What are they for?
A Swiss authority cannot check every foreign signature or stamp itself. An apostille or legalisation confirms that the document was issued by a competent authority of the country of origin.
The apostille
The apostille comes from the 1961 Hague Convention. Between countries that apply it, a single certificate, the apostille, is enough. It is issued by a designated authority in the country that produced the document.
Legalisation
For countries that do not apply the convention, a multi-step legalisation is usually needed, often involving authorities of the country of origin and then a consular mission. The exact procedure depends on the country.
And the translation?
The translator issues neither apostilles nor legalisations. In practice you first obtain the document with its apostille or legalisation, then have everything translated.
Each Swiss authority sets its own requirements: always ask whether it wants an apostille, a legalisation, a certified translation, or several of these.
These guides give general guidance. The precise requirements are always set by the authority handling your request.