Why Sweden Is One of the Fastest Apostille Routes in the World

The short answer

In Sweden, the Notarius Publicus (notary public) issues the apostille directly. Since 1 January 2005, Swedish notaries are the sole competent authority for apostilles – no ministry, no court, no second step. Notarisation and apostille happen in one place, often on the same day. Combined with remote handling – identity verification by video call and documents delivered by courier worldwide – this makes Sweden one of the fastest apostille routes available anywhere.

What is an apostille, briefly?

An apostille is a standardised certificate under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. It confirms that a signature, stamp or seal on a public document is genuine, so the document can be used in any other Convention country without further legalisation – no embassy stamps, no consular queues. More than 120 countries are party to the Convention, including the entire EU, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, Australia and most of the world's major economies.

How apostilles work in most countries: two steps

The Convention lets each country decide which authority issues its apostilles. Most countries chose a central body.

The two-step model means every apostille involves shipping or queueing between two institutions. Processing times of one to three weeks are common, and expedited services cost extra – when they exist at all.

Sweden's one-step system

Sweden transferred apostille authority entirely to its notaries public in 2005. The practical consequences:

• Same-day handling is realistic. The person who certifies your signature or document copy is the same person who attaches the apostille — no hand-off, no second institution, no postal delay between steps.
• One appointment covers everything. A power of attorney can be signed, notarised and apostilled in a single session — ready for use in Spain, Dubai or anywhere else in the Convention area.
• Remote is possible. Because the process is compact, it lends itself to remote handling: identity verification by video call, documents exchanged digitally and by courier — you never need to set foot in Sweden.

Who can use the Swedish route? (Not just Swedes)

This is the part most people miss: you don't need to be a Swedish citizen or resident. A Swedish Notarius Publicus can certify the signature of any person – any nationality, located anywhere – on documents such as:

• Powers of attorney for property purchases, banking, inheritance or company matters abroad.
• Affidavits and declarations.
• Certified true copies of passports, diplomas and corporate documents (for example, a share register for bank KYC).
• Certificates of signatory power for companies.

The notarisation is a Swedish notarial act, which the same notary can immediately apostille – making it valid across the entire Convention area. For anyone facing a three-week wait at home, or an embassy appointment months away, the Swedish route is often the fastest legitimate path to an internationally valid document.

What the Swedish route does not cover

One honest limitation. An apostille always certifies the authenticity of the issuing country's official act. A Swedish apostille on a notarised copy certifies the Swedish notary's certification – not the underlying foreign document itself.

In practice: Swedish public documents (birth certificates, diplomas, company certificates) and Swedish notarial acts (signatures witnessed by a Swedish notary, certified copies) are fully covered. But if you need, say, a French diploma apostilled as a French public document, that apostille must come from France. Some receiving authorities accept a notarised-copy route via Sweden; others insist on the issuing country's apostille. When in doubt, ask us – or the authority receiving your document – before ordering.

Frequently asked questions