An apostille is a certificate issued by the State or Federal government that verifies the authenticity of a notarized document so it can be legally recognized in another country that is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention (1961).

The Hague Apostille Convention is an international treaty established in 1961, and simplifies the process of authenticating public documents for use in foreign countries. The Convention only applies if both countries are parties. A current list of participating countries is available on the Hague Conference website. The Apostille process applies to public documents such as birth, marriage, and death certificates, court judgments, patents, notarial acts, academic diplomas, power of attorney, adoption papers, FBI background checks, naturalization certificates, VA Benefit letters, etc..

Why Apostille?

When do you need an Embassy or Consulate Legalization instead of an Apostille?

When your documents are being used in a country that does not accept an apostille (they are not members of the Hague Apostille Convention), they may require embassy or consular legalization. This process verifies the authenticity of a U.S. document through the required state and/or federal authentication steps before it is submitted to the appropriate foreign embassy or consulate for legalization.