What is an Apostille?

The certificate entitled “Apostille” is a simplified form of legalisation and consists in the proof of the legal status of public official who signed the act and the authenticity of the seal or stamp. Apostilles can only be issued for documents issued in one State Party of the Hague Conventions of 5 October 1961 abolishing the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents. The present Convention shall apply to public documents which have been executed in the territory of one Contracting State and which have to be produced in the territory of another Contracting State. Each Contracting State shall exempt from legalisation documents to which the present Convention applies and which have to be produced in its territory. The only formality that may be required in order to certify the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted and the identity of the seal or stamp which it bears, is the addition of the certificate, issued by the competent authority of the State from which the document emanates. This Apostille shall be placed on the document itself or on a slip of paper attached thereto called an “allonge”. It may be drawn up in the official language of the authority which issues it. The standard terms appearing therein may be in a second language also. The title “Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)” shall be in the French language. The Apostille shall be issued at the request of the person who has signed the document or of any bearer. The signature, seal and stamp on the Apostille are exempt from all certification.

Model of an Apostille

The States Parties to the Hague Convention are: Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Czech Republic, China, Hong Kong, Macao, Cyprus, Colombia, Korea (South), Croatia, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Comoros Islands, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Wallis and Futuna Islands, Martinique, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, French Polynesia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Republic of Djibouti, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Honduras, India, Ireland, Iceland, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Namibia, Niue, Norway, New Zealand, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Portuguese Territories, United Kingdom, Anguilla, Bermuda, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Guyana, Isle of Man, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Tuvalu, Kiribati, British Solomon Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Virgin Islands, Jersey, Montserrat, Southern Rhodesia, Saint Helena and Dependencies (Ascension and Tristan da Cunha), British Antarctic Territory, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, United States, South Africa, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Swaziland, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, Vanuatu, Venezuela. http://www.admin.ch