What is an Apostille?
An apostille is a type of certification used to authenticate documents for use in foreign countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961.
In Simple Terms:
An apostille is like an international notary seal that proves a document is legitimate and can be recognized abroad.
When Do You Need an Apostille?
You typically need one when you are sending official documents (like birth certificates, marriage licenses, power of attorney, diplomas, or business documents) from one country to another for legal use.
Example:
If you’re in the United States and you need to send your college diploma to France for a job, the French authorities will require an apostille attached to the diploma to verify it’s genuine.
What Countries Use Apostille?
Countries that use apostilles are those that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961—formally known as the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents.
As of now, over 125 countries are members of the convention and accept apostilles instead of embassy or consulate legalization.
✅ Examples of Countries That Use Apostilles:
Americas
- United States
- Canada (joined in 2024, apostilles in effect as of January 2024)
- Mexico
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Chile
- Colombia
- Panama
- Peru
Europe
- United Kingdom
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Spain
- Netherlands
- Switzerland
- Poland
- Sweden
- Ukraine
Asia-Pacific
- Japan
- South Korea
- India
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Philippines
- Indonesia
- Singapore
Africa
- South Africa
- Morocco
- Tunisia
- Namibia
- Botswana
Middle East
- Israel
- Bahrain
- Oman
