An apostille (french for certification) is a unique seal applied by a government authority to certify that a document is a true copy of an original.
Apostilles are readily available in countries, which signed the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization of Foreign Public Documents, popularly identified as The Hague Convention. This convention replaces the previously used time-consuming chain certification process, where you had to go to 4 different authorities to get a document certified. The Hague Convention supplies for the simplified certification of public (such as notarized) documents to be utilised in countries and territories that have joined the convention.
Documents destined for use in participating nations and their territories ought to be certified by a single of the officials in the jurisdiction in which the document has been executed. With this certification by the Hague Convention Apostille, the document is entitled to recognition in the country of intended use, and no certification by the U.S. Department of State, Authentications Office or legalization by the embassy or consulate is essential.
Note, when the apostille is an official certification that the document is a accurate copy of the original, it does not certify that the original document’s content material is correct.
Why Do You Want an Apostille?
An apostille can be made use of anytime a copy of an official document from one more country is necessary. For example for opening a bank account in the foreign nation in the name of your firm or for registering your U.S. corporation with foreign government authorities or even when proof of existence of a U.S. corporation is expected to enter in to a contract abroad. In all of these cases an American document, even a copy certified for use in the U.S., will not be acceptable. An apostille have to be attached to the U.S. document to authenticate that document for use in Hague Convention nations.
Who Can Get an Apostille?
Since apostille service in tx , 1981, the United States has been part of the 1961 Hague Convention abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. Any person who desires to use a U.S. public document (such as Articles of Organization or Incorporation issued by a Secretary of State) in a single of the Hague Convention countries may perhaps request and get an apostille for that distinct country.
How to Get an Apostille?
Getting an apostille can be a complicated process. In most American states, the process entails acquiring an original, certified copy of the document you seek to confirm with an apostille from the issuing agency and then forwarding it to a Secretary of State (or equivalent) of the state in query with a request for apostille.
Countries That Accept Apostille
All members of the Hague Convention recognise apostille.
Nations Not Accepting Apostille
In nations which are not signatories to the 1961 convention and do not recognize the apostille, a foreign public document ought to be legalized by a consular officer in the nation which issued the document. In lieu of an apostille, documents in the U.S. normally will acquire a Certificate of Authentication.
Legalization is generally achieved by sending a certified copy of the document to U.S. Division of State in Washington, D.C., for authentication, and then legalizing the authenticated copy with the consular authority for the nation where the document is intended to be utilised.