Apostille glossary
Apostille and Document Authentication Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the terms you meet when you prepare a U.S. document for use abroad. One clear answer per term, reviewed for accuracy by our team.
What is an apostille?
An apostille is a certificate that authenticates the seal and signature on a public document so a foreign country accepts it as genuine. It is issued under the 1961 Hague Convention and recognized by more than 120 member countries.
An apostille does not verify the content of your document. It confirms the official who signed or sealed it had the authority to do so. Once attached, a member country treats the document as valid with no embassy step.
State documents are apostilled by the Secretary of State in the issuing state. Federal documents are apostilled by the U.S. Department of State.
Related: All apostille services
What is document authentication?
Document authentication is the federal step that certifies the signatures and seals on a U.S. document bound for a country outside the Hague Convention. The U.S. Department of State performs it before the document goes to an embassy for legalization.
Authentication is the non-Hague equivalent of an apostille. The document moves up a chain: the issuing office, then the state, then the U.S. Department of State, then the destination country's embassy. Countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar require this longer path.
Related: Authentication and legalization
What is a certified copy?
A certified copy is an official copy of a record issued and stamped by the office that holds the original, such as a state or county vital records office. It carries the registrar's signature and an official seal.
A certified copy is what a foreign government accepts for an apostille. A photocopy, a hospital souvenir certificate, or a commemorative ceremony certificate is not a certified copy and is not eligible for an apostille. For citizenship and residency, the long-form certified copy is usually required.
Related: Birth certificate apostille
What is a certified translation?
A certified translation is a complete translation of a document paired with a signed statement from the translator attesting that the translation is accurate and complete.
Many countries require a certified translation alongside the apostille so their officials can read the document. The translation is often attached to the apostilled original. Some countries require the translation be done by a translator they authorize in their own country.
Related: Certified translation services
What is a competent authority?
A competent authority is the office a country designates to issue apostilles. In the United States, the competent authority is the Secretary of State for state documents and the U.S. Department of State for federal documents.
Sending a document to the wrong authority is a common delay. A state-issued birth certificate goes to that state's Secretary of State, not the federal government. A federal FBI background check goes to the U.S. Department of State.
What is a Consular Report of Birth Abroad?
A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) is a federal document that records the birth of a U.S. citizen born outside the United States. Because it is federal, it is apostilled by the U.S. Department of State, not a state office.
Parents who registered a child's foreign birth with a U.S. embassy receive a CRBA. For dual citizenship or residency abroad, the CRBA is apostilled at the federal level rather than by a state.
Related: Birth certificate apostille
What is an FBI background check apostille?
An FBI background check, officially the Identity History Summary, is a federal record of a person's criminal history held by the FBI. For use abroad it is apostilled by the U.S. Department of State.
Work visas, residency, and Golden Visa applications often require an apostilled FBI background check. The report is obtained as a PDF, so the process is fully remote. Some countries also accept a state background check, which follows the state apostille path instead.
Related: FBI report apostille
What is the Hague Apostille Convention?
The Hague Apostille Convention is a 1961 treaty that lets a single certificate, the apostille, replace the longer chain of embassy legalization between member countries. More than 120 countries are members.
Its full name is the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. If both the issuing and destination countries are members, an apostille is all you need. If the destination is not a member, the document needs authentication and consular legalization instead.
What is legalization?
Legalization, also called consular legalization, is the process of getting a document approved by the destination country's embassy or consulate so the country accepts it. It applies to countries outside the Hague Convention.
Legalization is the final step in the non-Hague chain, after U.S. Department of State authentication. The embassy of the destination country reviews the document and adds its own certification. The path has more steps, more fees, and longer timelines than an apostille.
Related: Authentication and legalization
Long-form vs short-form certificate: what is the difference?
A long-form certificate is a full certified copy of a vital record that shows complete details with the registrar's signature and seal. A short-form certificate is an abstract showing only basic facts. Many countries accept only the long-form for an apostille.
For citizenship by descent and residency, the long-form birth certificate is almost always required because it lists the parents' names that link one generation to the next. A short-form abstract is a frequent reason an application is rejected abroad.
Related: Birth certificate apostille
What is notarization?
Notarization is the act of a notary public confirming the identity of a person signing a document and witnessing the signature. It applies to documents a person signs, not to records a government office already issued.
A notary stamp does not replace an apostille and does not verify the content of a document. A vital record like a birth certificate usually does not need notarization. Documents you sign yourself, such as a power of attorney or an affidavit, often need notarization before they are apostilled.
Related: Notary public service
What is the Secretary of State's role in an apostille?
The Secretary of State is the state office that issues apostilles for documents created in that state. A document is apostilled by the Secretary of State in the state where it was issued, regardless of where the person now lives.
A Texas birth certificate is apostilled by Texas. A New York marriage certificate is apostilled by New York. Federal documents are the exception and go to the U.S. Department of State.
Related: Apostille by state
What is a single status affidavit?
A single status affidavit, sometimes called a Certificate of No Impediment, is a sworn statement that a person is legally free to marry. Many countries require it, apostilled, before a foreign marriage.
The affidavit is signed in front of a notary, then apostilled like any signed document. Couples marrying in countries such as Italy, Mexico, or Greece often need it alongside an apostilled birth certificate.
Related: Marriage certificate apostille
What is a vital record?
A vital record is a government record of a major life event: birth, death, marriage, or divorce. Vital records are held by state and county offices and are apostilled by the Secretary of State in the issuing state.
Vital records are the documents most often apostilled for use abroad. Because they are state records, they follow the state apostille path, not the federal one.
Related: All apostille services
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