A large number of countries throughout the world created a treaty that greatly simplifies the authentication of public documents used abroad. This treaty is referred to as the Apostille Convention. The issuance of an Apostille certificate reduces the authentication process to a single formality.
You will need an Apostille if all of the following apply:
- The country where the document was issued is a member of the Apostille Convention
- The country where the document is to be used is a member of the Apostille Convention
- The law of the country where the document was issued considers it a public document
- The country where the document is to be used requires an Apostille in order to recognize it as a foreign public document
The Convention only applies to public documents. Public documents include a birth, marriage or death certificate; a judgment, an extract of a register or a notarial attestation.
An Apostille may never be used for the recognition of a document in the country where that document was issued. Apostilles are strictly for the use of public documents abroad!