What is an Apostille, and why might I need one?
An Apostille (a French word meaning notation) is a standard international notarization or certification provided under The Hague Conference on Private International Law: This was a 1961 Convention abolishing the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents for the purpose of authenticating documents for use in foreign countries. The treaty was ratified by the United States on September 1, 1981. Authorities in the United States of America who are authorized to issue an Apostille as referred to in the Hague Treaty are the various Secretaries of State. The Apostille is formatted in numbered fields which allow data to be understood by the receiving country regardless of the official language of the issuing country. It is registered by the issuing authority for the country it is intended for. It may or may not state the intended country on the face, but it will not be verified if another country calls the issuing authority about it. The Apostille is attached to the document it c
