Apostille Services

The leader in apostille services in the US

USA Apostille, Inc.
Customer Support: 1-800-850-3441
Int’l Callers: 1-202-894-6554
Monday – Saturday 9am to 6pm
support@apostilleservices.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.

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

List Updated: May 2019

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 (USA)
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 the countries listed below will 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, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar Burma, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, Thailand, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Uganda, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

We can process documents issued from all 50 U.S. states, District of Columbia, and the U.S. Federal Government. 

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

USA Apostille, Inc.

USA Apostille, Inc. is the leader in U.S. document authentications. We can process documents issued from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Federal Government.

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

Office Hours:
Monday – Saturday 9am – 6pm

Toll-Free: 1-800-850-3441
Int’l Callers: 1-202-894-6554
support@apostilleservices.com

         

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Hague Apostille Member Countries
Hague Apostille Member Countries

USA Apostille
USA Apostille

Embassy Consulate Legalization
Embassy Consulate Legalization

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 Type of Documents
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Recent Blog Posts:

  • Certificate to Pharmaceutical Product Apostille – CPP
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Apostille FBI Background Check Apostille for India Apostille for Spain Apostille New York Canada Embassy Attestation Canada Embassy Certification Canada Embassy Legalization Car Title Apostille Certificate of Naturalization Apostille China Embassy Attestation China Embassy Certification China Embassy Legalization Cuba Embassy Legalization DC Apostille Death Certificate Apostille Diploma Apostille Divorce Decree Apostille FBI Apostille FBI Apostille for Italy FBI Apostille for Spain FBI Background Check Apostille Form DS 4194 GED Diploma Apostille India Apostille IRS Apostille IRS Form 6166 Apostille Kuwait Embassy Legalization Kuwait Embassy Washington DC Marriage Certificate Apostille Motorcycle Title Apostille New York Apostille No Impediment for Marriage Apostille Office of Authentications Apostille POA Apostille Power of Attorney Apostille Single Status Affidavit Apostille Single Status Apostille Social Security Apostille Spain Apostille SSA Apostille Travel Consent Letter Apostille Truck Title Apostille US Department of State Apostille US Embassy Apostille Washington DC Apostille

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To check the status of a preexisting order, click here.

USA Apostille, Inc. is the leader in U.S. document authentications. We can process documents issued from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Federal Government.

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

Office Hours:
Monday – Saturday 9am – 6pm

Toll-Free: 1-800-850-3441
Int’l Callers: 1-202-894-6554
support@apostilleservices.com

         


Free FedEx Return Shipping

Bookmarks

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  • Embassy / Consulate Legalization
  • Hague Apostille Countries
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  • USA Apostille

Recent Blog Posts:

  • Certificate to Pharmaceutical Product Apostille – CPP
  • Passport Apostille
  • Car Title Apostille

Recent Blog Post

Certificate to Pharmaceutical Product Apostille – CPP

December 28, 2020

Do you need an apostille on a Certificate to Pharmaceutical Product (CPP)? The United States Food and drug Administration (FDA) issues Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product (CPP) that can be used in countries who are members … [Read More...]

Passport Apostille

December 22, 2020

Do you need to apostille a passport? At USA Apostille, Inc., we take the guesswork out of obtaining an apostille on your passport. We can apostille any passport (Example: USA, India, UK, Russia, China, etc...) signed and … [Read More...]

Documents We Process:

  • Birth Certificates
  • Marriage Certificates
  • Death Certificates
  • Divorce Decree
  • Single Status
  • Background Checks
  • Power of Attorney
  • Transcripts
  • Diplomas
  • Passports
  • and more!

USA Apostille, Inc.

USA Apostille, Inc. is the leader in U.S. document authentications. We can process documents issued from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Federal Government.

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

Office Hours:
Monday – Saturday 9am – 6pm

Toll-Free: 1-800-850-3441
Int’l Callers: 1-202-894-6554
support@apostilleservices.com

         

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