Previously, citizens moving to or living in another EU country had to obtain a stamp to prove that their public documents (such as a birth, marriage or death certificate) are authentic.


Under the new regulation, this stamp and the bureaucratic procedures linked to it will no longer be required when presenting public documents issued in one EU country to the authorities of another EU country. Under the new rules, citizens are also no longer required to provide a sworn/official translation of their public document in many cases. At the same time, the regulation foresees strong safeguards to prevent fraud.


“This is excellent news for citizens who live or want to live in another EU country,” said Vra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers, and Gender Equality.


As from this week “there will be no more costly and time-consuming bureaucratic procedures for citizens who need to present a public document to get married or start a job in the country they live in. It will make the daily lives of people living and working in another EU country easier and cheaper”, said the EU Commissioner.


The new rules cover public documents, such as birth, marriage, or the absence of a criminal record and also abolishes the obligation for citizens to provide in all cases a certified copy and a certified translation of their public documents.


Citizens can request a multilingual standard form, available in all EU languages, to present as a translation aid attached to their public document to avoid translation requirements.


The regulation sets safeguards against fraud: if a receiving authority has reasonable doubts about the authenticity of a public document, it will be able to check its authenticity with the issuing authority in the other EU country through an existing IT platform, the Internal Market Information System (IMI).


The regulation deals only with the authenticity of public documents, so Member States will continue to apply their national rules concerning the recognition of the content and effects of a public document issued in another Union country.


Around 17 million EU citizens live in another EU country than their own. Around two million citizens are cross-border daily commuters who work or study in one country but live in another.