People treat the apostille as a universal stamp. It is not. It is a treaty shortcut, and it works only between the countries that signed up. The treaty body counts 130 Contracting Parties. The rest of the world still runs the old chain.

Step one: check the country

The United States has been a Contracting Party since 15 October 1981, so your end of the test is already met. Only the destination is in question. Check it against the HCCH status table, which is the treaty body’s own list.

The list moves, so check it on the day you need it rather than trusting a blog post. China joined with effect from 7 November 2023. Canada joined with effect from 11 January 2024.

What legalization actually is

The word is defined in the treaty itself, and the definition is the reason the chain ends abroad rather than in Washington. Article 2:

Read it slowly. The officials who legalize a document are the officials of the country the document is going to. No US office can do that step, and no US courier can either. That is why legalization takes weeks longer and costs more, and why the fee is set by a foreign government rather than by a price list.

The Convention exists to delete that step. The treaty body says so in one sentence: “The purpose of the Convention is to abolish the traditional requirement of legalisation, replacing the often long and costly legalisation process with the issuance of a single Apostille certificate.”

Two lists, and they are not the same list

USAGov tells you to check the “1961 Hague Convention member list”. The link goes to the HCCH Members page. That page lists the 94 states that belong to the organisation. It is not the list of countries bound by this treaty, and the two do not match in either direction.

The US rule, in the government’s own words

USAGov states the split in two sentences. This is the frame to use:

• “The country where you will use the document determines whether you will need an apostille or an authentication certificate.”
• “If the country where you want to use your document is on the 1961 Hague Convention member list, you will need an apostille. Documents such as vital records issued by a U.S. state will need an apostille from that state’s secretary of state. Federal documents will need an apostille from the U.S. Department of State.”
• “If the country where you want to use your document is not on the 1961 Hague Convention member list, you will need an authentication certificate.”

USAGov, Authenticate an official document for use outside the U.S.. Read 2026-08-19 at usa.gov. That page carries a last-updated date of 6 April 2026.

A state office says the same thing from its own side. New York calls the non-Convention document a certificate of authentication, and warns that it is often not the last step: “Certificates of Authentication may also require an additional certification from the United States Department of State prior to submission to the foreign country.”

What we do, and what we do not do

We sell apostilles. We do not do consular legalization. There is no legalization line on our price list and we are not going to add one we cannot run. The embassy leg depends on a foreign mission’s own forms, fees and appointment rules, and those are set per country. We have not read them, so we will not charge for them.

Every destination we publish today is a Contracting Party, so every customer we have is on the apostille side of the split:

• Spain, a Contracting Party since 1978
• Italy, a Contracting Party since 1978
• Germany, a Contracting Party since 1966
• Portugal, a Contracting Party since 1969
• Republic of Korea, a Contracting Party since 2007
• New Zealand, a Contracting Party since 2001

If your destination is not on the status table, here is the honest instruction. Do not order from us. Call or email that country’s embassy or consulate in the United States and ask for its document instructions in writing. Ask three things: what US certification it wants first, what it charges, and how long it takes. Then work backwards from your appointment date.

Every source on this page

Common questions

What is the difference between an apostille and document legalization?

An apostille is one certificate, issued in the country where the document was made, and the destination country must accept it without anything further. It works only between Contracting Parties to the 1961 Apostille Convention. Legalization is the older chain it replaced. The Convention defines legalization as the formality by which the diplomatic or consular agents of the country where the document has to be produced certify the signature, so a document going to a country outside the Convention still has to reach that country’s embassy or consulate.

How do I know which one my document needs?

Check the destination country against the HCCH status table for the Apostille Convention, which lists 130 Contracting Parties. If it is there, you need an apostille. If it is not, an apostille does not apply and you need legalization. The United States has been a Contracting Party since 15 October 1981, so the United States end of the test is always met.

Who issues an apostille in the United States?

The office that issued the document. USAGov states that vital records issued by a U.S. state need an apostille from that state’s secretary of state, and that federal documents need an apostille from the U.S. Department of State. An FBI Identity History Summary is federal, so no state can apostille it.

Does ExpatPapers handle consular legalization?

No. We sell apostilles only. We do not run the embassy leg for countries outside the Apostille Convention, and we will not take money for it. If your destination is not a Contracting Party, contact that country’s embassy or consulate in the United States and ask for its own document instructions.

Is the list of Apostille Convention countries the same as the list of Hague Conference members?

No, and mixing them up sends documents to the wrong office. The HCCH has 94 Members. The Apostille Convention has 130 Contracting Parties. Egypt, Jordan and Sri Lanka are HCCH Members and are not Contracting Parties to this Convention, so an apostille does not cover a document going to any of them.