Business Lawyers Blog
It is not uncommon for businesses in today’s global economy to engage in international transactions. More often than not, these transactions require an exchange of business and/or legal documentation. Although these documents are signed and exchanged by those who have been engaged in business together, there are times when the documents must still be authenticated in order to be used in a foreign country from which the document originates.
The Hague Convention of 1961 established a certification to authenticate documents to be used in foreign countries. This certification is known as an apostille. The apostille is attached to the document that is being sent overseas and it certifies the authenticity of the signature of the documents; it does not actually certify the contents of that document. The apostille is required to be used by a designated verifying authority in a country party to the Hague Convention.
Apostille Requirements