So, what is an Apostille?

In the United States, Apostille (Note: Pronounced as ă-pŏs-tēēl) is a separate page which is affixed to the document. This is done with the accordance to the Hague Convention of 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents.

The need for an Apostille arises when one intends to use the document issued in one country (ie USA) in a foreign country. (Note: Apostille is only accepted by the countries which did join the Hague Convention mentioned above, the process of legalizing the documents for use in the rest of the countries will be discussed in a separate post). Obtaining an apostille can be a highly complex process. This is mainly due to the fact that legalizing a document is a chain procedure with the minimum of two steps in two separate institutions.

One may wonder ”Why do I need an Apostille? Can’t I just bring the document and use it as it is?” The answer to these and other similar questions is “No!”

There’s no way for you, in this case, to prove that the paper that you are showing to a foreign official is in fact a document and not something that you printed at home the night before. Apostille authenticates the document supporting the fact that the object in your possession is indeed a document in the country of it’s origin. Thus making it a nice an easy process for both parties (you and foreign officials).

Apostille is generally stapled to the document and should by no means be detached from it. The result may and will be the rejection of the document by foreign authorities!

Next issue with an Apostille is which type of documents can be apostilled. Best advice on this subject is to contact someone competent, but generally speaking all certified copies of vital records such as: Birth, Marriage, Death, and Divorce Certificates can be apostilles. Also, corporate documents such as Certificate of Incorporation/Formation (including Articles), Certificate of Good standing, and numerous other official documents. Some documents that you might have in your possession, even though they are original, might not be suitable for legalization.