International Apostille

International Apostille is the #1 apostille service provider in the USA.

International Apostille
Customer Support: 1-888-810-4054
Int’l Callers: 1-771-888-1448
Monday – Saturday 8am to 7pm
support@internationalapostille.com
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You are here: Home / What is an apostille?

What is an apostille?

An Apostille (pronounced “ah-po-steel”) is a French word meaning certification.

An Apostille is simply the name for a specialized certificate, issued by the Secretary of State. The Apostille is attached to your original document to verify it is legitimate and authentic so it will be accepted in one of the countries who are members of the Hague Apostille Convention.

In the United States, all 50 states and the Federal Government (US Department of State – Office of Authentication) can issue an Apostille.

In 1961, many countries joined together to create a simplified method of “legalizing” documents for universal recognition. Members of the conference, referred to as the Hague Convention, adopted a document referred to as an Apostille that would be recognized by all member countries.

Since October 15, 1981, the United States has been part of the 1961 Hague Convention abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents.
The Apostille Convention provides the simplified certification of public (including notarized) documents to be used in countries that have joined the convention. Documents destined for use in participating countries and their territories should be certified by one of the officials in the jurisdiction in which the document has been executed.

The Apostille Convention requires that all Apostille’s be numbered consecutively, with individual numbers applied to each Apostille issued. The recognized standard Apostille contains a seal and 10 mandatory references: name of country from which the document emanates, name of person signing the document, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted, in the case of unsigned documents, the name of the authority that has affixed the seal or stamp, place of certification date of certification, the authority issuing the certificate, number of certificate, seal or stamp of authority issuing certificate and signature of authority issuing certificate.

Prior to the introduction of Apostille certificates the burden on international courts and authorities to judge foreign documents as authentic was quite considerable. On the October 5, 1961 the Hague Convention abolished the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents. The Convention reduces all of the formalities of legalisation to the simple delivery of a certificate in a prescribed form, entitled “Apostille”, by the authorities of the State where the document originates. This certificate, placed on the document, is dated, numbered and registered. The verification of its registration can be carried out without difficulty by means of a simple request for information addressed to the authority which delivered the certificate.

The following 117 countries are members of the Hague Apostille Convention.  Documents destined for these countries only require an apostille from the Secretary of State.  To begin, click on the country that is requesting your documents.

List Updated: December 2018

Albania Luxembourg
Andorra Macau
Antigua and Barbuda Macedonia
Argentina Malawi
Armenia Malta
Australia Marshall Islands
Austria Mauritius
Azerbaijan Mexico
Bahamas Moldova
Bahrain Monaco
Barbados Mongolia
Belarus Montenegro
Belgium Morocco
Belize Namibia
Bolivia Netherlands
Bosnia and Herzegovina New Zealand
Botswana Nicaragua
Brazil Niue
Brunei Norway
Bulgaria Oman
Burundi Panama
Cape Verde Paraguay
Chile Peru
Colombia Philippines
Cook Islands Poland
Costa Rica Portugal
Croatia Romania
Cyprus Russia
Czech Republic Saint Kitts and Nevis
Denmark Saint Lucia
Dominica Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Dominican Republic Samoa
Ecuador San Marino
El Salvador  Sao Tome and Principe
Estonia Serbia
Fiji Seychelles
Finland Slovakia
France Slovenia
Georgia South Africa
Germany South Korea
Greece Spain
Grenada Suriname
Guatemala Swaziland
Honduras Sweden
Hong Kong Switzerland
Hungary Tajikistan
Iceland Tonga
India Trinidad and Tobago
Ireland Tunisia
Israel Turkey
Italy Ukraine
Japan United Kingdom (UK)
Kosovo United States
Kazakhstan Uruguay
Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan
Latvia  Vanuatu
Lesotho Venezuela
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania

The following countries listed below are not members of the Hague Apostille Convention and any document requested by these countries will receive a certification. Please note that some of the countries listed below may require additional legalization by a Consulate or Embassy office.

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burma Myanmar, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, China, Congo Republic, Congo Democratic, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar Burma, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, Thailand, Turkmenistan, UAE (United Arab Emirates), Uganda, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

What US State are your documents from?

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY DC

International Apostille is the leader in document Authentication, Certification, Apostille, & Embassy or Consulate Legalization.

We provide fast document authentication services through all 50 U.S. States, the Secretary of D.C., and the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

We are a registered service provider with the Secretary of State - Authentications, Apostilles, and Certificates.

Let us take this important, complicated, and time-consuming process off your hands. Our staff is available Monday - Saturday from 8am to 7pm to answer your questions.

Our offices are strategically located in the following areas: Washington State, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Washington, D.C., and New York.

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5 Star Excellent Service

Customer Support: 1-888-810-4054
Int’l Callers: 1-771-888-1448
support@internationalapostille.com
Monday – Saturday 8am to 7pm
Se Habla Español

         

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International Apostille is the leader in document Authentication, Certification, Apostille, & Embassy or Consulate Legalization.

We provide fast document authentication services through all 50 U.S. States, the Secretary of D.C., and the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

We are a registered service provider with the Secretary of State – Authentications, Apostilles, and Certificates.

Let us take this important, complicated, and time-consuming process off your hands. Our staff is available Monday – Saturday from 8am to 7pm to answer your questions.

Our offices are strategically located in the following areas: Washington State, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Washington, D.C., and New York.

Customer Support: 1-888-810-4054
Int’l Callers: 1-771-888-1448
support@internationalapostille.com
Monday – Saturday 8am to 7pm
Se Habla Español

         

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Star Excellent Service

Links:

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  • Apostille Translation of Documents
  • Hague Apostille Countries
  • How to Apostille
  • Order Forms
  • Our Offices
  • Press Release
  • Terms of Service and Conditions
  • Translation Services
  • United States Apostille
  • US Embassy Apostille

Recent Articles:

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Our Nine Offices:

International Apostille – Washington State
1-206-821-1898
Washington@internationalapostille.com

International Apostille – California Los Angeles
1-323-994-2868
LosAngeles@internationalapostille.com

International Apostille – California San Francisco
1-415-651-8988
SanFrancisco@internationalapostille.com

International Apostille – Washington D.C.
1-771-888-1448
WashingtonDC@internationalapostille.com

International Apostille – New York
1-646-337-1568
NewYork@internationalapostille.com

International Apostille – Florida
1-786-809-3278
Florida@internationalapostille.com

International Apostille – Illinois
1-872-813-4688
Illinois@internationalapostille.com

International Apostille – Colorado
1-720-386-8568
Colorado@internationalapostille.com

International Apostille – Texas
1-737-284-9758
Texas@internationalapostille.com

International Apostille is the leader in document Authentication, Certification, Apostille, & Embassy or Consulate Legalization.

We provide fast document authentication services through all 50 U.S. States, the Secretary of D.C., and the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

We are a registered service provider with the Secretary of State - Authentications, Apostilles, and Certificates.

Let us take this important, complicated, and time-consuming process off your hands. Our staff is available Monday - Saturday from 8am to 7pm to answer your questions.

Our offices are strategically located in the following areas: Washington State, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Washington, D.C., and New York.

Customer Support: 1-888-810-4054
Int’l Callers: 1-771-888-1448
support@internationalapostille.com
Monday – Saturday 8am to 7pm
Se Habla Español

         

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Star Excellent Service

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