Greek Document Apostille in the U.S. — 2026 Guide

Greece and the United States are both parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, so a U.S. public document used in Greece needs an apostille from the Secretary of State of the issuing state plus a translation into Greek. What the consulates add is signature legalisation, affidavits and certificates, which is a separate department with its own appointment.

Quick facts

Because Greek files apply a six-month expectation to supporting documents, the order in which you obtain, apostille and translate them matters more here than in most countries.

Fees breakdown

Greek documents travelling the other way are apostilled by the decentralised administration or the court that issued them, depending on the type, rather than by a single national office.

How to prepare a document for Greece

1. Confirm what the Greek authority needs and how recent it must be.
2. Order the certified copy close to the date you will use it, not months ahead.
3. Apostille it through the Secretary of State of the issuing state.
4. Have it translated into Greek by a translator the receiving authority accepts.
5. Book the certificates department appointment if consular legalisation is also needed.

Required documents

• Original certified copy with signature and seal.
• Completed authentication request and payment.
• Photo identification, also required to enter the consulate.
• Prepaid return envelope for mail filings.

What the consulates do

They take passport applications, run the registry department for civil records and citizenship, draw up powers of attorney and wills, handle judicial documents, issue military certificates, legalise signatures and issue household effects certificates.

Additional notes

Sequence matters

Order, apostille, translate, file — and do it inside six months. Starting too early is as much a problem as starting too late.

Judicial documents

Service of court documents is handled by the same department as powers of attorney, which is unusual and worth knowing if you are involved in litigation in Greece.

Order two copies

Where several generations are involved, duplicates save repeating the chain when one set ages out.

Never apostille a photocopy

The certificate attaches to an original or a certified copy from the record keeper.