What is an apostille?

Under the Hague Convention, signatory countries have agreed to recognize public documents issued by other signatory countries, if those public documents are authenticated by the attachment of an internationally recognized form of authentication known as an “apostille.” The apostille ensures that public documents issued in one signatory country will be recognized as valid in another signatory country.

Japan, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are signatory countries of the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents from 1961.