Getting documents accepted: apostille, legalisation and certified translations
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How to make a foreign birth or marriage certificate (or another official paper) acceptable to a Vaud commune, the cantonal civil registry or the Population Service, how to get a Swiss or EPFL document certified for use abroad, and who can certify a translation. Orientation for international students and newcomers near EPFL, not legal advice. The office that asks for the document decides what it accepts.
Key facts
- Foreign official documents usually need their origin authenticated before a Swiss authority accepts them.
- If the issuing country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (Switzerland has been since 11 March 1973): get an apostille from the competent authority in the issuing country.
- If it is not: get consular legalisation, usually from the Swiss embassy or consulate covering that country.
- Swiss embassies and consulates cannot issue apostilles.
- Not in German, French or Italian? Swiss civil-status offices ask for a certified translation (traduction certifiée conforme) into one of those languages. In Vaud, the translator's signature is authenticated by a Vaud notary.
- Vaud documents for use abroad: apostille or legalisation at the Lausanne Prefecture's legalisation office, CHF 30 per document.
- Federal documents for use abroad (including EPFL diplomas): the Federal Chancellery in Bern, by post only.
- Start early. Vaud's civil registry warns that checking foreign documents can take several months.
Apostille or legalisation?
| Your situation | What you need | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign document, issuing country is an Apostille Convention party | Apostille on the document | The authority designated by the issuing country (see the HCCH list of competent authorities) |
| Foreign document, issuing country is not a party | Legalisation of the official seal and signature | The competent Swiss representation in that country, on presentation of the original, if the country is in its consular district. Sometimes the foreign country's embassy or consulate in Switzerland can legalise instead: check first with the Swiss authority that asked for the document that it accepts this. |
| Swiss document for a country that is a party | Apostille | Cantonal legalisation authority (Vaud: Lausanne Prefecture) or the Federal Chancellery |
| Swiss document for a country that is not a party | Swiss legalisation, then the destination country's consular step | Same Swiss offices; then ask the destination country's embassy or consulate in Switzerland |
An apostille only confirms where the document comes from (signature, capacity of the signer, seal). The Federal Chancellery stresses that it certifies signatures, not the content of the text or translations.
Neighbouring countries and multilingual extracts. The Federal Office of Civil Status (FOJ) lists bilateral civil-status agreements with Austria, Germany, Italy and France, and Switzerland's membership of the International Commission on Civil Status (CIEC) conventions, including those on multilingual extracts of civil-status records and on exemption from legalisation for civil-status records. If your country is a party, a multilingual extract may be accepted with fewer formalities. To verify with the office that asks for the document before you order anything.
Sources: FDFA, Swiss Embassy in Malta, Legalisation of official seals and signatures · HCCH, Apostille Section · HCCH, Apostille Convention status table · Federal Chancellery, Legalisations · FOJ / OFEC, Droit international
Foreign documents for Vaud offices
What Vaud offices ask for
| Office and procedure | Documents named on the official page | Authentication / translation wording |
|---|---|---|
| Commune: arrival in Lausanne (third-country nationals) | Civil-status document matching your current situation: birth certificate, marriage or partnership certificate, final divorce judgment, widowhood record, etc. | For a child arriving from abroad with one parent: custody / parental-authority document and the other parent's written consent, each legalised (translated if necessary); if the other parent has died, an official death certificate legalised and translated |
| SPOP: family reunification (spouse, partner, children of a B, C or L holder) | Copy of marriage certificate, family certificate or registered-partnership deed; birth certificate with filiation for each child | Custody document and consent of the parent abroad: legalised (translated if necessary) |
| Vaud civil registry: marriage in Vaud (one or both fiancés foreign) | Documents on birth, sex, name, filiation, civil status (for example a certificate of single status if your country issues one, or proof the last marriage ended) and nationality; proof of legal stay until the wedding | In principle not older than six months; if not in a Swiss official language, a certified translation into German, French or Italian. Some foreign documents also need authentication by the Swiss embassy in that country; the civil registry sends them there itself. |
| Driving licence exchange (SAN, form 220) | Original, valid foreign licence | "In certain cases, an official translation is required." If the exam date is missing, an attestation from the issuing authority is needed. |
Other communes near EPFL have their own lists: ask your commune's population office (contrôle des habitants). For family permits in detail, see Family and partner permits; for commune registration, Permit and commune registration; for licences, Driving licence.
Verification can take months
- Vaud's civil registry says the marriage preparation procedure usually takes a few months, especially when foreign documents must be verified, and advises not to fix a wedding date before it ends. Once documents are with the Swiss embassy abroad, the Vaud registry has no influence on the processing time.
- Appointments: on 8 October 2026 the registry listed its next free appointments about two months ahead. If you miss an appointment without at least 24 hours' notice, you pay an extra fee of CHF 75.
- For events that happened abroad (birth, marriage, divorce, etc.): depending on the country, the Swiss representation has the documents verified on their content by a trusted local lawyer, which "generally takes several months". If you are a foreign national living in Vaud and have never had a civil-status event in Switzerland, you report a foreign event directly to your commune's population office instead.
Sources: Ville de Lausanne, Arrival for third-country nationals · État de Vaud, Family reunification: documents · État de Vaud, Marriage with a foreign fiancé(e) · État de Vaud, Marriage procedure details · FOJ / OFEC, Memento on marriage in Switzerland no. 150.1 (PDF, FR) · État de Vaud, Reporting a civil-status event abroad · État de Vaud, Exchanging a foreign driving licence · SAN, Form 220 (PDF)
Marrying in Vaud (documents, closing meeting, ceremony): see Getting married in Vaud.
What a Vaud notary does and how fees work (outside housing): see Notary basics in Vaud.
Certified translations
For use in Switzerland (Vaud's integration office, Vaud-Bienvenue):
- Have the document translated by a translator.
- Ask the translator to confirm that they have had their signature authenticated by a Vaud notary. Only notaries may legalise the signatures of private persons (since 1 January 2011 in Vaud).
For use abroad:
- Apostille countries: after the notary step, have the notary's authentication apostilled by the Lausanne Prefecture's legalisation office.
- Non-apostille countries: after the notary step, contact the destination country's embassy or consulate, then submit everything to the Lausanne Prefecture for simple legalisation.
Finding a translator or notary: Vaud-Bienvenue points to the Swiss translators' association (ASTTI) for translators and to the Vaud notaries' association for a list of notaries. Translators and notaries set their own prices: ask for a quote before you order.
Interpreters at appointments: at the marriage file-closing meeting and the ceremony, you may bring an interpreter at your own cost (tell the registrar at least one week ahead for the meeting). For medical, social or school meetings, professionals can book community interpreters (Appartenances in Vaud), usually paid by their institution.
Sources: Vaud-Bienvenue, Interprétariat et traductions · État de Vaud, Marriage procedure details
Swiss documents for use abroad
Vaud documents: Lausanne Prefecture
The Bureau des légalisations at the Préfecture du district de Lausanne is the only office that legalises documents for abroad that carry official Vaud signatures.
- Accepted: documents with an original signature and a Vaud seal from an authority, notary or public administration. Examples: divorce judgments from Vaud courts, Vaud civil-status extracts (birth, marriage, death), notarised deeds, medical or veterinary certificates (first stamped by the relevant service), residence attestations (attestations de domicile), commercial-register extracts, private documents authenticated by a Vaud notary.
- Not accepted: photocopies, electronic signatures.
- Fee: CHF 30 per document at the counter (cash or bank card); by post, CHF 30 per legalisation paid in advance in Swiss francs.
- Time: at the counter, usually immediately (or within days if busy); by post, about 10 working days, in order of arrival.
- Counter hours: Monday to Thursday 08:30 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 16:30; Friday 08:30 to 14:00. Phone Monday to Friday 08:30 to 11:30.
- Contact: Place du Château 1, 1014 Lausanne · +41 21 316 41 11 · legalisation@vd.ch
- The office cannot advise on the destination country's procedure: ask that country's embassy or consulate.
- Legalising a signature for use in Switzerland (not abroad): only a notary can do it.
Sources: État de Vaud, Légalisations de documents pour l'étranger (apostilles) · Préfecture de Lausanne, Practical information (PDF, V.01.2026)
Federal documents and EPFL diplomas: Federal Chancellery
The Federal Chancellery's legalisation service in Bern certifies signatures of federal offices and institutions (including EPFL, and the Federal Office of Justice for criminal-record extracts), cantonal authorities, Swiss embassies, and foreign embassies and consulates in Switzerland.
- By post only. Send the original document, the destination country, proof of advance payment, a stamped self-addressed envelope and a phone number.
- Fee: CHF 20 per certification (per original signature), paid in advance in Swiss francs (Federal Chancellery factsheet, updated 12 June 2026).
- Time: usually 3 to 5 working days.
- Closed 24 and 31 December 2026 (Federal Chancellery notice).
- Contact: Federal Chancellery, Legalisations, Gurtengasse 5, 3003 Bern · +41 58 462 37 69 (Monday to Friday 08:30 to 12:00) · legalisation@bk.admin.ch
EPFL diploma for use abroad: EPFL says a copy certified by EPFL is enough in most cases. If you do need legalisation:
- Hand your original diploma to the Student Services Desk so EPFL adds a stamp and an authorised signature, or order a printed certified copy. Transcripts and diploma supplements can only be legalised as printed certified copies.
- Send it yourself to the Federal Chancellery (EPFL cannot send it for you). The Chancellery adds an apostille (Hague countries) or legalises it (other countries).
Recognition of a Swiss degree abroad: EPFL points to the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI, SEFRI), which publishes information on recognition of Swiss qualifications abroad and can issue certificates for formal procedures.
Sources: Federal Chancellery, Legalisations · Federal Chancellery, Factsheet on legalisation (PDF, updated 12 June 2026) · EPFL, Diploma legalization
Practical tips
- Ask before you order. The office that wants the document (commune, SPOP, civil registry, SAN, a foreign authority) decides which form it accepts: original, apostille, legalisation, multilingual extract, translation.
- Order recent extracts. The marriage memento says documents should in principle be no older than six months.
- Keep originals safe. Offices often need originals; keep scans for your records. If your passport or ID is lost while files are pending, see Lost passport, ID or permit.
- Your own embassy or consulate in Switzerland can tell you how to obtain civil-status documents from your country while you live here.