s.o.s apostilles & translation services

When someone is told they need an apostille the first thing they usually think is “what is an apostille?”. Well, an apostille is simply a way to certify that a document from one country is valid in another country – this is similar to how a notarization works within domestic law.

The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, the Apostille Convention, or the Apostille Treaty is an international treaty drafted by the Hague Conference on Private International Law. Thanks to this Hague Convention of 1961, an Apostille helps by abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. The sole function of the Apostille is to certify the authenticity of the signature on the document; the capacity in which the person signing the document acted; and the identity of any stamp or seal affixed to the document.

Legal documents provided within a country are generally only valid in that country unless apostilled by someone with the authority to do so in the home country. This is true for almost every kind of legal document from documents as simple as birth certificates all the way to major corporate tax and business documentation. Apostilles are used to prove to country A that a document from country B is valid. For example, let’s say that a person is from the United States and wants to go to Mexico to live for a period of time. At some point, the person may need to prove that his/her United States Birth Certificate is authentic – this person needs an apostille.

Now the next time someone says “you need an apostille” you’ll know a little more and may not need to ask “what is an apostille?”.