New Procedure for Diplomatic Authentication - Entry into Force of the Apostille Convention for the

Philippines

On May 14, 2019 the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public
Documents (Apostille Convention) entered into force for the Philippines. From this day, the requirement
to obtain diplomatic authentication of the document at the Hungarian Consulate is abolished and the
Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines (DFA) will no longer issue Authentication Certificates
(„red ribbon”). Instead, the DFA will affix an Apostille to documents to be used abroad. In the same vein,
public documents executed in Hungary to be used in the Philippines no longer have to be authenticated
by the Philippine Embassy in Budapest, provided the client obtains the Apostille stamp of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary.

Authentication fees will remain at the DFA Authentication Division at PhP100 (regular processing) and
PhP200 (expedited processing) per document.

Authentication of most documents are hassle free, nevertheless there are some instances when the
Hungarian authorities ask to redo the process:

- delayed registration of births/marriages/deaths allow for alteration, therefore Hungarian

authorities often request a thorough investigation which will prolong the procedures in
Hungary;

- old or handwritten birth/marriage/death certificates are often illegible – if you have such
certificate, please request a certified clear/typewritten copy before the Apostillization.