An apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document, such as a birth certificate, marriage license, or educational degree.
It is issued by a country party to the Hague Convention of 1961, abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents.
The apostille does not certify the document’s content, only that the signature, seal, or stamp on the document is genuine.
This allows the document to be recognised in another country that is also a party to the Hague Convention.
In essence, an apostille achieves the following:
- Linking the document to a trusted source
- Standardised format for international recognition
- Linking the chain of authority
In simpler terms:
Imagine you have a letter from your local school. If you need to use this letter in a foreign country, they might not know if the teacher’s signature is real or if the letter is legitimate.
An apostille acts like a “seal of approval” from a higher authority (your country’s government), confirming that the teacher’s signature and the letter are genuine.
This “seal” is recognised internationally due to the Hague Convention agreement, making your letter trustworthy in other participating countries.
By verifying the origin and authenticity of the document in this way, the apostille eliminates the need for lengthy and complex legalisation procedures through embassies or consulates, facilitating smoother international transactions.
(apostille certificate example below)
