An apostille (french for certification) is a unique seal applied by a government authority to certify that a document is a true copy of an original.
Apostilles are out there in nations, which signed the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization of Foreign Public Documents, popularly identified as The Hague Convention. This convention replaces the previously made use of time-consuming chain certification approach, exactly where you had to go to 4 diverse authorities to get a document certified. The Hague Convention supplies for the simplified certification of public (including notarized) documents to be employed in countries and territories that have joined the convention.
Documents destined for use in participating nations and their territories must be certified by one of the officials in the jurisdiction in which the document has been executed. With this certification by the Hague Convention Apostille, the document is entitled to recognition in the nation of intended use, and no certification by the U.S. Division of State, Authentications Office or legalization by the embassy or consulate is necessary.
Note, while the apostille is an official certification that the document is a correct copy of the original, it does not certify that the original document’s content is appropriate.
Why Do You Need an Apostille?
An apostille can be used whenever a copy of an official document from yet another country is necessary. For instance for opening a bank account in the foreign country in the name of your enterprise or for registering your U.S. enterprise with foreign government authorities or even when proof of existence of a U.S. firm is necessary to enter in to a contract abroad. In all of these situations an American document, even a copy certified for use in the U.S., will not be acceptable. An apostille have to be attached to the U.S. document to authenticate that document for use in Hague Convention nations.
Who Can Get an Apostille?
Considering that October 15, 1981, the United States has been part of the 1961 Hague Convention abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. Everyone who requirements to use a U.S. public document (such as Articles of Organization or Incorporation issued by a Secretary of State) in 1 of the Hague Convention nations may request and acquire an apostille for that particular nation.
How to Get an Apostille?
Obtaining apostille services victoria can be a complex process. In most American states, the procedure entails acquiring an original, certified copy of the document you seek to confirm with an apostille from the issuing agency and then forwarding it to a Secretary of State (or equivalent) of the state in query with a request for apostille.
Countries That Accept Apostille
All members of the Hague Convention recognise apostille.
Countries Not Accepting Apostille
In countries which are not signatories to the 1961 convention and do not recognize the apostille, a foreign public document must be legalized by a consular officer in the country which issued the document. In lieu of an apostille, documents in the U.S. usually will acquire a Certificate of Authentication.
Legalization is typically accomplished by sending a certified copy of the document to U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., for authentication, and then legalizing the authenticated copy with the consular authority for the nation where the document is intended to be used.