LEGALIZATION
Legalization is a procedure through which the legal qualification of the public official who signed an act and the authenticity of his signature are officially certified.
In order to be enforced in Italy, the deeds and documents issued by foreign authorities (for this Embassy, it is Mozambique) must be legalised: legalization must be carried out first at the Mozambican Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINEC), then at the ‘Embassy.
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APOSTILLE
In countries that have signed the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 relating to the abolition of the legalization of foreign public documents, legalization is simplified and replaced by the “apostille“. The apostille is affixed by the internal authority designated by each State; the apostilled document is directly recognized in the Member State of destination, without the need or possibility of intervention by the Embassy.
In Botswana, the following institutions are responsible for issuing the apostille:
– High courts;
– Permanent Secretaries;
– District commissioners.
In Eswatini, the following institutions are responsible for issuing the apostille:
– Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mozambique did not join the 1961 Hague Convention on “apostilles”. Your official documents and deeds must therefore be legalized by MINEC and the Embassy to be enforced in Italy.
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TRANSLATIONS
Often, in order to be used in Italy, legalized/apostilled deeds and documents must be translated into Italian and declared compliant with the original by an official translator (in countries where this figure exists, such as Mozambique) or by the consular office of this country. Embassy (for Eswatini or Botswana). The documents can also be declared compliant directly in Italy, through sworn translators.
Compatriots and other users in the consular district of the Italian Embassy in Maputo can refer, for any needs, to the following list of translators.
Starting from 15 January 2024, the legalization of documents requested to this Embassy is also carried out by the VFS company (based in Maputo on the 6th floor of the Maputo Shopping Centre, rua Ngungunhane).
Interested parties may request the legalization of documents
- at the Embassy, with a Prenotami appointment or, alternatively
- at VFS, during public reception hours, without the need for an appointment.