What is an Apostille, and Which Countries Require Them?

International travel is exciting, but getting your documentation can often be cumbersome, especially when you find out you need an Apostille because you probably aren’t familiar with what an apostille is and where to get one. This post should help you navigate getting an apostille.

What is an Apostille and Why You Need an Apostille?

The term “apostille” is French for certification and is used by countries that participated in the Hague Convention of 1961. The countries that participated in the Convention required documents to have an Apostille as a universal method to certify the authenticity of documents.

The Apostille is a page added to the original documents and either includes a stamp or the signature of the official that certified the document.

You’ll need an Apostille if you want to use official documents — primarily public documents like court orders, wedding certificates, birth certificates, etc. Other documents such as Power of Attorney, non disclosure agreements, etc which will need a Notary to assist with completing the Notarizations for the Apostille process — in the 117 countries that are part of the Convention. 

Which Countries Require Apostille Documents?

These are the countries you’d need to use an Apostille when using official documents.

North America

·       United States of America

·       Mexico

South/Central America

·       Argentinia

·       Belize

·       Bolivia

·       Brazil

·       Chile

·       Colombia

·       Costa Rica

·       Ecuador

·       El Salvador

·       Guatemala

·       Honduras

·       Nicaragua

·       Panama

·       Paraguay

·       Peru

·       Suriname

·       Uruguay

·       Venezuela

Island Countries/Caribbean

·       Antigua and Barbuda

·       The Bahamas

·       Barbados

·       Cape Verde

·       Dominica

·       Dominican Republic

·       Grenada

·       Niue

·       Saint Kitts and Nevis

·       Saint Lucia

·       Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

·       Trinidad and Tobago

Europe

·       Albania

·       Andorra

·       Austria

·       Azerbaijan

·       Belarus

·       Belgium

·       Bosnia and Herzegovina

·       Bulgaria

·       Croatia

·       Cyprus

·       Czech Republic

·       Denmark

·       Estonia

·       Finland

·       France

·       Georgia

·       Germany

·       Greece

·       Hungary

·       Iceland

·       Ireland

·       Italy

·       Kosovo

·       Latvia

·       Liechtenstein

·       Lithuania

·       Luxembourg

·       Macedonia

·       Malta

·       Moldova

·       Monaco

·       Montenegro

·       Netherlands

·       Norway

·       Poland

·       Portugal

·       Romania

·       San Marino

·       Serbia

·       Slovakia

·       Slovenia

·       Spain

·       Sweden

·       Switzerland

·       Ukraine

·       United Kingdom

Asia

·       Armenia

·       Bahrain

·       Brunei

·       Hong Kong

·       India

·       Israel

·       Japan

·       Kazakhstan

·       Kyrgyzstan

·       Macau

·       Mongolia

·       Oman

·       Philippine

·       Russia

·       South Korea

·       Tajikistan

·       Turkey

·       Uzbekistan

Africa

·       Botswana

·       Burundi

·       Lesotho

·       Liberia

·       Malawi

·       Mauritius

·       Morocco

·       Namibia

·       Sao Tome and Principe

·       Seychelles

·       South Africa

·       Swaziland

·       Tunisia

Oceania

·       Australia

·       Cook Islands

·       Fiji

·       Marshall Islands

·       New Zealand

·       Samoa

·       Tonga

·       Vanuatu

 We offer rush and regular service. Our team can assist you from beginning to end. If you need an Apostille agent in New York, you can contact us at info@srnotaryservice.com and call/text (929)282-0488.