous consular legalization procedure.

An Apostille certifies the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted, and the identity of the seal or stamp which it bears; an Apostille does not certify the content of the document.

2. Changes at the Embassy of Viet Nam in Romania

Starting from September 11, 2026, the Embassy will cease receiving applications for consular legalization of public documents issued by competent authorities of the three countries: Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro.

This applies to public documents falling within the exemption from consular legalisation established by the Apostille Convention. For documents outside the scope of the Convention, the Embassy continues to provide consular legalisations as set out in section 5 below.

3. Documents from Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro for use
in Viet Nam

Applicants should directly contact the competent Apostille issuing authorities of Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro listed in Section 7 below to request an Apostille. Documents bearing a valid Apostille certificate can be used directly in Viet Nam without any further certification procedures. If the document is not issued in Viet Namese, a Viet Namese translation notarized or certified in accordance with Viet Namese law is required.

4. Documents from Viet Nam for Use in Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro

The Embassy does not issue Apostille certificates. Viet Namese public documents must be submitted to competent Apostille issuing authorities in Viet Nam. Information regarding receiving agencies, dossiers, fees, and processing times is published on the specialized portal: apostille.lanhsuViet Nam.gov.vn.

5. Cases in which consular legalisation remains available at the Embassy

The Embassy shall continue to receive and process applications for the legalization of documents issued in Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro that fall outside the scope of application of the Apostille Convention and, therefore, are not eligible for an Apostille certificate issued by the competent authorities of Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro, but arre certified under the traditional legalization procedure. Such documents may include administrative documents directly related to commercial or customs activities, in accordance with the domestic law of the country concerned.

Whether a document falls within the scope of the Convention is determined by the law of the State in which it was executed. Any document bearing an Apostille issued by the competent authority of Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro may be used in Viet Nam without consular legalisation.

6. Documents Consularly Legalized Before September 11, 2026

Documents that have been consularly legalized before September 11, 2026 continue to be valid for use in Viet Nam. Applicants are not required to repeat the procedure in the form of an Apostille. Apostilles issued by foreign competent authorities prior to September 11, 2026 are also accepted and valid for use in Viet Nam.

7. Apostille Issuing Authorities of Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro

8. Contact

For any inquiries, please contact the Consular Section, Embassy of Viet Nam in Romania; Address: 35 C.A. Rosetti, Sector 2, Bucharest, Romania, 020012; Email: vietromlanhsu@gmail.com; Website: https://vnembassy-bucharest.mofa.gov.vn/.

Bucharest, September 10, 2026

EMBASSY OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM IN ROMANIA