Apostille / Certification

Apostille is a French word meaning “Certification”. An Apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document (from the State where the document originated) to be used in a foreign country issued by U. S. Secretary of State. An Apostille does not certify the content of the underlying public document.

Both Apostilles and Certifications are used by foreign governments to assess the authenticity of an official signature on a document; the capacity in which the person signing the document acted; and the identity of any stamp or seal affixed to the document.

When the Department of State authenticates a document with an Apostille or Certification the department verifies that the person who signed the document is a Pennsylvania official and the Secretary of the Commonwealth has given "Full Faith and Credit" to the official's seal and signature.

Hague / Non-Hague Countries

Since October 15, 1981, the United States has been part of the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. The Convention provides for the simplified certification of public documents to be used in countries that have joined the Convention. Public documents will always need to be notarized unless they are issued from Vital Records.

Non-Hague countries, is still possible to certify and legalize documents, the process just requires additional steps, depending on where the documents originate, the type of document, and the country requesting it. If a state-issued document is to be used in a non-member country, an authentication certificate from the U.S. Department of State is required. All documents must be original, dates must be in chronological order and, if the document is written in a foreign language, an English translation must be certified or notarized.

Requesting an Apostille

What Does an Apostille Do

Apostilles authenticate the seals and signatures of state officials that are placed on various types of public documents. To receive an Apostille, a document must be issued or certified by an officer recognized by the issuer of the Apostille. This can be a document signed by a notary public in a U.S. State. Not all document offices are directly recognized, meaning the appropriate procedure must be followed to make a document eligible for an Apostille, which can vary from state to state and country to country.

The Purpose of an Apostille

The purpose of an Apostille is to certify documents so they’re recognized by Hague Convention members, so double-certification is eliminated. A certified document recognized by one member country is valid in another. A stamp or printed form, the Apostille itself has ten numbered fields with a title written in French. The Convention requires this to make the Apostille valid. The information added to the fields can be in the issuing authority’s official language or a second language.

Apostille Record Certificate

Once a document gets an Apostille, you will receive a certificate. This document will state the origin country, who signed it, and what their role is. It will also identify whose seal/stamp the document bears. The exact location of certification, date, and record number are included as well, as is, most importantly, an official seal and signature.

Documents for Authorization

To prepare documents for an Apostille, they must first be notarized by either the clerk of a county court where a notary public is commissioned or, for notaries public commissioned through the state, documents must be certified by the secretary of state. Documents certified in a county court must then be notarized by the state.

The correct notarizations are required before submitting documents. To ensure your request is processed, receive the original document, and then get it notarized and certified by a clerk of court. Next, get it certified at the state level. Any documents that require county and state certification must be dated such that the clerk of court certification is completed before that of the secretary of state.

(215) 435-2079

(215) 435-2079

Apostille / Certification

Hague / Non-Hague Countries