Documents from the contracting states of the convention abolishing the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents (Hague Apostille Convention) only require certification in the form of an apostille issued by the respective national authorities.
In this context, it should be pointed out that only the foreign ministry or other qualified government offices of the respective state, not its representative in Austria (embassy), are authorized to certify documents with an apostille.
According to article 4 of the Apostille Convention, the apostille should be affixed to the original document.
Certification by apostille affects the following countries:
Albania, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cape Verde, China (special administrative areas Macau and Hong Kong only), Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Georgia, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Russian Federation, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Switzerland, Seychelles, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Swaziland, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela