Hague Convention Apostille countries | Apostille Countries List
The following 127 countries are members of the Hague Apostille Convention and will require an Apostille.
What is Hague Apostille Convention?
Hague apostille convention abolished the requirement of legalizing foreign documents with embassy attestation. Thus Hague Apostille member countries only require an apostille from the competent authority to legalize documents abroad.
Joining Hague Apostille convention alone will not make a country a apostille country. Only countries that joined in the instrument under Hague convention known as “The Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (HCCH 1961 Apostille Convention)” is considered as an apostille country.
There are other instruments under Hague convention. Some countries may have joined Hague convention without acceding the apostille convention. Thus, Hague apostille countries are decided by whether they accepted the Apostille convention or not. Moreover, some countries signed Hague apostille convention without joining the organization HCCH.
List of Apostille Countries
| Hague Convention Apostille Countries | Date of Ratification/ Joining Date | Entry into Force of Apostille Convention/ Start Accepting Apostille from | Apostille Issuing Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Albania |
3 November 2003 |
9 May 2004 |
The Office of Authentications, Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, |
|
Andorra |
15 April 1996 |
31 December 1996 |
1. The Minister of Foreign Affairs
2. The Director of Bilateral and Consular Affairs
3. The Director of Multilateral Affairs and Cooperation
4. The Head of Unit of General and Juridical Affairs |
|
8 May 1987 |
18 February 1988 |
1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2. Chamber of notaries |
|
|
19 November 1993 |
14 August 1994 |
1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2. Ministry of Justice |
|
|
11 July 1994 |
16 March 1995 |
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) |
|
|
14 November 1967 |
13 January 1968 |
1. The Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs
2. The presidents of civil courts
3. Provincial governors |
|
|
Azerbaijan |
8 May 2004 |
2 March 2005 |
1. The Ministry of the Foreign Affairs;
2. The Ministry of Justice. |
|
Bahamas |
10 April 1976 |
10 July 1973 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
|
10 April 2013 |
31 December 2013 |
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
|
Barbados |
11 August 1995 |
30 November 1996 |
1. Advocate General
2. Representative of the Advocate General
3. Registrar of the Supreme Court
4. Registrar of Commercial Issues
5. Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
6. Chief of protocol |
|
Belarus |
16 June 1992 |
31 May 1992 |
1. Ministry of Education for documents issued by education institutions
2. Ministry of Justice for judicial documents
3. Archive offices
4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
11 December 1975 |
9 February 1976 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation |
|
|
17 July 1992 |
11 April 1993 |
Register Office of the Supreme Court |
|
|
Bolivia |
6 September 2017 |
7 May 2018 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
23 August 1993 |
6 March 1992 |
1.Courts of First Instance of Bosnia and Herzegovina
2. Municipal Courts of the 3. Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
4. Basic Courts of Republika Srpska
5. Basic Court of Brcko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina. |
|
Botswana |
16 September 1968 |
30 September 1966 |
30 September 1966 |
|
2 December 2015 |
14 August 2016 |
National Justice Council and local notaries in all municipalities. |
|
|
Cabo Verde |
7 May 2009 |
13 February 2010 |
1. The Directorate of Registers and Notarial Affairs
2. The Directorate of the Consular Service |
|
12 May 2023 |
11 January 2024 |
Global Affairs Canada |
|
|
Chile |
16 December 2016 |
30 August 2016 |
1. Ministry of Education and its regional secretariats.
2. Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.
3. Civil Registration and Identification Service.
4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
5. Ministry of Health. |
|
8 March 2023 |
7 November 2023 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
|
Colombia |
27 April 2000 |
30 January 2001 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
Cook Islands |
13 July 2004 |
30 April 2005 |
1. Ministry of Justice
2. Ministry of Immigration and Foreign Affairs
3. Ministry of National Security |
|
Costa Rica |
6 April 2011 |
14 December 2011 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
23 April 1993 |
8 October 1991 |
1. Municipal Courts 2. the Ministry of Justice and Administration. |
|
|
26 July 1972 |
30 April 1973 |
The Ministry of Justice and Public Order |
|
|
23 June 1998 |
16 March 1999 |
1. The Ministry of Justice 2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
|
30 October 2006 |
29 December 2006 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
|
Dominica |
22 October 2002 |
3 November 1978 |
Public Prosecutor |
|
Dominican Republic |
12 December 2008 |
30 August 2009 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
2 July 2004 |
2 April 2005 |
General Directorate for Legalization |
|
|
El Salvador |
14 September 1995 |
31 May 1996 |
Direccion de Asuntos Consulares |
|
11 December 2000 |
30 September 2001 |
Notaries supervised by ministry of justice |
|
|
Eswatini |
3 July 1978 |
6 September 1968 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
Fiji |
29 March 1971 |
10 0ctober 1970 |
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
13 march 1962 |
27 June 1985 |
All notaries public within the Local Register Offices |
|
|
France |
25 November 1965 |
24 January 1965 |
1. Court of Appeals (Paris)
2. Local Courts of Appeals |
|
21 August 2006 |
14 May 2007 |
1. The Civil Service Development Agency 2. National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement |
|
|
15 December 1965 |
13 February 1966 |
1. Federal Agency for Foreign Affairs 2. President of the German Patent and Trademark Office.
(For state-level documents, the responsible authority varies by state) |
|
|
19 March 1985 |
18 May 1985 |
1. The Regional Self-Government Offices 2. First Instance Courts 3. First-degree Local Government Organizations, and the Registry Offices. |
|
|
Grenada |
17 July 2001 |
7 April 2002 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade |
|
Guatemala |
19 January 2017 |
18 September 2017 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
Guyana |
30 July 2018 |
18 April 2019 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation |
|
Honduras |
20 January 2004 |
30 September 2004 |
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
18 April 1972 |
18 January 1973 |
1. The Ministry of Justice 2. The Hungarian Chamber of Civil Law Notaries 3. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs |
|
|
28 September 2004 |
27 November 2004 |
Ministry for Foreign Affairs |
|
|
26 October 2004 |
14 July 2005 |
The Ministry of External Affairs |
|
|
5 October 2021 |
4 June 2022 |
Ministry of Law and Human Rights |
|
|
8 January 1999 |
9 March 1999 |
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |
|
|
11 November 1977 |
14 August 1978 |
1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel 2. Registrars of Magistrates’ Courts. |
|
|
13 December 1977 |
11 February 1978 |
1. The public prosecutor at the courts in the jurisdiction where the documents were issued.
2. Prefecture (Prefettura) with territorial jurisdiction |
|
|
Jamaica |
2 November 2020 |
3 July 2021 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade |
|
28 May 1970 |
27 July 1970 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
|
Kazakhstan |
5 April 2000 |
30 January 2001 |
1. Ministry of Justice 2. Ministry of Education and Science 3. Ministry of Internal Affairs 4. ommittee of Information and Archives of the Ministry of Culture, Information and Sports 5. Committee on Judicial Administration 6. Ministry of Finance 7. Office of the Prosecutor General 8. Ministry of Defense 9. Committee on National Security |
|
Kosovo |
6 November 2015 |
14 July 2016 |
1. Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2. Agency for civil registration of the Ministry of Interior |
|
Kyrgyzstan |
15 November 2010 |
31 July 2011 |
1. Ministry of Justice
2. Ministry of Domestic Affairs
3. Public prosecutor’s office
4. National security service
5. Financial police
Court |
|
11 may 1995 |
30 January 1996 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
|
Lesotho |
24 April 1972 |
4 October 1966 |
1. The Attorney General
2. Permanent Secretaries at Courts and Ministries
3. Permanent Judges
4. Class 1 Magistrate
5. Authorized representatives of ministers |
|
Liberia |
24 May 1995 |
8 February 1996 |
1. Minister of Foreign Affairs, his deputies and assistants
2. Minister of Justice, his deputies and assistants
3. Secretary and Deputy Secretaries of the Supreme Court
4. Secretaries and deputy secretaries of district courts
5. Registrar and deputy registrar of corporations
6. Commissioner, Deputy Commissioners and Special Maritime Agents |
|
Liechtenstein |
19 July 1972 |
17 September 1972 |
The Government Office of the Princely Government |
|
5 November 1996 |
19 July 1997 |
1.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2. Lithuanian Chamber of Notaries. |
|
|
4 April 1979 |
3 June 1979 |
The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs |
|
|
Malawi |
24 February 1967 |
2 December 1967 |
1. Attorney General and Solicitor General
2. Permanent Secretary at the Government Ministry
3. Registrar of the Supreme Court
Principal Registrar
4. Public Notary
5. Permanent Judge |
|
12 June 1967 |
3 March 1968 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
|
|
Marshall Islands |
18 November 1991 |
14 August 1992 |
1. Minister of Foreign Affairs
2. Public Prosecutor
3. Secretary of the Super Court
3. Registrar
4. Maritime Registry |
|
Mauritius |
20 December 1968 |
12 March 1968 |
Ministry of Domestic Affairs |
|
1 December 1994 |
14 August 1995 |
1. Ministry of Domestic Affairs 2. Ministry of the Interior |
|
|
Monaco |
24 April 2002 |
31 December 2002 |
The Office of Authentications, Consular Department of the Direction des Services Judiciaires |
|
Mongolia |
2 April 2009 |
31 December 2009 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. |
|
Montenegro |
30 January 2007 |
3 June 2006 |
1. President of the Court 2. Ministry of Justice |
|
Morocco |
27 November 2015 |
14 August 2016 |
1. Royal Prosecutor’s Office for judicial and notarial douments
2. Ministry of Justice for ministerial documents
3. Government for all other documents |
|
Namibia |
25 April 2000 |
30 January 2001 |
1. Ministry of Justice
2. Supreme Court |
|
9 August 1965 |
8 October 1965 |
Rechtbanken (district courts) |
|
|
New Zealand |
7 February 2001 |
22 November 2001 |
Authentication Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
|
Nicaragua |
7 September 2012 |
14 May 2013 |
Ministry of Foreign Relations |
|
Niue |
10 June 1998 |
2 March 1999 |
1. Attorney General
2. Secretary of Finance
3. State Consul
4. Registrar of international companies
5. Registrar of the High Court
6. Government Secretary |
|
North Macedonia |
20 September 1993 |
17 November 1991 |
1. Ministry of Justice 2. 27 First Instance Courts |
|
30 May 1983 |
29 July 1983 |
1. The County Governors
2. Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
|
12 May 2011 |
30 January 2012 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
|
Pakistan |
8 July 2022 |
9 March 2023 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
Palau |
30 October 2019 |
23 June 2023 |
1. Supreme Court of Palau 2. Ministry of Justice |
|
Panama |
30 October 1990 |
4 August 1991 |
1. Supreme Court
2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
3. Ministry of Justice |
|
Paraguay |
10 December 2013 |
30 August 2014 |
Ministry of External Affairs |
|
Peru |
13 January 2010 |
30 September 2010 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
12 September 2018 |
14 May 2019 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
|
19 November 2004 |
14 September 2005 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
|
6 December 1968 |
4 February 1969 |
Attorney General of the Republic |
|
|
25 October 2006 |
14 July 2007 |
1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2. Ministry of Justice |
|
|
Republic of Moldova |
19 June 2006 |
16 March 2007 |
1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration 2. the Agency for Legal Information Technology Resources |
|
7 June 2000 |
16 March 2001 |
1. Offices of the Prefect 2. Chamber of Notaries 3. Bucharest Tribunal |
|
|
4 September 1991 |
31 may 1992 |
1. Registries
2. Ministry of Justice
3. Ministry of Domestic Affairs
4. Ministry of Defense
5. Educational Inspectorate
6. Archive Offices |
|
|
Rwanda |
6 October 2023 |
5 June 2024 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation |
|
Saint Kitts and Nevis |
26 February 1994 |
14 December 1994 |
1. Solicitor General
2. Attorney General
3. Secretary of the Prime Minister;
4. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
5. Registrar General of the Supreme Court. |
|
Saint Lucia |
5 December 2001 |
31 July 2002 |
1. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and his deputy
2. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and his deputy
3. Registrar General for corporate entities and copyright
4. Registrar General of the Supreme Court
5. Solicitor General |
|
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
2 May 2002 |
27 October 1979 |
1. President of the International Financial Service and his deputy 2. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
3. Registrar General of the Supreme Court
4. Administration of the International Financial Service
5. Consulate of the Ministry of Finance
|
|
Samoa |
18 January 1999 |
13 September 1999 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade |
|
San Marino |
26 May 1994 |
13 February 1995 |
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
Sao Tome and Principe |
19 December 2007 |
13 September 2008 |
Minister’s Office and the Consular Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
8 April 2022 |
7 December 2022 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
|
Senegal |
13 July 2022 |
23 March 2023 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
Serbia |
26 April 2001 |
27 April 1992 |
1. Ministry responsible for the administration of justice 2. Courts of first instance
|
|
Seychelles |
9 June 1978 |
31 March 1979 |
1. Public Prosecutor’s Office 2. Supreme Court
3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
18 January 2021 |
16 September 2021 |
Singapore Academy of Law |
|
|
6 June 2001 |
18 February 2002 |
1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2. The District Office 3. The Ministry of Justice 4. The Ministry of Education 5. The Ministry of Health 6. The Ministry of Interior 7. The Ministry of Defense 8. The District Office 9. All Regional Courts |
|
|
8 June 1992 |
25 June 1991 |
1. District Courts throughout Slovenia
2. The Ministry of Justice |
|
|
3 August 1994 |
30 April 1995 |
Department of International Relations and Cooperation |
|
|
27 July 1978 |
25 September 1979 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
|
Suriname |
29 October 1976 |
25 November 1975 |
Registrar of the Supreme Court |
|
2 March 1999 |
1 May 1999 |
Notaries Public |
|
|
10 January 1973 |
11 March 1973 |
1. Cantonal Authorities 2. Federal Chancellery |
|
|
Tajikistan |
20 February 2015 |
31 October 2015 |
1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2. Ministry of Justice |
|
Tonga |
28 October 1971 |
4 June 1970 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Citizenship |
|
Trinidad and Tobago |
28 October 1999 |
14 July 2000 |
1. General Registrar
2. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education
3. Chief of Protocol of the Ministry of Industrial Development, Foreign Affairs and Tourism |
|
Tunisia |
10 July 2017 |
30 March 2018 |
Ministry of Foreign Affaires |
|
31 July 1985 |
29 September 1985 |
1. Director of the Committee of Legal Affairs 2. local Presidium of the Committee of Legal Affairs. 3. County commissioner (Kaymakam) or governor (Valilik) |
|
|
Ukraine |
2 April 2003 |
22 December 2003 |
1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2. The State Tax Service 3. The State Migration Service 4. The Ministry of Education and Science 5. The Ministry of Justice 6. The Ministry of Internal Affairs |
|
21 August 1964 |
24 January 1965 |
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) |
|
|
24 December 1980 |
15 October 1981 |
1. U.S. Department of State 2. Secretary of State’s office (Each of the 50states) |
|
|
Uruguay |
9 February 2012 |
14 October 2012 |
1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2. Ministry of Internal Affairs |
|
Uzbekistan |
25 July 2011 |
15 April 2012 |
1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2. The Supreme Court 3. The Ministry of Justice 4. The State Testing Center 5. The Prosecutor General’s Office |
|
Vanuatu |
1 August 2008 |
30 July 1980 |
1. Department of Foreign Affairs
2. Commission for Financial Services |
|
Venezuela |
1 July 1998 |
16 March 1999 |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
When a new country joins the HCCH, existing countries can choose to object the decision within six months. If any of the country objects, the conditions of the convention are not applicable between the objected country and the new joiner. However, the country still can join the convention. Thus, the objection indicates that, even though both parties are members of Hague apostille convention, an apostille will not be accepted as legalization method among those countries.
For example, India objected China joining Hague apostille convention. Thus, India will not accept Chinese Apostille. However, China can choose either to accept or not to accept Indian apostille. As of now, China has not yet informed about rejecting Indian apostille. Similar is the case with the below listed countries.
Hague Apostille Member Countries and Objections to Their Membership
| Country Name | Countries That Objected to Their Hague Convention Membership |
|---|---|
|
Azerbaijan |
Germany, Belgium |
|
Bangladesh |
Lithuania, Argentina, Denmark, France, Greece, Estonia , Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany |
|
Burundi |
Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, |
|
China |
India |
|
Dominican Republic |
Germany |
|
India |
Germany |
|
Kosovo |
Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, Chile, People’s Republic of China (for the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions), Cyprus, Ecuador, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Mauritius, Mexico, Republic of Moldova, Namibia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Venezuela. |
|
Kyrgyzstan |
Belgium, Austria, Greece |
|
Liberia |
Belgium, Germany |
|
Mongolia |
Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece. |
|
Morocco |
Germany |
|
Pakistan |
Greece, Denmark, Netherlands , Finland, Austria , Poland, The Czech Republic , Germany. |
|
Philippines |
Germany, Finland |
|
Republic of Moldova |
Germany |
|
Rwanda |
Germany |
|
Senegal |
Germany, Netherlands, Austria |
|
Tajikistan |
Austria, Belgium and Germany |
|
Tunisia |
Germany, Austria, Greece, Belgium |
|
Uzbekistan |
Germany, Austria, Greece, Belgium |
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Frequently asked questions
Yes. India joined Hague apostille convention in 2005. Thus, Indian documents submitting to any other Hague country requires only an apostille from the ministry of external affairs.
At present there are 127 contracting parties in the Hague apostille convention. This includes countries that have joined without convention has not yet entered into force.
Hague Apostille Convention also known as Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, is an international treaty which made legalization of foreign documents easier process. Member Countries accept documents from another member country with an apostille as a valid legal document without obtaining an embassy attestation.
Hague Apostille stamp in India is a certification from the ministry of external affairs on your Indian documents to legalize the use of those documents in another Hague country. As a member of Hague apostille country India provides and accepts document apostille.