The best Side of houston apostille services

What Is an Apostille?

An apostille (french for certification) is a unique seal used by a federal government authority to accredit that a document is a true copy of an initial.

Apostilles are readily available in countries, which signed the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization of Foreign Public Files, commonly known as The Hague Convention. This convention changes the formerly used time-consuming chain certification procedure, where you needed to go to four different authorities to obtain a document accredited. The Hague Convention provides for the streamlined certification of public ( consisting of notarized) documents to be used in nations and areas that have signed up with the convention.

Files destined for use in getting involved nations and their territories need to be licensed by one of the officials in the jurisdiction where the document has been executed. With this certification by the Hague Convention Apostille, the document is entitled to acknowledgment in the nation of intended usage, and no certification by the U.S. Department of State, Authentications Workplace or legalization by the embassy or consulate is required.

Note, while the apostille is an main certification that the document is a true copy of the original, it does not license that the original document's content is right.

Why Do You Need an Apostille?

An apostille can be used whenever a copy of an official document from another nation is needed. For opening a bank account in the foreign country in the name of your company or for registering your U.S. company with foreign government authorities or even when proof of presence of a U.S. business is required to enter in to a agreement abroad. In all of these cases an American document, even a copy licensed for use in the U.S., will not be acceptable. An apostille needs to be attached to the United States document to validate that document for use in Hague Convention nations.

Who Can Get an Apostille?

Since October 15, 1981, the United States has actually been part of the 1961 Hague Convention eliminating the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Files. Anyone who has to use a U.S. public document (such as Articles houston apostille of Company or Incorporation provided by a Secretary of State) in one of the Hague Convention nations may obtain an apostille and ask for for that specific nation.

Ways to Get an Apostille?

Getting an apostille can be a complicated process. In a lot of American states, the process requires acquiring an original, licensed copy of the document you seek to validate with an apostille from the issuing firm and after that forwarding it to a Secretary of State (or comparable) of the state in question with a ask for apostille.

Countries That Accept Apostille

All members of the Hague Convention recognise apostille.

Countries Declining Apostille

In countries which are not signatories to the 1961 convention and do not acknowledge the apostille, a foreign public document must be legislated by a consular officer in the country which released the document. In lieu of an apostille, documents in the United States normally will receive a Certificate of Authentication.

Legalization is normally accomplished by sending out a certified copy of the document to U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., for authentication, then legalizing the confirmed copy with the consular authority for the country where the document is planned to be used.


Apostilles are readily available in countries, which signed the 1961 Hague Convention Eliminating the Requirement of Legalization of Foreign Public Documents, widely known as The Hague Convention. The Hague Convention supplies for the simplified certification of public ( consisting of notarized) documents to be utilized in countries and areas that have signed up with the convention.

An apostille can be used whenever a copy of an main document from another country is required. An apostille must be attached to the U.S. document to confirm that document for use in Hague Convention nations.

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