What is a replacement certificate?
A replacement certificate is a new form issued by a civil registry office based on an existing civil status record. It contains the same information as the first certificate and has the same legal force. You do not need to surrender or find the first certificate. Replacement birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates can be obtained.
Why it is needed abroad
Institutions in Poland, Germany, Lithuania and other EU countries accept Belarusian civil registry documents only with an apostille and translation. Old forms often cannot be apostilled, while institutions themselves do not accept laminated or damaged documents. A replacement certificate on a current form resolves these issues.
Who can obtain a replacement certificate?
A birth or marriage certificate is issued to the person named in it. A birth certificate for a child under 18 is issued to their parents. If you are unsure whether you can obtain a document, contact us and we will clarify this before you pay.
Civil registry extracts
Sometimes an extract is needed instead of a certificate: a marital status extract for marriage abroad, a civil registry record extract to confirm a birth or marriage from the archive, or a surname change extract when surnames differ between documents. We also submit extracts for an apostille straight away.
Timeframes
The timeframe depends on the civil registry office holding the record and whether an archive request is needed. We will give you an exact date in your quote. We arrange an apostille for the completed document within the usual timeframe: 7–14 working days, or 5 with urgent service. We send a scan immediately and the original by courier in 2–5 working days.