The terms apostille and legalisation are often used when documents need to be presented abroad. Although both procedures are used to confirm the authenticity of public documents, they are different and apply in different situations.
What is an apostille?
An apostille is a standard form of authentication used for public documents under the Hague Apostille Convention of 5 October 1961.
The Convention simplifies the use of public documents between countries where it applies. Instead of consular legalisation, the document normally requires only an apostille issued by the competent authority in the country where the document originated. Additional consular legalisation by the destination country is then not required under the Convention.
An apostille can be used for many types of public documents. Depending on the document and the applicable procedure, these may include birth, marriage and death certificates, court documents, educational documents and official extracts from the German Commercial Register.
An apostille does not confirm that the information contained in the document is correct. It confirms the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signed the document and, where applicable, the identity of the seal or stamp on the document. In Germany, apostilles are issued by designated competent authorities. The responsible authority depends on the type of document and, in many cases, the German federal state in which it was issued.
What is legalisation?
Legalisation is another procedure used to authenticate a public document for use abroad. It may be required when the Hague Apostille Convention does not apply between Germany and the destination country and no other international agreement removes the authentication requirement. For a German document, the procedure normally involves the authentication required by the German authorities followed by legalisation through the embassy or consulate of the country where the document will be used. The exact procedure depends on the destination country and the type of document.
Requirements for legalisation can vary considerably from country to country. Some countries require preliminary authentication by a German authority before the document can be submitted to their embassy or consulate. In other cases, bilateral or international agreements may simplify the procedure or remove the need for an apostille or legalisation altogether. It is therefore important to check the requirements of the authority that will receive the document before starting the authentication process.
If you order an authenticated document through our service, we can check whether an apostille, legalisation or another form of authentication is appropriate for the destination country and arrange the required procedure where available.
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