What is an apostille?

Question

I keep seeing "apostille" mentioned for foreign documents. What actually is it?

Auranik Consulting & Management · Accepted Answer

## Short answer
An apostille is a standardized certificate issued by a competent authority in the country where a document was produced, confirming the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the signer acted, and the seal/stamp on the document. It's issued under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention and is meant to let a public document from one member country be recognized in another without full consular legalisation.

## What this depends on
An apostille only applies between countries that are both parties to the Hague Apostille Convention (and haven't specifically objected to each other's membership). Documents from non-member countries typically need full consular legalisation instead. Documents moving between EU member states often need neither, thanks to EU Regulation 2016/1191.

## Important exception
An apostille authenticates the document/signature -- it does not translate it. You may still separately need a certified translation.

## Official source
HCCH (Hague Conference on Private International Law), directly verified.

## Related Auranik tool
The [Marriage Certificate / Apostille Checker](/poland/immigration/documents/marriage-certificate) applies this logic to your specific document and issuing country.

What is an apostille?

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