Apostille

Need to Send Public Documents to a Foreign Country?

You will first need to certify the documents and show proof that the certification and any seals are legal and valid if you plan to use or transfer them overseas.

Certification of documents for foreign use typically follows one of two paths:

  1. Between countries party to The Hague Convention*, documents can be certified through a streamlined process known as apostille (pronounced “ah-pa-steel”).
  2. In countries that are not party to the Hague Convention, which require apostille certificates, documents must undergo a more involved process known as authentication and legalization of documents.

In both cases, government agencies must review the notary acknowledgments or signatures on the documents in question. In the U.S., offices of county clerks, secretaries of state or equivalent state filing offices, and even some courts, may be involved in the certification process. Documents that require legalization are routed for certification by the U.S. State Department’s Office of Authentications before continuing on to the embassy or consulate of the country of intent.

* What is the Hague Convention?

Prior to 1961, the process of legalizing foreign public documents was exceptionally cumbersome and complicated. Thanks to The Hague Apostille Convention of 1961, a more streamlined, simpler method was agreed upon and established between 110 participating countries. In accordance with this international treaty, your public documents should be accepted by the county of use with only an apostille, as long both countries (of document issue and document use) are party to The Hague Convention (Member Country List) and the apostille was issued by the appropriate Authority.

Apostille vs. Authentication?

There are two main ways to provide proof that a documents’ certification and any seals are legal and valid: Apostille and Authentication.

An Apostille is a certificate (a piece of paper), often attached to a document, that validates the document for use outside the United States. There is a distinct process for how to obtain an apostille. First, a competent authority in the country of origin affixes its seal to the document (or a certified copy of it). In the U.S., competent authorities include the Secretary of State or equivalent in U.S. states and the District of Columbia, the clerks and deputy clerks of U.S. federal courts, and the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications. Once a document is fixed with an apostille, it is acceptable for use in the foreign jurisdiction. Note, though, that for an apostille to be accepted, the document must have been issued in one country party to the Hague Convention for use in another country party to the Hague Convention.

Apostilles At-A-Glance*

(*Applies Only When Both Country of Document Issue and Country of Document Use Are Party to The Hague Apostille Convention.)

Document Issued by Common Types of Documents Competent Authority/Apostille Issuing Agent
State documents, including documents executed before notaries Any public documents issued by U.S. states, the District of Columbia and other U.S. jurisdictions. State Secretary of State
U.S. (Federal) courts Any documents issued by those courts U.S. (Federal) courts or as alternative: U.S. Department of Justice may authenticate the seal of the Federal court and the US Department of State will then place an apostille over that seal
U.S. Federal Agencies (e.g., Department of Homeland Security, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Agriculture, Patent and Trademark Office, Environmental Protection Agency) U.S.D.A. Animal/Plant Certifications and Animal Health Certifications, FBI Police Certificates (Background Checks), FDA Certificates for Products for Export/Certificates of Free Sale, IRS U.S. Residency Certificates U.S. Department of State

The Hague Apostille Convention Member Countries

The following 116 countries are members of The Hague Apostille Convention and will require an Apostille from the Secretary of the State or the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC.

This list was last revised on August, 2018.

Albania
Andorra
Antigua and BarbudaGuatemala
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Bolivia
Bosnia and HerzegovinaLatvia
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burundi
Cape Verde
Chile
Colombia
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominica
Dominican RepublicMontenegro
Ecuador
El Salvador
Estonia
Fiji
Finland

France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Grenada
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kosovo
Kyrgyzstan
Lesotho
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia
Malawi
Malta
Marshall IslandsTajikistan
Mauritius
Mexico
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Morocco
Namibia
Netherlands
New ZealandVanuatu
Nicaragua

Niue
Norway
Oman
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Serbia
Seychelles
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Venezuela

The following countries are not members of the Apostille Convention and any document requested by these countries will receive a certification. Please note that some of the countries listed below may require additional legalization by a Consulate or Embassy office.

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burma Myanmar, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Congo Republic, Congo Democratic, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar Burma, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, Thailand, Turkmenistan, UAE (United Arab Emirates), Uganda, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

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More information on The Hague Apostille Convention and its Member Countries can be found on the website for The Hague Conference on Private International Law, a global inter-governmental organization at: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/full-text/?cid=41

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