FAQ

An apostille is a certificate that authenticates the validity of a public document (e.g., birth, marriage, or death certificate, judgment, extract from the register, notarial certification). Apostilles can only be issued for documents originating in a country that has signed the convention and are intended for use in another country that is also a signatory to the convention. 

An apostille may not be required if the laws, regulations, or practices in the country where the public document is to be used have abolished or simplified the requirements for apostilles or have exempted the document from any legalization requirements. Such simplification or exemption may also result from an agreement or other convention in force between the country where the public document is to be used and the country that issued it (e.g., some other Hague Conventions exempt documents from legalization or similar formalities, including the apostille). 

The Apostille Convention applies only if it has been signed by both the country in which the public document was issued and the country in which the public document is to be used. 

The Convention applies only to public documents. Whether a document is considered a public document is determined by the law of the country in which the document was issued. Countries generally apply the convention to a wide range of documents. Most apostilles are issued for administrative documents, including birth, marriage, and death certificates; documents originating from an authority or officials associated with a court, tribunal, or commission; extracts from commercial registers and other registers; patents; notarial acts and notarially certified signatures; school, university, and other academic diplomas issued by public institutions. The Convention also excludes certain administrative documents related to commercial or customs operations from its scope. 

Each country that has signed the Apostille Convention must designate one or more authorities that are authorized to issue apostilles. These authorities are called Competent Authorities and only they can issue apostilles. Some countries have designated only one competent authority. Others have designated several competent authorities to ensure that competent authorities exist in different regions of the country or because different governmental entities are responsible for different types of public documents; in some federal systems, the national government may be responsible for certain types of documents, while a state or local government that is part of it may be responsible for others. 

Before contacting the competent authority for obtaining an apostille, you should consider the following questions: 

• Does the Apostille Convention apply in both the country that issued the public document and the country where I intend to use it?
• If the country that issued the public document has designated several competent authorities, which one is the competent authority for issuing an apostille for my public document?
• Can I obtain an apostille for my public document? Is my document considered a public document under the law of the country where it was issued?
• Can I request an apostille by mail, or do I need to appear in person? This is particularly important if you live in a different country than the one that issued your public document.
• If I have multiple documents, will I need multiple apostilles?
• Are there any other documents (besides the public document) or additional information that I need to provide to obtain an apostille, such as proof of my identity or a stamped envelope in case of postal applications?
• How much does an apostille cost, and how can I pay for it?
• How long will it take to issue an apostille?

The Apostille Convention does not mention the cost of apostilles. Consequently, the cost of an apostille varies and depends on the competent authority that issues the apostille. Many competent authorities charge a fee for issuing an apostille, and prices can vary significantly. 

No. The appendix to the Apostille Convention includes a model apostille. Apostilles should conform as much as possible to this model certificate, but in practice, apostilles issued by different competent authorities vary. These differences may be in design, size, color, or other elements indicated outside the box containing the ten numbered standard information items. An apostille must, in particular: 

• be identified as an apostille, and
• contain the abbreviated version of the French title of the convention (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961), and
• include a box with ten standard information items.

An apostille may be placed directly on the public document or on a separate attached page. Apostilles may be affixed in various ways, such as by a stamp, adhesive label, seal, etc. 

An apostille only certifies the origin of the public document to which it relates: it certifies the authenticity of the signature or seal of the person or authority who signed or sealed the public document and the capacity in which they acted. An apostille does not certify the content of the public document to which it relates. An apostille must never be used for recognizing a document in the country where it was issued – apostilles are intended solely for the use of public documents abroad. 

No. An apostille issued by the competent authority is all that is needed to prove that the signature or seal on the public document is authentic and to ascertain the capacity of the authority or person who signed or sealed the public document. 

Apostilles issued in accordance with the requirements of the convention must be recognized in the country where they are to be used. Apostilles may be refused only if: 

• their origin cannot be verified (i.e., if the details on the apostille do not match the records held by the competent authority that allegedly issued the apostille), or
• their formal elements differ radically from the model certificate annexed to the convention.

An “apostille” issued by a country that has not signed the convention must be rejected in all other states as its issuance contravenes the convention.