Apostille vs. Authentication
Apostille and authentication certificates for U.S. documents used abroad, including the role of the destination country and the document’s issuing authority.
An apostille and an authentication certificate both concern the authenticity of an official signature or seal. They are not the same certificate, and neither one generally verifies the truth of the document’s underlying contents.
The main difference
The issuing authority determines where authentication starts
Before choosing an apostille or authentication route, identify who issued the document and whose signature or seal appears on it. A state vital record, federal document, court record, and privately signed document can start with different authorities. The office that issues or certifies the record may also be different from the authority that authenticates the signature or seal for international use.
Apostille is not notarization
Notarization concerns a notarial act performed by a commissioned notary. Apostille or authentication concerns the authenticity of an official signature, seal, or public capacity in an international document chain. Some situations can involve both, but one does not automatically substitute for the other.
Authentication does not translate the document
An apostille or authentication certificate addresses an official signature or seal; it does not translate the document. If the organization abroad requires another language, check its translation and certification instructions separately from the authentication route.
Official sources
The U.S. Department of State publishes current federal authentication and apostille information. The Hague Conference on Private International Law maintains information about the Apostille Convention and participating authorities.