How to apply for the legalization of public documents from abroad to be used in Rwanda {Other Documents (civil registry, judicial) }

This service facilitates the legalization of foreign documents from abroad to be used in Rwanda. To initiate this process, applicants must first secure legalization from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in their respective country of residence. It is important to note that this service specifically caters to documents originating from countries that are not signatories to the Apostille Convention. For documents originating from countries that are signatories to the Apostille Convention, applicants are advised to obtain Apostille certification from the competent authorities in their respective countries

A comprehensive list of member countries of the Apostille Convention and their competent authorities can be found here.

Some of the documents that can be legalized include Birth certificates, criminal records, academic documents, judicial documents,  etc.

• Key Tips/Information: 

  • To start the process, your documents must first be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your country of residence.

  • This service applies to documents from countries that are not part of the Apostille Convention

  • If your documents come from a country that is a signatory to the Apostille Convention, you will need to obtain an Apostille certification instead, from the competent authority in that country
    
    

• What You Need to Start Your Application:

Here is what you need to prepare.

• Applicants must have their Identification

  • A Rwandan National ID number for nationals 

  • A Rwandan foreigner's national ID/passport for foreigners 

  • A Rwandan Refugee's National ID for Refugees

  • Foreigners residing in Rwanda must have foreign IDs 
    
    

• The documents you want to legalize must already be legalized in the country of origin

• Documents must come from non-signatory countries to the apostille convention.

Note: Additional attachments are required depending on the type of document you are legalizing.

Scenario 1: If you select “CIVIL REGISTRY DOCUMENTS” to be legalized, you will need to upload some supporting documents.

Note: The list below shows the possible documents you may provide. It is not mandatory to upload all of them; the required attachments will depend on the specific document you wish to legalize.

• Criminal record certificate

• Birth certificate

• Marriage certificate

• Certificate of being single

• Divorce record

• Death record

Scenario 2: If you select “ACADEMIC DOCUMENTS” to be legalized, you will need to upload some supporting documents.

Note: The list below shows the possible documents you may provide. It is not mandatory to upload all of them; the required attachments will depend on the specific document you wish to legalize.

• University degrees

• Transcripts

• School reports

Scenario 3: If you select “JUDICIAL  DOCUMENTS” to be legalized, you will need to upload some supporting documents.

Note: The list below shows the possible documents you may provide. It is not mandatory to upload all of them; the required attachments will depend on the specific document you wish to legalize.

• Court order (PDF)

Scenario 4: If you select “NOTARIAL ACTS” to be legalized, you will need to upload some supporting documents.

Note: The list below shows the possible documents you may provide. It is not mandatory to upload all of them; the required attachments will depend on the specific document you wish to legalize.

• Power of attorney document

• Last Will Declaration

• Certified copies

• Certified translations

• Commercial registry extract

Important Tip: for the documents that you find that are going to be needed, remember to scan them and upload them in the PDF format (maximum 200 KB each)

Follow these simple steps to apply for this service.

Step 1: Visit Irembo at www.irembo.gov.rw. Log in to the IremboGov platform. 

1. If you don’t have an account, you can continue without logging in.

2. For easier tracking of your application, we recommend using an account. Click here to learn how to create one.    

Step 2: Scroll to the category “Foreign Affairs and Consular Services.” Click “legalization of public documents from abroad to be used in Rwanda.”

Step 3: Click on “Other Documents (civil registry, judicial) “from the dropdown menu.

Step 4: Read the service description and the required attachments and click Apply.

Step 5: Fill in your information, “Applicant Details” and “Residence details,” then select the type of documents to be legalized, the Embassy office, and the Name of the foreign legalizing Institution.

Step 6: Upload the requested supporting documents and click next.

 Note: The attachments will be requested depending on the type of documents to be legalized.

Step 6.1: Required attachments when the documents to be legalized are the Civil Registry Documents

Step 6.2: Required attachments when the documents to be legalized are Academic Documents

Step 6.3: Required attachments when the documents to be legalized are Judicial Documents

Step 6.4: Required attachments when the documents are to be legalized are Notarial acts Documents

Step 7: Verify that the information is true, enter a phone number and email address, check the verification box, and click Submit. 

Step 8: A billing Number/ID (88…) will be generated for payment. Click Pay. Applicants choose the mode of payment. For more information about payment modes, click here.

Next steps after submitting on IremboGov

1st Step: Your application will be processed by the selected embassy offices and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rwanda. You will receive an email or SMS to the contact you provided notifying you of any change in the status of your application. 

2nd Step: Once the processing offices approve your application, you will receive your e-certificate containing a QR code via email or download it on the IremboGov platform. 

Note: This QR code will have the legalized documents embedded in it. 

Now, are you ready to apply? Click here