Apostille: What It Is and How to Get One
An apostille is a standardized certificate that confirms a public document is genuine — that the signature, seal and the capacity of the official on it are authentic — so the document can be used in another country without any embassy step. If both the issuing country and the destination country belong to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille is all you need.
Member countries
~125
parties to the 1961 Convention
Authentication
1 certificate
no embassy / consulate step
Issued in
Origin country
by its competent authority
In force since
1961
Hague Convention of 5 Oct 1961
When you need an apostille
You need an apostille when an official document from one country must be accepted by an authority in another — a birth or marriage certificate, a university degree, a background check, or a power of attorney used abroad. The receiving authority (a university, immigration office, employer or court) needs proof your document is real. The apostille is that proof, recognized across every Convention member.
Apostille vs legalization vs notarization
These three are often confused but do different jobs:
| Step | What it confirms | When it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Notarization | A notary verifies a signature or copy | A local first step, often required before an apostille |
| Apostille | A national authority confirms the document/official is genuine | When both countries are Hague Convention members |
| Legalization | Foreign ministry and the destination embassy certify it | When one of the countries is not a member |
In short: notarization is local, an apostille is the single international certificate between Convention countries, and legalization is the longer chain used outside the Convention.
The Hague Apostille Convention
The Convention of 5 October 1961 abolished consular legalization between member states and replaced it with one certificate — the apostille. Around 125 countries are now party to it, and the list keeps growing: China joined with effect from 7 November 2023 and Canada from 11 January 2024. Between any two members the apostille is the only authentication required.
By country
Who issues the apostille
You always apostille a document in the country that issued it, through that country’s designated competent authority. The authority — and its fee and timeframe — differs by country:
Secretary of State (state docs) · US Department of State (federal)
United States
- State vital records
- FBI background check (federal)
- Notarized documents
- Court documents
FCDO Legalisation Office
United Kingdom
- Birth/marriage certificates
- ACRO police certificate
- Degree certificates
- Notarised documents
Ministry of External Affairs · e-Sahaj
India
- Degree certificates
- Birth certificates
- PCC
- Commercial documents
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)
UAE
- Attestation chain
- Educational documents
- Commercial documents
Detailed country guides — each with the exact authority, fee, timeframe and how the apostille looks — are being added for the USA, UK, India and the UAE.
Apostille by document type
The procedure also varies by document — the competent authority and any pre-steps depend on what you are authenticating:
- FBI background check apostille — a US federal document, apostilled by the US Department of State (not a state Secretary of State).
- Marriage certificate apostille — for spouse visas, name changes and family matters abroad.
- Apostille + certified translation — when the destination country needs the document in its own language, translated after the apostille is attached.
The process
How an apostille is obtained, step by step
- 1
Identify the competent authority
Find who apostilles your document type in the issuing country — a Secretary of State, foreign ministry or court.
- 2
Prepare the document
Get an original or certified copy. Some documents must be notarized or pre-certified first (e.g. a US notary, or NAWA / kuratorium for diplomas).
- 3
Submit to the authority
Apply in person, by mail, or online where an e-Apostille service exists (e.g. India e-Sahaj).
- 4
Receive the apostille
The authority attaches the numbered apostille certificate to your document.
- 5
Translate if required
If the destination country needs it, add a certified / sworn translation — after the apostille, so it is translated too.
Cost and processing time
There is no single global figure — both depend on the issuing country and authority. Some offices issue an apostille the same day for a small fixed fee; others take several weeks, with higher charges for expedited handling. Federal documents, educational documents verified through a separate body, and documents that must first be notarized usually take longer. Always check the fee and timeframe published by the competent authority for your exact document — that is the only figure accurate for your case as of 2026.