Document legalisation and apostille, for foreign founders
Your documents, certified the way Kigali accepts them
We run the certification chain for your Rwandan file from your own country: apostille where the Convention works, full legalisation where it does not, and certified translations of the finished set. You end up with a complete, accepted document file ready for the Registrar General, the bank and the immigration service.
- The correct route for each document, confirmed before anything is signed
- Notary, apostille or legalisation, translation and courier run in sequence
- Two certified sets: one for the Registrar, one for the bank
Scope
What we do for you
The filing in Kigali takes hours once the file is complete. These are the tasks that make it complete.
- Ownership chart and document listWe map every layer between you and the Rwandan company up to the natural persons holding 25% or more, and list the documents each layer needs.
- Route per documentThe Convention follows the document. A Luxembourg register extract takes an apostille; a German notarial deed signed by the same founder needs legalisation. We decide document by document.
- Drafting in EnglishPowers of attorney, director consents and a short shareholder resolution, with names exactly as in passports and the signatory's capacity stated for the notary.
- Apostille where it worksRwanda has applied the Hague Apostille Convention since 05/06/2024. For Spain, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Russia, Kazakhstan and most other parties, one apostille from the competent authority replaces embassy legalisation.
- Legalisation for GermanyGermany objected to Rwanda's accession on 28/03/2024. We run the German chain: Vorbeglaubigung at the Landgericht or Land authority, Endbeglaubigung by the Bundesamt für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten (BfAA), then the Embassy of Rwanda in Berlin through IremboGov.
- UAE and Qatar legalisation chainNeither state is a party to the Convention. Documents go through a notary or the issuing authority, attestation by the foreign ministry, then the Rwandan embassy accredited to the country. For the UAE that is the embassy in Abu Dhabi, with a consulate in Dubai.
- Certified translationsEvery page in English, including stamps, seals and the apostille, made from the fully certified original. Transliteration checked against passports.
- IremboGov legalisationFor documents from non-Convention countries, we file the Rwandan legalisation on IremboGov, the government services portal. The result is an e-certificate with a QR code.
- Scan check and courierWe check scans before the originals leave your country, then send them to our licensed partners in Kigali, who file with the Office of the Registrar General.
Sources: HCCH, Apostille Convention status table (accessed October 2026); Netherlands Treaty Database (German objection of 28/03/2024); Auswärtiges Amt, FAQ on Endbeglaubigung (BfAA since 01/01/2023); Embassy of Rwanda in the UAE; ORG beneficial ownership guidelines (March 2023).
Process
How it works
Four steps from your list of documents to a filing in Kigali. Week ranges are Voixa planning allowances; the only published official times are IremboGov's 3 days and the Registrar's 6 hours.
- Within 2 working days
Route map and quote
You send the ownership chart and the documents you hold. We return the route for each document, the offices involved, the government fees and our fixed fee.
- About 1 week
Wording and signing
We prepare the texts in English. You sign before a notary at home, or at the Rwandan embassy where that saves a step. One notary appointment per country.
- 1 to 2 weeks, or 6 to 10 in all for Germany
Certification chain
Apostille, or the full legalisation chain. A German file takes six to ten weeks before filing, against three to five for an apostille country.
- About 2 weeks, then 6 hours
Translation, courier, filing
Certified translation of the finished set, scan check, courier to Kigali. The Registrar General registers a complete file within 6 hours.
Sources: IremboGov support, legalisation of public documents from abroad (USD 15, 3 days; accessed October 2026); Office of the Registrar General, registration FAQ (6 hours once complete); HCCH status table; DGIE investor permit requirements (migration.gov.rw).
Who stands behind it
A European desk that knows both ends of the chain
Voixa Rwanda is a brand of Voixa Consultors S.L., Barcelona. The founder's firm, BCA Unternehmensberatung, has its base in Stuttgart, so German notaries, Landgerichte and federal offices are familiar ground. Russian and Kazakh documents are read in the original by advisers who work in Russian. In Kigali, our licensed partners receive the originals and file online with the Office of the Registrar General, part of RDB in Gasabo District. The result is your Rwandan isosiyete (company) and its registration icyemezo (certificate).
Translate after certifying. A translation of the bare document, ordered early to save time, is usually sent back because it does not cover the apostille or the legalisation stamps. And ask for two certified sets at once: Kigali banks run their own due diligence and rarely work from the copy filed with the Registrar.
Compare
Doing it yourself, or with us
Many founders can obtain an apostille alone. The difficulty is knowing which certificate Rwanda needs and in which order.
| Task | On your own | With Voixa |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing the route | Both Germany and Rwanda appear in the status table, so a German apostille looks right. It has no effect in Rwanda. | Route checked against the HCCH table before each file, because objections can be withdrawn. |
| German chain | Three or four offices, each looking for the previous stamp; filing IremboGov before the BfAA step causes a second appointment. | Sequenced and tracked from notary to embassy. |
| UAE or Qatar documents | Attestation and embassy steps on separate timetables; free zone and mainland documents differ. | Chain planned in sequence, including the certificate of incumbency where it helps. |
| Several ownership layers | A missing intermediate holding is often found after the apostilles return. | Chart drawn first; every layer certified in one round. |
| Translations | Partial translations, or names transliterated differently from the passport. | Full-set translations checked line by line against passports. |
| Accepted form in Kigali | The Registrar's checklist still says "notarised"; banks add their own standard. | Accepted form confirmed for your country before you sign. |
Sources: HCCH status table (accessed October 2026); ORG registration requirements; IremboGov support (accessed October 2026).
Fit
Who this is for
Three illustrative profiles. The route depends on where each document was issued, whatever the signatory's nationality.
A German GmbH investing in Kigali
Handelsregisterauszug, Gesellschafterliste and a resolution through the German chain, with the power of attorney signed at the embassy in Berlin.
Read the German guide → IshoramariA Gulf-based group with a UAE holding
Trade licence, memorandum and incumbency certificate legalised through UAE attestation and the Rwandan embassy in Abu Dhabi.
Read the documents guide → IsosiyeteA founder living in Spain with Russian documents
Two countries, two apostille routes: Spanish notarial acts and a Russian EGRUL extract, each certified where it was issued and translated in full.
Read the registration guide →| Issuing country | Route | What we add |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | Legalisation | Landgericht or Land pre-certification, BfAA, Embassy of Rwanda in Berlin via IremboGov |
| UAE, Qatar | Legalisation | Foreign ministry attestation, Rwandan embassy, Arabic translated |
| Spain, Italy, France | Apostille | Notarial or judicial channel per document; French translation need confirmed with the Registrar |
| Russia, Kazakhstan | Apostille | Every page translated, stamps included; exact transliteration |
Sources: HCCH status table, competent authorities (accessed October 2026); Embassy of Rwanda in Germany; Embassy of Rwanda in the UAE; GTAI, Recht kompakt Ruanda (2023) on certified translations.
FAQ
Questions before you sign
What does it cost?
Our fee is fixed and quoted in writing within two working days, per file. Government charges are shown separately, such as IremboGov's published USD 15 for legalising a foreign public document and, in Germany, EUR 25 per document published by the Landgericht Berlin II and the Bavarian Landgerichte. Notary and translator fees in your country are set by them and listed in the quote.
How long will it take?
Our planning allowance is three to five weeks before filing for an apostille country and six to ten weeks for Germany. UAE and Qatar chains depend on the attestation authority's timetable. Chains for different documents run in parallel, so the longest one sets the date.
Do I have to travel to Kigali?
No. You sign at home before a notary, or at a Rwandan embassy, and our licensed partners in Kigali file under your power of attorney. A visit helps later for the bank or a permit.
What if Kigali rejects a document?
The common reasons are a stale extract, the wrong certificate, a name mismatch, a copy instead of an original and a partial translation. We check scans against that list before originals travel. If a document still comes back, we tell you why in writing and re-run only the step that failed.
Can the German objection change?
Yes. Germany has withdrawn objections for other states, most recently Azerbaijan in March 2026. As of October 2026 none is recorded for Rwanda. We check the HCCH table before each German file.
Can I avoid the German chain?
Partly. A power of attorney or consent can be signed before the Rwandan embassy in Berlin, and corporate documents of an existing holding in Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria or Switzerland take an apostille there. Register printouts and the Führungszeugnis from German institutions still need the German chain.
In which language do you work?
Drafts are in English, or bilingual where a notary can certify a two-column deed. Advice is in English and Russian.
What happens after the documents are filed?
The Registrar issues the company certificate, TIN and RSSB registration together. The second certified set goes to the bank. For an investor permit, the police clearance is ordered last, because it must not be older than six months.
Sources: IremboGov support (accessed October 2026); Service Berlin 327408 and Landgericht Bayreuth (EUR 25 per document); HCCH status table (Azerbaijan withdrawal 16/03/2026); DGIE, migration.gov.rw; Office of the Registrar General.
Fixed quote
Tell us about your plan
We reply within two working days with the steps, the government fees and our fixed fee in writing.
Your enquiry
Read first
Guides behind this service
Documents required
Every document, who issues it, how it is certified, country by country.
Read more → AmasezeranoGerman documents for Rwanda
Why the apostille does not work, the four-step chain and three lawful shortcuts.
Read more → Murakaza nezaRegister a company
The full process from name to TIN, with the document stage in context.
Read more →Sources for facts on this page: HCCH, Apostille Convention status table (accessed October 2026); Netherlands Treaty Database; MINAFFET, Rwanda and the Apostille Convention; IremboGov support (accessed October 2026); Auswärtiges Amt, FAQ on legalisation and Endbeglaubigung; Embassy of Rwanda in Germany; Embassy of Rwanda in the UAE; Office of the Registrar General, registration requirements; Law N° 007/2021 of 05/02/2021 as amended by Law N° 019/2023; DGIE, migration.gov.rw.