Apostille Covention Member Countries
The "Convention of 5 October 1961, Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents," also known as the “Hague Apostille Convention of 1961”, simplifies the recognition of public documents in foreign countries.
The main goal of this Convention is to eliminate the need for time-consuming and expensive document legalization procedures. Instead, the Convention has introduced a simplified process where a Competent Authority in the document's country of origin issues a single Apostille certificate. With over 125 member countries, the Convention has gained extensive adoption and is now one of the most widely embraced multilateral agreements in legal cooperation. This international agreement leads to the issuance of several million Apostilles annually, effectively streamlining cross-border document validation.
Example of New York State apostille
List of member countries
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burundi
Cape Verde
Chile
China, People's Republic of
(Hong Kong & Macao Only)Colombia
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Estonia
Fiji
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyan
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Jamaica
Kazakhstan
Korea, Republic of
Kosovo
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Lesotho
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malawi
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Mexico
Moldova, Republic of
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niue
North Macedonia, Republic of
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russian Federation
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Tajikistan
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Ukraine
United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern IrelandUruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Main Rules of the Apostille Convention
It applies to public documents only. Public documents include birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, diplomas, educational records, court orders, and company extracts.
It only applies between countries that are party to the Convention. As of 2023, there are over 125 countries that are party to the Convention. You can find a list of member countries on the Hague Conference website: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/specialised-sections/apostille/
It abolishes the requirement of legalization. Traditionally, when you wanted to use a public document in a foreign country, you had to get it legalized by a series of government officials in your own country. This process could be time-consuming and expensive. The Apostille Convention eliminates this requirement.
It requires the issuance of an apostille. An apostille is a certificate that is attached to a public document. It certifies the authenticity of the document and the official who signed it. An Apostille or Certificate of Authentication issued by the New York Secretary of State is a one-page document with a blue laser-printed New York Department of State Seal facsimile. The Apostille and Certificate of Authentication include the facsimile signature of the New York Secretary of State or his deputy.
A competent authority must issue the apostille. Each country party to the Convention has designated a competent authority (in New York State, it is a Secretary of State) to issue apostilles. You can find a list of competent authorities on the Hague Conference website.
The apostille does not guarantee that the document will be accepted in the foreign country. The foreign country may have its own rules and regulations governing the use of foreign public documents.
Here are some additional things to keep in mind:
The Apostille Convention excludes certain administrative documents related to commercial or customs operations from its scope.
The Apostille Convention does not apply to documents issued by diplomatic or consular agents. These documents are usually subject to a different set of rules.
The Apostille Convention does not apply to documents intended to be used in the country where they were issued.