Apostille
A certificate issued by a country's designated Competent Authority, in the United States the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications, that verifies the signature, seal, or stamp on a public document so it can be recognized in another country that belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention. An apostille attaches to the document and requires no further review once issued. See what is an apostille for a fuller explanation.
Authentication (certificate)
A certificate issued by the U.S. Department of State that verifies a federal document's signature or seal, used instead of an apostille when the destination country is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention. An authentication is not the final step. It is typically followed by an embassy legalization step at the destination country's embassy or consulate. See apostille vs authentication.
Legalization
The general term for confirming a document's authenticity so it can be used in another country. Embassy legalization specifically refers to the final stamp or certificate added by a foreign embassy or consulate, after the U.S. Department of State's federal authentication, for documents headed to countries that have not joined the Hague Apostille Convention. See embassy legalization.
Hague Apostille Convention
The international treaty, formally the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, that created the apostille system. Member countries agree to accept each other's apostilled documents without further embassy legalization. See the full Hague Convention countries list.
Office of Authentications
The office within the U.S. Department of State, located in Washington, DC, that issues apostilles and authentication certificates for federal documents. We hand deliver documents to this office in person, which is the basis of our faster turnaround compared to submitting by mail. See how it works.
Certified Copy
A copy of a document that carries its own seal and signature from the issuing agency confirming that it is a true copy of the original. The Office of Authentications accepts either an original document or a properly certified copy, but not a plain, uncertified photocopy. See document requirements for more.
Notarization
A notary public's certification that a signature on a document was signed in their presence. Notarizing a document that is headed for a federal authentication, rather than an apostille, at the wrong time or unnecessarily can void the document's underlying seal. See document requirements for this important rule.
Embassy and Consulate
The official diplomatic offices of a foreign country located in the United States. For destination countries that are not Hague Apostille Convention members, the destination country's embassy or consulate adds the final legalization stamp after our federal authentication step is complete. See embassy legalization.
Identity History Summary (FBI background check)
The official name for what is commonly called an FBI background check, a summary of certain federal criminal history record information issued by the FBI. A No Record result is still an official FBI document and still qualifies for a federal apostille or authentication. See FBI background check apostille.
Federal vs State documents
Federal documents are issued by agencies of the U.S. government, such as the FBI, IRS, FDA, USDA, USPTO, SSA, or federal courts, and are apostilled or authenticated by the U.S. Department of State. State documents, such as birth certificates or state notarized paperwork, are issued at the state level and go through a separate state apostille process that we do not offer. See state vs federal apostille.
Form DS-4194
The official cover sheet form required by the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications, for apostille and authentication requests. It accompanies each document submitted, whether by mail or in person, and identifies the requester and the destination country. We prepare this form as part of preparing your submission. See how it works for where this fits in the process.