Description

An apostille is a specialized certificate, authorized by the Hague Apostille Convention, specialized-sections/apostille] that authenticates the origin of a document for use in another country (outside the United States). It verifies the authenticity of the signature, seal, or stamp of the public official or notary and applies to 125 parties [link to page that has the flags and country names. See more here. 

• Purpose: It eliminates the need for further legalization or embassy eliminates the need for further legalization or embassy/consulate authentication for documents being used in countries that are party to the Hague Convention.+
• What it certifies: It certifies the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the official acted, and the identity of the seal/stamp. It does not validate the content of the document itself.
• Issuing Authority: In the U.S., apostilles are generally issued by the Secretary of State’s office of the state where the document was notarized, or by the U.S. Department of State for federal documents.
• Validity: Once issued, an apostille typically does not expire.
• Common Documents: Birth, death, and marriage certificates; educational documents; corporate instruments (Articles of incorporation, bylaws, certificates of good standing, powers of attorney); notarized documents (affidavits, certifications, copies of passports); etc.

If the destination country is not part of the Hague Convention, a more complex process called authentication or legalization is usually required instead of an apostille.  See Embassy Authentication / Legalization for more information. [link to new page to be created for Embassy Authentication / Legalization]