also called apostille certification · Hague apostille
A standardized certification that authenticates a public document for use in another country that is party to the Hague Convention.
An apostille is a single standard stamp that makes an official document from your country count in another country, as long as both have signed the Hague Convention. It is the quick version of legalization, which is the longer stamp-chain used for countries outside that club. With it, the office on the other end does not have to take your word that the paper is genuine.
You are applying to marry abroad and the local registry demands your birth certificate be apostilled. You send it to the right authority at home for the stamp, and only with that single certification attached will the foreign office accept the document as real.
Visa, marriage and residence applications often demand apostilled documents, and getting one can be slow and country-specific.
The difference is the whole point, so here is each one in a line.
These are the stamps that turn a home document into one a foreign office will accept, in the order they usually stack.
A notary confirms a signature or that a copy matches the original, which is what a certified true copy or notarized copy is; a certified translation puts it into the local language; then an apostille certifies the whole thing for countries in the Hague Convention, while legalization or attestation is the longer chain for countries that do not accept the apostille.
Power of attorney, a long-form birth certificate and a school leaving certificate are the kinds of document that most often need this treatment.
Certified translation · Certified true copy · Legalization · Long-form birth certificate · Notarization · Notarized copy vs original · school leaving certificate
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