Just What is an Apostille Anyway?

So you are getting ready to move or study abroad or have a business connection abroad and you are suddenly told that all your documents that need to be submitted for this will need an Apostille certificate attached. So just what is an Apostille anyway and why is it needed?

The put it simply, an Apostille is certificate issued by the various offices of Secretary of States for the 50 states or the U.S. State Department, that verify the authority of the notary or government official who signature appears on the document.

Before the Hague Convention of 1962, when an individual sought to have their documents approved for use abroad, they would have to present their documents to the various consulates or embassies of the country they were to transact business with. It was a long and tedious process and normally required a lot of expense and several days to complete. The Hague Convention of 1962 established the Apostille certification wherein the various Secretary of States could certify the authenticity of the document, eliminating the need to certify through the consulate or embassy. It made life much simpler for people moving abroad or conducting business abroad.

A question that comes up often is, "Does every country recognize an Apostille certification?" The answer is no. Currently, there a 115 countries that recognize the Apostille certification. A majority of these are in Europe, North and South America and the Far East. A majority of African and Middle Eastern Countries are not signatories to this agreement and, unfortunately, use the old process. of getting a document certified. If you are not sure which countries accept the Apostille, you can always call us at (888) 569-5995 to check or click on the link above.