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An apostille (pronounced “ah-po-steel”) is a certificate issued by the Secretary of State or other Notary regulating agency that proves the authenticity of a Notary’s signature and seal. The apostille is attached to your original document to verify it is legitimate and authentic so it will be accepted in countries who are members of the Hague Apostille Convention.

The Hague Apostille Convention was a conference held in 1961 in which many countries joined together to create a simplified method of "legalizing" documents for universal recognition.  Members of this conference adopted a document referred to as an Apostille that would be recognized by all member countries.  Apostille only pertains to public documents such as marriage, birth, and death certificates and other court documents, patents, or even diplomas.

The United States of America has been a part of the Hague Convention since October 1981.  Getting documents apostilled can be a challenging task, especially if it's your first experience with the document authentication process.  Fortunately, our team at Washington Express Visas is happy to guide you through the process.  Contact us today for assistance!

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The following list includes the 113 countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention:​​

Albania

Andorra

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Bahrain

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

 Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

Brunei

Bulgaria

Burundi

Cape Verde

Chile

Colombia

Cook Islands

Costa Rica

Croatia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Estonia

Fiji

Finland

France

Georgia

Germany

Greece

Grenada

 Guatemala

Honduras

Hong Kong

Hungary

Iceland

India

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Kosovo

Kazakhstan

Latvia

Lesotho

Liberia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Macau

Macedonia

Malawi

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritius

Mexico

Moldova

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Morocco

Namibia

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Niue

Norway

Oman

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Russia

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

San Marino

Sao Tome and Principe

Serbia

Seychelles

Slovakia

Slovenia

South Africa

South Korea

Spain

Suriname

Swaziland

Sweden

Switzerland

Tajikistan

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

 Tunisia

Turkey

Ukraine

United Kingdom

United States

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Vanuata

Venezuela