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Apostille Requirements

An apostille certifies a document so countries that are members of the 1961 Hague Convention will recognize it. 

We only issue apostilles for documents issued by the federal government for use in countries that are members of the Hague Convention. These documents should not be notarized. 

If the document is for use in a country that is not a member of the Hague Convention, the state must provide an apostille certification for the document.   

Before submitting documents to us, you must:

1) Get a notary public to notarize each document:

  • Using a county notary? Go to the clerk of court first, and then a state office.
  • Using a state notary? Go to a state office. 

2) Make sure seals and signatures are originals

  • Get a certified copy from a notary public. A certified copy is a copy of a primary document with a certificate on it that it is the true copy.
  • Get life event records, court documents, and federally-issued documents certified at the state level.

3) Get any documents in a foreign language translated into English. Get the translation notarized. 

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Requirements for Each Type of Document

Federally-Issued Documents

If you have a document issued by the federal government and will use it in countries that are members of the Hague Convention, you may need the U.S. Department of State to add an apostille to the document. 

Documents signed by the following officials must have this apostille:

  • U.S. federal official 
  • U.S. consular officer 
  • A military notary, judge advocate, or a foreign consul registered with the U.S. Department of State's Office of Protocol  

Include a signature of the official's name, title, and seal of the agency.

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State-Issued Documents

What you do depends on where you plan to use the document:

If you're using the document in a country that is a member of Hague Convention, get it certified by the state that executed the document. We will not issue an apostille.

If you're using the document in a country that is not a member of the Hague Convention, you can get it certified with an authentication certificate from the U.S. Department of State. 

 

Last Updated: April 8, 2024