What is an apostille?
An apostille is a standardised certificate, defined by the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, that confirms the signature, the capacity of the signer and the seal on a public document. It is attached by the competent authority of the country that issued the document and makes that document acceptable in every other Convention country (130+ states) without further legalisation by an embassy. It does not certify that the content of the document is true.
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Where the word comes from
“Apostille” is French for a marginal note. The Convention was negotiated in French, and every apostille still carries the French heading “Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)”, followed by ten numbered fields in the language of the issuing country.
What an apostille looks like
It is a square certificate, stamped or printed on the document itself or on an attached page (an allonge), or issued as a signed PDF where the country offers e-apostilles. The ten fields are always the same:
- 1. Country of issue
- 2. Signed by (name of the official)
- 3. Acting in the capacity of
- 4. Bearing the seal/stamp of
- 5. Certified at (place)
- 6. Date
- 7. By (authority issuing the apostille)
- 8. Number
- 9. Seal/stamp of the authority
- 10. Signature
Which documents can be apostilled
Only public documents: documents of courts, public authorities and registries (birth, marriage and death certificates, police certificates, register extracts), notarial acts, and official certificates placed on private documents (for example a notary’s signature certification on a power of attorney or on a copy of a diploma). Private documents become eligible once a notary has certified them.
Who issues it
Each Convention state designates its competent authorities under Article 6 – a foreign ministry (India, the Philippines, Pakistan, Poland), a Secretary of State (US states), the FCDO (UK), courts or prefectures (Germany, Italy, the Netherlands), or notarial chambers (France since 2025). The document must be apostilled in the country that issued it; no other country can do it.
When you do not need one
Inside the EU, civil-status documents and police certificates of a citizen’s own member state are exempt (Regulation (EU) 2016/1191). Some countries have bilateral treaties that remove the formality entirely. And between states where an Article 12 objection is in force – for example Germany and India – an apostille is not accepted at all; consular legalisation applies instead.
Questions
No. A notary certifies a signature or a copy; an apostille certifies the signature of a public official (which can be the notary) so that the document is accepted abroad. Private documents often need both: first the notary, then the apostille on the notary’s certification.
The apostille itself has no expiry date. Many receiving authorities, however, only accept documents issued within the last three to six months, so the underlying certificate may need to be recent.
No. The apostille confirms authenticity only. If the recipient does not read the document’s language, a sworn or certified translation is added – and some countries want that translation apostilled too.
Over 130 contracting parties plus territories such as Hong Kong and Macao. Countries outside the Convention – the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq and others – require consular legalisation instead.
Apostille by document
Birth certificate
Geburtsurkunde · acte de naissance · certificado de nacimiento
Requirements & feesUniversity degree & transcript
Hochschulzeugnis / Diplom / Urkunde · diplôme universitaire · título universitario
Requirements & feesPolice clearance certificate
Führungszeugnis · extrait de casier judiciaire · certificado de antecedentes penales
Requirements & feesPower of attorney
Vollmacht · procuration · poder notarial
Requirements & feesMarriage certificate
Eheurkunde / Heiratsurkunde · acte de mariage · certificado de matrimonio
Requirements & feesFBI background check
FBI-Führungszeugnis · casier judiciaire FBI · antecedentes penales del FBI
Requirements & feesReady when you are
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