An Apostille is a certificate that authenticates the signature of a public official on a document for use in another country. It is used by foreign governments to assess the authenticity of an official signature on a document, the capacity in which the person signing the document acted, and when appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears. An Apostille certifies the document(s), so the document can be recognized in foreign countries that are members of the 1961 Hague Convention Treaty. The Apostille does not validate the contents of the document.
To obtain an Apostille, a document signed by a public official or an original notarized and/or certified document is required. The California Secretary of State provides an Apostille to authenticate California public officials signatures on documents to be used outside the United States of America. There are three ways to obtain an Apostille in California: by mail, in person at the Sacramento and Los Angeles offices. Federally-issued documents for use in countries that are members of the 1961 Hague Convention may need to be authenticated with an Apostille issued by the U.S. Department of State. State-issued documents for use in countries that are members of the 1961 Hague Convention must be authenticated by an Apostille.
