Legal update: Vietnam’s Implementation of the Apostille Convention

On 23 July 2026, Vietnam issued Decree No. 293/2026/ND-CP, providing guidance on the implementation of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Currently, foreign documents must be legalized under Decree No. 111/2011/ND-CP in order to be accepted for use in Vietnam.

Vietnam acceded to the Apostille Convention on 31 December 2025, which will enter into force for Vietnam on 11 September 2026. Decree No. 293/2026/ND-CP will also take effect on that date.

The key changes for German documents to be used in Vietnam are as below:

	Current procedure	New Apostille Procedure
Process	Step 1: Notarization by a German notary office, where required; Step 2: Certification by the competent German authority; Step 3: Legalization by the Vietnamese Embassy/Consulate in Germany; Step 4: Certified Vietnamese translation.	Step 1: Notarize by a German notary office, where required; Step 2: Obtaining an Apostille from the competent German authority; Step 3: Certified Vietnamese translation.
Key difference	Die Apostille ersetzt die konsularische Beglaubigung, sodass das Dokument in der Regel in Vietnam ohne weitere Beglaubigung durch die vietnamesische Botschaft/das vietnamesische Konsulat verwendet werden kann

Other practical comments: 

• The Apostille must be issued by the competent authority in the country where the document was issued. 
• Documents issued before 11 September 2026 can still be applied under the Apostille procedure after that date.
• Transitional arrangements: 
  • Documents submitted for consular legalization before 11 September 2026 will continue to be processed under the current procedure. 
  • From 11 September 2026, Vietnam will also accept Apostilles issued by the competent authorities of Convention countries before that date.