European Commission - Press release
Final adoption of new rules to reduce red tape for public documents of citizens
Brussels, 9 June 2016
Today, the European Parliament has adopted the regulation proposed by the Commission to reduce the costs and formalities faced by citizens who must present a public document in another EU country.
Currently, citizens who go to or live in another EU country must obtain a stamp to prove the authenticity of their public documents (birth, marriage or death certificates, for example). Under the new regulation, they will no longer have to obtain this stamp or to comply with the relevant administrative formalities when submitting to the authorities of a Member State of the EU a public document issued in another Member State.
The regulation deals only with the authenticity of public documents, so that Member States will continue to apply their national rules as regards the recognition of the content and effects of a public document issued in another country of the European Union. Union.
" This is good news for those who go to another EU country for example, study or work ," said M me Věra Jourová , European commissioner for justice, consumers and gender equality. " It is not uncommon for these people to go through lengthy and expensive bureaucratic procedures to present a public document so that they can, for example, get married or work in their country of residence. Today, by putting an end to these administrative formalities, we are facilitating the movement of people in the European Union. "
The new regulation will put an end to a number of bureaucratic procedures:
public documents (eg birth, marriage or no criminal record) issued in a country of the Union will no longer require an authentication stamp (apostille) to be accepted as authentic in another Member State;
the regulation also removes the obligation for citizens to produce in all cases a certified copy and translation of their public documents; to avoid having to have their public documents translated, citizens can also attach, as a translation aid, a multilingual standard form, of which there is a version in each language of the EU;
the Regulation introduces safeguards against fraud: if a receiving authority has reasonable doubts as to the authenticity of a public document, it may check it with the issuing authority of the other country through the already in place, the Internal Market Information System (“IMI”).
Next steps : Member States shall have a period of two and a half years from the date of entry into force of the Regulation to adopt all the necessary measures which will allow its proper application at the end of this period.
it states in this from the 9th of June they have 2 and a half years. point being is Its here in france already so the dates do not matter here, in other countries maybe but in france original english german swedish or where ever are accepted in their original language no need to translate. Which is what my original post was all about not to be picking on what dates the rest of the world has until.