What the Hague Apostille Convention does
The Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents replaced a slow chain of embassy and consular legalizations with a single certificate: the apostille. When two countries are both parties, a public document from one is accepted in the other with an apostille from the issuing country's competent authority, and nothing more.
The United States has been a party since October 15, 1981. For documents issued or notarized in Florida, the competent authority is the Florida Secretary of State; apostilles are issued by the Department of State's Division of Corporations in Tallahassee. The Convention is administered by the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), which publishes the official list of parties.
An apostille confirms the signature, seal and capacity of the official or notary who signed the document. It says nothing about whether the contents are true, and it doesn't override the receiving authority's own rules on which documents it wants and how recent they must be.
How to check any country on the official list
The only list that matters is the HCCH's status table for the Apostille Convention. It's free and updated whenever a country joins. Here's how to read it.
Find the country
The table lists every Contracting Party alphabetically, under formal names: “China (the People's Republic of),” “Republic of Korea,” “Viet Nam,” “Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).” If the country isn't in the table, it isn't a party.
Read the EIF date
EIF means entry into force. The Convention applies to that country only from that date. A country can appear in the table with a future date because it has joined but isn't covered yet.
Look at the Type column
“A” means accession and “R” ratification. “A**” flags an accession that existing parties could object to. Under Article 12 of the Convention, an accession takes effect only between the new party and the parties that didn't object; where an objection stands, the apostille doesn't operate between those two countries. Click through the country's notifications if you see A**.
Pick the right Florida certificate
Party and in force: you need an apostille. Not a party, or not yet in force: you need Florida's authentication certificate, followed by further steps. See our non-Hague guide for that route.
Countries that joined recently
Several large destinations moved from legalization to apostille in the last few years. If you were told “they don't take apostilles” a while ago, check again. Entry-into-force dates from the HCCH status table, October 2026:
| Country | Convention in force from |
|---|---|
| Singapore | September 16, 2021 |
| Indonesia | June 4, 2022 |
| Saudi Arabia | December 7, 2022 |
| Pakistan | March 9, 2023 |
| Senegal | March 23, 2023 |
| China (People's Republic of) | November 7, 2023 |
| Canada | January 11, 2024 |
| Rwanda | June 5, 2024 |
| Bangladesh | March 30, 2025 |
| Algeria | July 9, 2026 |
| Viet Nam | September 11, 2026 |
| Thailand | February 28, 2027 (not yet in force) |
Two practical notes. First, documents bound for China, Canada or Saudi Arabia before those dates needed the full legalization chain; today an apostille is enough, so ignore older instructions. Second, Thailand has joined, but until February 28, 2027 Florida documents for Thailand still need the authentication route.
Where our customers' documents go most often
These are the 17 destinations we file for most. We checked each against the HCCH status table in October 2026. All 17 are parties, so each one takes a Florida apostille. The date shows when the Convention entered into force for that country.
| Country | Hague status | In force since | Country guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | Party: apostille accepted | August 14, 1995 | Mexico guide |
| Brazil | Party: apostille accepted | August 14, 2016 | Brazil guide |
| Colombia | Party: apostille accepted | January 30, 2001 | Colombia guide |
| Venezuela | Party: apostille accepted | March 16, 1999 | Venezuela guide |
| Dominican Republic | Party: apostille accepted | August 30, 2009 | Dominican Republic guide |
| Honduras | Party: apostille accepted | September 30, 2004 | Honduras guide |
| Nicaragua | Party: apostille accepted | May 14, 2013 | Nicaragua guide |
| Peru | Party: apostille accepted | September 30, 2010 | Peru guide |
| Argentina | Party: apostille accepted | February 18, 1988 | Argentina guide |
| Chile | Party: apostille accepted | August 30, 2016 | Chile guide |
| Spain | Party: apostille accepted | September 25, 1978 | Spain guide |
| Italy | Party: apostille accepted | February 11, 1978 | Italy guide |
| Germany | Party: apostille accepted | February 13, 1966 | Germany guide |
| Israel | Party: apostille accepted | August 14, 1978 | Israel guide |
| India | Party: apostille accepted | July 14, 2005 | India guide |
| Philippines | Party: apostille accepted | May 14, 2019 | Philippines guide |
| South Africa | Party: apostille accepted | April 30, 1995 | South Africa guide |
Each country guide covers the documents people most often send there and anything specific to that destination. For Spanish-language country pages, see our Spanish site.
Hague status is only half the answer
Knowing your destination accepts apostilles tells you which Florida certificate to get. It doesn't tell you which documents the receiving office wants or how it wants them prepared. Before you order anything, get answers to these questions from the consulate, ministry, court, university or employer receiving your file, ideally in writing:
- Exactly which documents do you need, and do you want certified copies, notarized copies or originals?
- How recently must each document have been issued?
- Do you need a translation, and must it be done by a translator you recognize or in your country?
- Should the apostille itself be translated as well?
- Do you need one set or several (for example, one for a visa and one for a local registry)?
- Will you accept a document notarized online by a Florida notary?
If your country isn't on the list
Countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and Nigeria were not parties as of October 2026. For them, Florida issues a notarial certification (authentication certificate) instead of an apostille. After that, the destination generally requires a U.S. Department of State authentication and then legalization by its embassy or consulate. We handle the Florida step at the same price and speed as an apostille; we don't handle or arrange the two later steps.
The full explanation and a longer verified list are in our non-Hague authentication guide.
Apostille or authentication, same price
Whichever certificate your destination needs, we file it in person at the Florida Department of State and return it in 5–7 business days. All-inclusive pricing (state fee, application, and FedEx both ways inside the U.S.): $220 per document, $380 for two, $160 each for three or more. Need the documents delivered abroad? International return shipping is $100 flat per order.
Tell us the destination country when you order online; we'll confirm which certificate applies before we file.