It is not uncommon to provide an apostille of documents such as birth certificates or marriage licenses. These are documents translated into their native languages and then certified as valid—in other words, a legalization of those documents.

There are many circumstances in the present day that require certified document translation in order to procure an apostille and this often necessitates the use of a certified document translation service. For example when needing a visa for a South American country, you may require English to Spanish translation for all documents to qualify for the apostille seal.

An apostille is a French word meaning “certification”. It is a seal that is commonly used in the U.S.A. which declares the legalization of a document for international use under the terms of the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents.  This verification process often will require the expertise of a translation service prior to a notary public notarizing the document. The document is then taken to an Apostille who certifies that the document is correct and true, thus legalizing it. Often the Apostille is a Secretary of State.

On October 15, 1981 the United States signed the 1961 Hague Convention which abolished the requirement to legalize foreign public documents (only). Prior to the treaty being signed, there was no uniformity in the processing of international documents, birth certificates or visas.  This treaty provides for a simplified certification of public documents (including documents that have been notarized) to be used in countries that participate in this Convention. This standardized the process and made all document translations valid in other countries which have also signed The Hague Treaty. 

Documents to be used in these countries and their territories shall be certified by one of the officials in the jurisdiction in which the document (or translation) was originally issued. This official must be designated as competent to issue document certifications by the "Apostille" (this is usually issued by office of the Secretary of State or his/her counterpart) as provided by the 1961 Convention. In the U.S. this means that a notarized translated document has been certified by an apostille from the Secretary of State of the state in which the notary resides.

If you adopt or have a child abroad it may become necessary for you to seek an Apostille which may also further require language translation. This facilitates passport procurement, the finalization of the adoption paperwork, as well as a birth certificate that is recognized across international borders.

With this certification by an authorized Hague Convention Apostille, the document is rendered legal and is officially recognized in the country of intended use, and no certification by the U.S. Department of State, Authentications Office or legalization by the embassy or consulate is required. Documents requiring certifications with an apostille by the U.S. Department of State are those which have been signed by a federal official with the official Seal of that agency, American Consular Officer, Military Notary (10 USC 1044a) or Foreign Consul (Diplomat Officials must be registered with the Office of Protocol).