Why do some documents need an apostille and others need legalization?
A document may require an apostille or legalization depending on the country in which it needs to be submitted. Most countries in the world are divided into two categories. Countries that are signatories to the Hague Apostille Convention require an apostille. Countries that are not part of the Hague Apostille Convention require documents to follow the (consular) legalization process.
If I have more than one document issued by the same authority, do I need an apostille for each one?
The authorities in the country you are sending the apostilled documents to will need to specify this for you.
Where can I find out more information about Apostilles?
"The ABCs of Apostilles" (PDF) brochure provides basic information about the Apostille Convention and the Convention's operation that has been prepared by the Permanent Bureau (Secretariat) of the Hague Conference on Private International Law and is provided with the Permanent Bureau's permission.
Which countries are members of the Hague Apostille Convention?
- Albania
Andorra
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan - Bahamas
Bahrain
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burundi - Cape Verde
Chile
China, People's Republic of
(Hong Kong & Macao Only)
Colombia
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic - Denmark
Dominica
Dominican Republic - Ecuador
El Salvador
Estonia - Fiji
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana - Honduras
Hungary - Iceland
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Italy - Japan
Jamaica - Kazakhstan
Korea, Republic of
Kosovo
Kyrgyzstan - Latvia
Lesotho
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg - Malawi
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Mexico
Moldova, Republic of
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco - Namibia
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niue
North Macedonia, Republic of
Norway
Oman - Palau
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal - Romania
Russian Federation - Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Serbia
Seychelles
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland - Tajikistan
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey - Ukraine
United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
Uruguay
Uzbekistan - Vanuatu
Venezuela
When do I need an Apostille?
Apostille is needed if you intend to use an official document issued in one country in another country. Moreover, both countries must be members of The Apostille Hague Convention.
What is an apostille?
An apostille is a certificate attached to an official document (for example, a birth or marriage certificate) that certifies:
- the authenticity of the signature of the public official who signed the document,
- the capacity in which that public official acted, and
- the authenticity of the seal (or stamp) affixed to the document
The Apostille does not validate the contents of the document.
In order that a document issued in one country can be recognized in another country, that document must be legalized or authenticated. For countries that are members of The 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, this legalization process has been simplified. Under The Apostille Hague Convention, signatory countries have agreed to recognize each other's official documents if they have an Apostille.
For non-signatories, the legalization of documents is more complicated and requires that the document be authenticated by a consular official.
The word “Apostille” comes from the French verb “apostiller”, which derives from the old French word "postille" meaning “annotation,” and before it the Latin word "postilla".