What does the Apostille prove or certify?

The apostille procedure consists of placing on a public document, or an extension of it, an annotation that will certify the authenticity of the signature of public documents issued in a country signatory to the XII Hague Convention, of October 5th, 1961, by which the requirement of Legalization of foreign Public Documents is suppressed.

Thus, documents issued in a country signatory to the Agreement that have been certified by an Apostille must be recognized in any other country of the Agreement without the need for any other type of authentication.

Its purpose is to certify the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the authorizer of the document has acted, and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp that the document bears.