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In depth
An apostille is a certification that authenticates the origin of a public document — such as a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or court order — for use in another country that is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. The apostille certifies the signature of the issuing official and the capacity in which they signed.
For CBD cases, apostilles are typically required on: (1) the anchor ancestor's birth certificate from the country of origin, (2) marriage certificates, (3) naturalization records (or no-record letters), (4) powers of attorney, and (5) other foreign documents.
Apostilles are issued by designated authorities in each country: in the US, by the Secretary of State of each state (for state documents) or the US Department of State (for federal documents); in the UK, by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO); in Italy, by the Procura della Repubblica; etc.
Example
An Italian birth certificate used in a US CBD filing must be apostilled by the Procura della Repubblica in Italy.
Related terms
The Hague Apostille Convention (1961) is the international treaty that established the apostille system for document authentication between member countries.
Legalization is the multi-step process of authenticating a document for use in a country that is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention.
A certified copy is a copy of a document that has been verified as a true and accurate copy by the issuing authority, typically required for CBD applications.
A sworn translator is a translator who has been officially authorized by a court or government to produce certified translations accepted by legal authorities.
A certified translation is a translation that has been certified by a sworn translator as accurate and complete, accepted by legal authorities for CBD applications.
A traduction assermentée is the French term for a sworn/certified translation, produced by a translator approved by the French Court of Cassation.