Legalisation of Educational Documents in the Republic of Ireland
Obtaining and legalising educational certificates is one of the most common requirements when it comes to studying or working abroad, and is often required as proof of education and qualifications. Traditionally universities handed out diplomas and degrees on paper during ceremonies, and these diplomas and degrees could then be legalised as they were original documents. Since the occurrence of Covid, however, universities and colleges have been providing diplomas and degrees in PDF format by email, which can be problematic as PDFs cannot be certified by Apostille unless they have first been legalised by a notary as being a true copy of the original. In another situation, many people do not want Apostille certificates of their degrees, as they may be framed or safely locked away. In this situation, our clients would also approach Apostille Documents Legalisation Services for a duplicate copy of the original.
Once Apostille Documents Legalisation Services has received the PDF copy of the diploma or degree from the client, it is sent to the issuing university or college which verifies that the PDF is a true copy of the original. Our notary is then able to put together a statement of verification. In the next step, the document can be brought to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which will affix the Apostille certification, so that the document can be used in the destination country.
Other education certificates may also require certification, such as certifications issued from professional institutions such as the ACCA or CIMA. Different professions have different certifying entities such as legal, accountancy, or medical, certifying that the specific person is able to carry out the profession. Generally speaking, people do not want to submit these certificates for apostille certification, as they wish to keep them on display or locked up for safe-keeping. In these cases, Apostille Documents Legalisation Services would need to either get the original digital copy, legalise it with the issuing authority, and then proceed with the Apostille certification, or alternatively simply contact the issuing authority on behalf of the client, and request that a duplicate certificate in PDF format be sent, which will then be legalised by the notary and Apostille certified.
Attesting of foreign educational documents for use in the Republic of Ireland
Additionally, Apostille Documents Legalisation Services has many clients wanting to work in the Republic of Ireland, such as nurses, medical professionals, accountants, lawyers, etc. In order to proceed with employment applications and opportunities in Ireland, they have to prove that their educational documents are in order and acceptable in Ireland. These documents need to be independently verified and recognised by the independent entity NARIC ( National Academic Recognition Information Centre) as a step in attesting foreign education documents for use in the Republic of Ireland. This process involves contacting NARIC who will review the document and the qualification. Once their review has taken place, NARIC will both confirm if the document is legitimate, and will also issue grades corresponding to Irish grades. This is necessary in order for the certificates and grades to be comparable with those issued in Ireland since grading systems vary from country to country.
As NARIC does not accept original documents, Apostille Documents Legalisation Services can assist by applying for duplicates on behalf of the client in the country of origin, and certifying them through a notary so that they can be sent on to NARIC for review. In certain cases, the original documents from the country of origin are also in a different language, and in these cases, Apostille Documents Legalisation Services can arrange for the translation from its in-house translation agency, before proceeding to legalise the document.
Apostille Documents Legalisation Services have the expertise to assist their clients by carrying out all the above processes as needed in each individual case. Please contact us for further information.
