Apostille

An apostille is a form of authentication issued under the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961, used to authenticate documents for use in another country that is also a party to the Convention. An apostille certifies the authenticity of the signature on a document, the capacity in which the signer acted, and the identity of any seal or stamp.

For translated documents, an apostille typically authenticates the notarized signature of the translator (not the translation itself). The process is:

1. Translator signs the Certificate of Translation Accuracy and has the signature notarized by a licensed notary public.
2. The notarized document is submitted to the Secretary of State of the state where the notary is licensed.
3. The Secretary of State issues the apostille authenticating the notary's signature.

Apostilles are accepted in over 120 countries that are party to the Hague Convention. For countries not party to the Convention, a more elaborate consular authentication process is required.