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Approval of Apostille Authentication for Foreign Public Documents

No: 44073468 Date(g): 5/4/2023 | Date(h): 15/9/1444 Status: In-Force

Effective from 2023-04-05 - Apr 04 2023
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In reference to Royal Decree No. (M/40) dated 26/05/1443 H, approving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's accession to the Hague Convention on the Abolishment of the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents ("Apostille"), and to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs telegram No. (226041-44-001) dated 24/08/1444 H, which included a request to accept the "Apostille" certificate as an accredited certification for the aforementioned documents without the need for further authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or relevant diplomatic and consular missions. Additionally, the telegram outlined a mechanism for verifying the validity of the certificate, aligning with the goals of the convention to replace the traditional authentication process with a streamlined procedure through the issuance of a certificate called "Apostille."

Accordingly, the Central Bank confirms to all banks and financial institutions that there is no need for authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or relevant embassies for documents issued abroad that bear the "Apostille" certificate, provided that they meet the formal requirements set forth in the convention. The validity of the certificate can be verified independently through any of the following means:

1. The Quick Response (QR) code or contact information available on the "Apostille" certificate.

2. The website of the Hague Conference on Private International Law