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 Apostilles 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 legalization for foreign public documents. The Convention reduces all of the formalities of legalization 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 121 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: December 2022

Pakistan will join the Hague Apostille Convention on March 9, 2023.
Senegal will join the Hague Apostille Convention on March 23, 2023.

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 Pakistan (March 9, 2023)
Cape Verde Panama
Chile Paraguay
Colombia Peru
Cook Islands Philippines
Costa Rica Poland
Croatia Portugal
Cyprus Romania
Czech Republic Russia
Denmark Saint Kitts and Nevis
Dominica Saint Lucia
Dominican Republic Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Ecuador Samoa
El Salvador San Marino
Estonia Sao Tome and Principe
Fiji Saudi Arabia
Finland Senegal (March 23, 2023)
France Serbia
Georgia Seychelles
Germany Singapore
Greece Slovakia
Grenada Slovenia
Guatemala South Africa
Honduras South Korea
Hong Kong Spain
Hungary Suriname
Iceland Swaziland
India Sweden
Indonesia Switzerland
Ireland Tajikistan
Israel Tonga
Italy Trinidad and Tobago
Jamaica Tunisia
Japan Turkey
Kosovo Ukraine
Kazakhstan United Kingdom (UK)
Kyrgyzstan United States (USA)
Latvia Uruguay
Lesotho Uzbekistan
Liberia Vanuatu
Liechtenstein Venezuela
Lithuania

The following 55 countries listed below are not members of the Hague Apostille Convention.   Documents requested by these countries will require several steps to complete (legalization process).  These steps include State certification, US Department of State certification, and Embassy or Consulate legalization.  This three-step process is commonly known as the “Legalization Process”.

List Updated: December 2022

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

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

Please call us for the most up to date processing time and availability!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Star Excellent Service

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

Hague Apostille Member Countries
Hague Apostille Member Countries

USA Apostille
USA Apostille

Embassy Consulate Legalization
Embassy Consulate Legalization

Our Offices
Our Offices

Translation Services
Translation Services

Passport Services
Passport Services

 Type of Documents
Type of Documents

Download Our Order Forms
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Send us a quick message…

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

Recent Blog Posts:

  • Certificate of Nonexistence of Record Apostille
  • Certificate of No Impediment for Marriage and Apostille
  • Spain Golden Visa and Apostille
  • Portugal Golden Visa Apostille
  • Power of Attorney Apostille for the Philippines
  • Single Status for Vietnam
  • Marriage Certificate Attestation and Legalization for Qatar
  • Thailand Single Status Affidavit
  • Work Verification Apostille
  • Saudi Arabia Apostille

Tags

Apostille FBI Background Check Apostille for India Apostille for Spain Birth Certificate Apostille Car Title Apostille Certificate of Naturalization Apostille Certificate of No Impediment for Marriage China Embassy Attestation China Embassy Certification China Embassy Legalization DC Apostille Death Certificate Apostille Degree Apostille Diploma Apostille Divorce Decree Apostille Dual Citizenship Apostille FBI Apostille FBI Apostille for South Korea FBI Apostille for Spain FBI Background Check Apostille Form DS 4194 India Apostille IRS Apostille IRS Form 6166 Apostille Marriage Certificate Apostille Medical Letter Apostille Motorcycle Title Apostille New York Apostille No Impediment for Marriage Apostille Office of Authentications Apostille Passport 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 Wedding Certificate Apostille Work Verification Apostille

Do you have a question or comment?  Please complete the form below…
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

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Star Excellent Service

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

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  • Apostille Services Near Me
  • Download Our Order Forms
  • Embassy / Consulate Legalization
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  • Hague Apostille Countries
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  • USA Apostille

Recent Blog Posts:

  • Certificate of Nonexistence of Record Apostille
  • Certificate of No Impediment for Marriage and Apostille
  • Spain Golden Visa and Apostille

Recent Blog Post

Certificate of Nonexistence of Record Apostille

February 2, 2023

Do you need to apostille your Certificate of Nonexistence of Record issued by Homeland Security (USCIS)? A Certificate of Nonexistence of Record is a document issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that … [Read More...]

Certificate of No Impediment for Marriage and Apostille

January 31, 2023

Do you need to apostille your Certificate of No Impediment for Marriage? A Certificate of No Impediment for Marriage (also known as a “Single Status” or “Certificate of No Record of Marriage”) is a legal document issued by … [Read More...]

Documents We Process:

  • Birth Certificates
  • Marriage Certificates
  • Death Certificates
  • Divorce Decree
  • Single Status
  • Background Checks
  • Power of Attorney
  • Transcripts
  • Diplomas
  • Passports
  • US Federal Documents
  • 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

Please call us for the most up to date processing time and availability!

Office Hours:
Monday – Saturday 9am – 6pm

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

         

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Star Excellent Service

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