Authentications

Apostille

An Apostille is a certificate of authentication issued by the Secretary of State or another governmental body that makes a document from one country valid in another country as long as they are both member states of the 1961 Hague Convention.

The Hague Convention of October 5, 1961 streamlined the full legalization of documents among the member states listed in the Hague Convention Member List.

<>Apostille Bypasses Further Certification at the Federal Level

An apostille allows you to bypass the process of having to get further certification from the US Department of State’s Office of Authentications. In other words, you can get the apostille and take it directly to the receiving country without having to go through the State Department for additional approval. It’s one and done.

Authentications and Authorizations are handled differently from Apostilles in that they require additional authentication by the US State Department. Authentications and Authorizations require extra steps and paperwork when the receiving foreign country is not on the Hague Convention Member List.

What documents are Apostilles used for?

Apostilles are used for public documents certified or notarized by an official in North Carolina. These documents include: birth, marriage, and death certificates; extracts from commercial registrars and other registers; court rulings; notarial acts; academic diplomas issued by public institutions, etc.

What documents are Apostilles NOT used for?

The Hague Convention doesn’t apply to documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents nor to administrative documents dealing directly with commercial or customs operations (e.g., certificates of origin or import or export licenses). (Hague Convention)

After you get an Apostille…

When you receive the Apostille, it can be delivered directly to the foreign country of intended use and no other further certification is needed from the US Department of State.

Apostille Certificates make the full legalization of documents an easier process. However, the foreign country for which the document is used must be a member state of the Hague Convention.

Can you use copies for the Apostille Process?

If you plan to use a copy of a document for an Apostille, you need to get a notarized Affidavit saying that the document is a "true copy" of the original. For a downloadable True Copy