Apostille Section
Welcome to the Apostille Section
|
The Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Hague Apostille Convention) facilitates the circulation of public documents executed in one State party to the Convention and to be produced in another State party to the Convention. It does so by replacing the cumbersome and often costly formalities of a full legalisation process with the mere issuance of an Apostille (also called Apostille Certificate or Certificate). The Hague Apostille Convention only applies as between States parties (see the "Status table of the Apostille Convention" below). |
Text
of the Convention
- Full text adopted by the Ninth Session in 1960
- Annex to the Convention: Model of Certificate (Apostille)
- Translations of the Treaty text
Contracting
States
- Status table of the Apostille Convention
- What is the difference between a "Member State", a "State party" and a "Contracting State"?
How
to get an Apostille
Apostilles may only be issued by a Competent Authority designated by the State on whose territory the public document has been executed. The Permanent Bureau (Secretariat) of the Hague Conference does not issue Apostilles. The following link provides the list of Competent Authorities designated by each Contracting State, the contact details of Competent Authorities and other practical information (see also the “Outline of the Convention”, available under “Explanatory documents”):
- Competent Authorities designated under Article 6 - Contact details - Price of an Apostille - Other practical information
- Which documents may be apostillised?
Practical
operation documents
-
Explanatory documents
- Outline of the Convention - June 2007
- Explanatory Report drawn up by Yvon Loussouarn - 1960
- Prel. Doc. No 1 of March 1959: La légalisation des actes officiels étrangers, Report drawn up by Georges A.L. Droz (in French only)
- Practical Handbook on the operation of
the Convention [to be published...]
- Documents related to 2009 Special
Commission
- See also below, under Questionnaires and responses
- Apostilles & Diplomas (Prel. Doc. No 5)
- Conclusions and Recommendations
-
Documents related to 2003 Special Commission
- Conclusions and Recommendations of the 2003 Special Commission
- Prel. Doc. No 3: Succinct explanations in preparation of the 2003 Special Commission
- See also below, under Questionnaires and responses
-
Questionnaires and responses
- Questionnaire of August 2008 relating to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention)
- Responses to the 2008 Questionnaire (per State)
- Synopsis of the replies to the 2008 Questionnaire
-
Summary & analysis of the replies to the
2008 Questionnaire
- 2005 Questionnaire on Diplomas and other education documents
-
Replies to the 2005 Questionnaire on
Diplomas and other education documents (per
State)
- 2003 Questionnaire on the Apostille Convention
- Replies to the 2003 Questionnaire (per State)
- Synopsis of the replies to the 2003 Questionnaire
e-APP
(Electronic Apostille Pilot Program)
- The e-APP website
- Information Brochure
- Explanatory Documents
- Memorandum on some of the technical aspects underlying the suggested model for the issuance of e-Apostilles (Prel. Doc. No 18 of March 2007 for the attention of the Council of April 2007 on General Affairs and Policy)
- Closer and Closer to Reality: the e-Apostille Pilot Program of the HCCH and the NNA (Prel. Doc. No 10 of March 2006 for the attention of the Special Commission of April 2006 on general affairs and policy of the Conference)
- Communiqué 13 May 2009 (New Zealand)
- Press Release 1 December 2008 (Spain)
- Press Release 31 October 2007
- Press Release 15 February 2007
- Press Release 17 April 2006 (English only - NNA)
5th
International Forum on the electronic Apostille
Pilot Program (e-APP) and Digital Authentication,
organised by the International Union of Notaries
(UINL) and the Hague Conference on Private
International Law (HCCH), London (UK), Saturday 13th
June 2009
- Invitation
- Agenda
- Presentations
- Christophe Bernasconi (Permanent Bureau): The electronic Apostille Pilot Programme (e-APP). General Presentation & Update
- Laura Muñoz Pedreño & Javier L. Parra (Spain): The Spanish experience on E-Apostille Pilot Programme (e-APP)
4th
International Forum on e-Notarization, e-Apostilles
and Digital Evidence, organized and hosted
by the National Notary Association of the United
States of America, held on 29–30 May 2008 in New
Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Miscellaneous