what is a apostille

An apostille is a certificate that authenticates the signature of a public official on a document for use in another country. It certifies the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the public official acted, and, when appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears. An apostille does not validate the contents of the document. It is used when public documents are being transferred between countries that are a party to the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961. The process of obtaining an apostille varies by state, but generally involves notarizing the document in front of a notary public and then submitting it to the Secretary of States office or Notary commissioning agency for authentication. Once issued, the apostille allows the document to be recognized in foreign countries that are members of the 1961 Hague Convention Treaty.