Why Zimbabwe uses legalisation, not an apostille

Many countries accept an apostille: a single certificate, added in the country where a document was signed, that confirms the signature and stamp on it. Zimbabwe is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille on its own is not accepted for a document that will be used in Zimbabwe.

Instead, a document signed abroad goes through legalisation: a chain of steps in which each office confirms the step before it.

When legalisation comes up

Zimbabweans living abroad usually meet legalisation when someone in Zimbabwe needs to act for them. Common examples are a special power of attorney for a property matter, for an estate, or for a title deed matter.

The chain, step by step

The exact steps depend on the country where the document is signed. A typical chain for a power of attorney signed abroad is:

1. Signing before a notary public. The document is signed in front of a notary public, who notarises it. You contract with and pay the notary directly.
2. Authentication in the country of signing. Some countries add a step at their own foreign affairs department before the embassy. Where that step applies, it is listed in your order.
3. Authentication at the Zimbabwe embassy or consulate. The embassy or consulate for the country where the document was signed authenticates the notary's signature and seal.
4. Courier to our team. The authenticated document goes by courier to our team, who take it on to Zimbabwe.
5. Legalisation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Harare. The Ministry confirms the embassy's authentication, and the document can then be used in Zimbabwe.

Each office charges its own fee and sets its own pace. The embassy and the Ministry publish their fees, and those fees can change.

Why each step matters

Each office can only confirm the office before it. A document that skips a step, or is legalised through the route for a different country, may be refused by the office that receives it in Zimbabwe. Following the route for the country of signing avoids starting again.

How Plontiv handles it

In the app, a power of attorney is usually added to a property, estate or title deed order. When one is needed, we arrange each step of the route for the country where you sign, courier the document between offices and show the status, cost and usual time of each step in your order.

The fee for each office is charged when that step is about to start, so each office is paid when your document reaches it. Current fees are on our pricing page.

We don't give legal advice, and we don't draft legal documents. For advice on what a power of attorney should say, a registered attorney can help.