Certificates and extracts obtained on your behalf: from the authority to the apostille in a single order
If you need a certificate, an extract or a copy of a medical record from Georgia but you are abroad, in hospital or simply short of time, we obtain the document on your behalf. Where the law requires it, we act under your power of attorney or written consent; where it does not, without one. Once the document is obtained, within the same order we check the details, arrange the apostille and translation, and send the finished document wherever you need it.
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The right authority, the right formatA new-format extract where an old certificate is not accepted
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Power of attorney only when neededNo unnecessary costs for a public extract
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From collection to courierApostille, translation and dispatch in one cycle
In short: how a document is obtained on someone else's behalf
- A Public Registry extract is public information and anyone can obtain it, without a power of attorney.
- Civil status certificates, criminal record certificates and education documents are collected by the person themselves or by their attorney.
- A clinic releases copies of medical records with the patient's consent, and after the patient's death to the persons specified by law.
- The recipient decides how "old" a certificate may be, so we time its collection to your submission date, not the order date.
- Apostille, translation and dispatch are part of the same order, with no separate visits.
Who issues each document and who may request it
The table shows the documents we most often obtain on behalf of patients and their families. The names of authorities and their internal rules change from time to time, so we check the current rule for every order.
| Document | Issued by | Who may request it | Usual next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth, marriage or divorce certificate or extract | Civil registry, through the Public Service Hall | The person themselves, their legal representative or their attorney | Apostille on the original, then a certified translation |
| Death certificate | Civil registry | A family member, an heir or their attorney | Apostille and translation, if the heir or the property is abroad |
| Criminal record certificate | Based on Ministry of Internal Affairs data, through the Public Service Hall or the online service | The person themselves or an attorney holding a notarised power of attorney | Apostille; obtained close to the submission date |
| Public Registry extract (real estate, companies) | National Agency of Public Registry | Anyone | Notarisation or apostille, if a foreign bank or notary requires it |
| Copy of medical record, discharge summary, Form 100 | The clinic where the patient was treated | The patient, another person with their consent or power of attorney, a relative in cases specified by law | Translation, notary and apostille where needed |
| Archival certificate (employment record, old records) | National Archives, a departmental archive or the organisation's legal successor | The person themselves, an attorney, in some cases an heir | Translation, notary and apostille where needed |
| Duplicate diploma, transcript or school certificate | The educational institution or, if it has closed, the holder of its archive | The graduate or an attorney | Apostille and translation, recognition where needed |
The table is for guidance only: in a specific case the right to request may depend on the purpose, the degree of kinship and whether the document holder is alive.
What happens once the document is obtained?
The sheet of paper received from the authority is rarely the last step. A foreign clinic, embassy or university wants the document in its own language and in certified form, so as soon as we receive it we check the first name, surname, date of birth, personal number and seals, and then start on the next link in the chain so that the document does not sit with us.
A birth, marriage or death certificate needs a translation for use abroad in which every name matches the passport: we do this through our civil status certificate translation service, after the apostille. If we have obtained a duplicate diploma or an academic transcript from an educational institution, the cycle continues with translation of education documents, in the form that recognition centres accept.
Originals are sent abroad with signature on delivery; the terms of tracked dispatch are on the international shipping page, and within Georgia a courier will bring the document to you.
When you need a power of attorney and when you do not
Before releasing someone else's personal document, an authority asks one question: on what basis is this person requesting it? There are four types of basis.
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No basis needed
Public Registry extracts and other public information. The same applies to submitting a document for an apostille at the Public Service Hall: anyone can do this, without the holder being present.
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Notarised power of attorney
Documents containing personal data: civil status certificates, criminal record certificates, education documents, personal archival records. One power of attorney can cover several authorities.
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Patient consent
Medical records are confidential. Some clinics accept an application signed by the patient naming the person who will collect them, others require a notarised form; we check the clinic's rule in advance.
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Legal representation
A parent on behalf of a minor child, a supporter within the limits set by the court, an heir or family member for the documents of a deceased person. In these cases a document proving the representation is submitted.
If you do not yet have a power of attorney, we draw one up as part of our power of attorney preparation service so that a single document covers every authority needed. For someone abroad it can also be executed remotely.
Medical documents from a clinic: a copy or a new certificate?
Two different things can be obtained from a clinic, and they are often confused. The first is a copy of an existing record: a discharge summary, an operation report, test results, an extract from the medical file. The clinic's archive prepares such a copy, and we can collect it with your consent, without you being present.
The second is a new document, such as Form 100, which a doctor writes based on your current condition. It is drawn up by the doctor and usually relies on the patient's recent visit or examination, so its content cannot be "ordered" on someone else's behalf. We can submit the request, pass the recipient's requirements on to the doctor and collect the finished certificate. What a proper certificate should contain is described in our Form 100 guide.
If documents are gathered from several clinics and are ultimately going to a foreign clinic or embassy, we do not send them one by one but assemble them into a single medical document package, in which all dates and names match.
How an order proceeds
Your involvement is needed at two points: when the basis is put in place and when you receive the finished document.
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List and route
We establish which documents you need, which authority issues each one, in what form the recipient accepts them and by what date they must be ready.
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Basis
A power of attorney, consent or proof of representation, where needed. The text of the power of attorney is drafted by a partner lawyer at Advocat.Ge.
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Request and follow-up
We submit the application, pay the fee and follow it up. If an old record is held in an archive, we also file the search request.
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Checking
We check every detail and seal in the document received; if there is an error, we ask the issuing authority itself to correct it.
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Certification and delivery
Apostille or legalisation, translation and notary as the recipient requires, then a courier within Georgia or an international shipment.
Frequently asked questions about obtaining documents
Can you obtain my criminal record certificate if I am abroad?
Yes, with your notarised power of attorney. If you do not plan to come to Georgia, the power of attorney can be executed remotely: with a Georgian notary by video link, at a Georgian consulate, or with a local notary plus an apostille. Once we have the power of attorney, we request the certificate, check your details and, if it is needed by a foreign immigration service or embassy, arrange the apostille and translation. Because recipients often reject an old certificate, we count back from your submission date when choosing the date to obtain it, so that it is not obtained too early and you do not have to pay twice.
I have an old Soviet-style birth certificate. What should I do?
Foreign authorities often do not accept such a certificate, and in Georgia it generally cannot be apostilled. The solution is a document in the new format: the civil registry issues a repeat certificate or an extract based on the same record, which can be apostilled and translated. The original old certificate is not required for this, although a photo of it speeds up the search for the record. If the record has not yet been transferred to the digital database, it is retrieved from the archive, which takes extra time. In that case we will tell you the timeline in advance.
Can you obtain a deceased relative's medical records?
Often yes, but on a different basis than for a living patient. A power of attorney ceases to be valid on death, so the clinic releases records to the people the law entitles to them, usually close relatives or heirs, on presentation of documents proving the relationship and the death. Such records are most often needed for an insurance claim, an inheritance case or a medical dispute. We prepare the application, collect the supporting documents and check the clinic's rules in advance, so that the request is granted the first time.
How long does it take to obtain a document?
It depends on the authority and the processing mode. A Public Registry extract is often ready the same day; a civil status extract and a criminal record certificate take a few working days, or less in expedited mode for a higher fee. A copy from a clinic's archive is issued within the clinic's own timeframe, while archival certificates and diploma duplicates take the longest, especially when the record is kept on paper. Add to that the apostille, translation and dispatch. We tell you the exact total timeline as soon as the list is drawn up, before you order.
Is an electronic extract enough, or do I need a paper document?
In Georgia many extracts are issued electronically and their authenticity is verified by QR code or number; Georgian banks and authorities accept them. A foreign clinic or embassy, however, usually requires a paper document with an apostille and a certified translation. In that case we either obtain a paper copy from the authority, or a notary certifies a printout of the electronic document and the apostille is then placed on the notary's signature. We establish which route is acceptable from the recipient's requirements, so that the document does not have to be obtained twice.
What happens if the authority cannot find the record?
First we widen the search: old records are often held in the archive of another district or another year, and sometimes the surname was entered in an old or Russian spelling. If that does not help, we obtain a written reply from the authority stating that the record does not exist, because sometimes that reply is exactly what the recipient needs. If the document is essential, for example to prove kinship in an inheritance case, an Advocat.Ge lawyer assesses whether the legal fact can be established in court and what evidence would be needed.
Services linked to obtaining documents
- Apostille at the Public Service Hall Certifying the document obtained for a country that is a party to the Hague Convention.
- Power of attorney preparation One text that lets us act on your behalf at every authority needed.
- Accepting an inheritance When you need a death certificate and proof of kinship for an application to a notary.
The document is in Georgia and you are not? That is not a problem
Name the document and the country where you need to submit it. We will tell you the authority, the basis, the timeline and the full price in writing before anything starts.