Apostille 

 An apostille is a certificate issued by the Secretary of State in accordance with the 1961 Hague Convention for the purpose of authenticating a public document (e.g., a birth certificate, death certificate, or notarized document) for use in certain foreign 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 (including notarized) documents to be used in countries that have joined the Convention.

Under the Hague Convention, signatory countries have agreed to recognize public documents issued by other signatory countries if those public documents are authenticated by the attachment of an internationally recognized form of authentication known as an "apostille."  The apostille ensures that public documents issued in one signatory country will be recognized as valid in another signatory country 

At this time the following countries and territories have accepted the Hague Convention:

Call 210 2643245