What Is an Apostille? A Complete Guide for Expats Moving Abroad

Table of Contents

• What Is an Apostille?
• The Hague Apostille Convention
• How an Apostille Works
• Getting US Documents Apostilled
• Which Documents Need an Apostille?
• Apostilles for LatAm Residency
• Cost and Timeline
• What If the Country Isn’t in the Hague Convention?
• Frequently Asked Questions

If you’re applying for residency in Latin America, getting your documents apostilled is one of the first concrete steps — and it’s often the step that creates the most confusion. People google “apostille” and find themselves reading about 1961 international conventions without any practical guidance on what to actually do. This guide cuts through all of that. Here’s what an apostille is, why you need it, which documents require it, and how to get it done as quickly as possible.

What Is an Apostille?

An apostille is an authentication certificate that makes a document from one country legally valid in another country. It’s a standardized certificate — established by the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (1961) — that verifies a document’s authenticity without requiring full diplomatic legalization.

Think of it as an internationally recognized stamp of legitimacy. When a Mexican immigration officer receives your apostilled US birth certificate, the apostille tells them: this document was issued by the proper US authority, and the signature and seal on it are genuine. They don’t need to contact the US embassy to verify it — the apostille handles the chain of trust.

The apostille itself is typically a separate certificate attached to the original document (or printed directly on the back) bearing the title “Apostille” in French (the official Convention language), plus key details: the country it was issued in, the name of the person who signed the document, their capacity, the date, the issuing authority, and an authentication seal.

The Hague Apostille Convention

The Hague Apostille Convention entered into force in 1965 and has been signed by 124+ countries as of 2026. Member countries agree to accept each other’s apostilles without further authentication. Before the Convention, getting a foreign document recognized in another country required a lengthy chain of certifications from the issuing authority all the way through the local embassy — a process that could take months. The apostille collapsed that chain into a single certification.

Major LatAm Hague members: Mexico, Colombia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela — all are full Hague Convention members and accept apostilles for their immigration and legal processes.

Notable non-members (require embassy legalization, not apostille): China, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Kuwait. If you need documents for one of these countries, the process is different — see the “What If the Country Isn’t in the Hague Convention?” section below.

How an Apostille Works

The apostille is issued by a “competent authority” designated by each country. In the United States, there are two levels:

• State-level documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, state criminal background checks, state court records, notarized documents): apostilled by the Secretary of State of the state where the document was issued.
• Federal documents (FBI Identity History Summary / background check, documents from federal agencies, documents authenticated by the US State Department): apostilled by the US Department of State’s Office of Authentications in Washington, DC.

The apostille does not validate the content of a document — it only certifies that the document was issued by the proper authority. If your birth certificate contains an error, the apostille certifies that it was a genuine certificate issued by the correct state authority, error and all. Content errors must be corrected through the issuing agency before apostilling.

Getting US Documents Apostilled

State documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, state background check):

1. Obtain a certified copy of the document from the issuing agency (vital records office, county clerk, state police). Certified copies have the official seal — photocopies cannot be apostilled.
2. Submit the certified copy to the Secretary of State of the state where it was issued, along with the apostille fee ($10–20 per document in most states) and a cover letter requesting an apostille.
3. Turnaround varies by state: California takes 5–15 business days; Texas 5–10; New York 3–8; Florida 3–5; many smaller states offer same-day or next-day walk-in service.

Federal documents (FBI background check):

1. Obtain your FBI Identity History Summary (IHS) directly from the FBI (mail-in: 6–8 weeks; FBI-approved channeler like Identogo: 2–3 business days for digital delivery).
2. Submit the FBI IHS to the US State Department’s Office of Authentications in Washington, DC for the apostille. Standard processing: 6–8 weeks. Expedited through registered agencies: 5–10 business days.

Using a service like ApostilleUSA handles both state and federal document apostilles end-to-end — you mail your documents to them, they handle submission to the correct state or federal authority, and return apostilled documents to you. For people preparing multiple documents across multiple states (e.g., born in California, married in Texas, living in New York), this coordination alone justifies the service fee.

Which Documents Need an Apostille?

Apostilles for LatAm Residency

Every major Latin American residency program requires apostilled foreign documents. The standard minimum package is:

• Apostilled birth certificate — always required; for citizenship-by-descent applications, may also need birth/death certificates of parents or grandparents, all apostilled
• Apostilled criminal background check — FBI IHS (federal) or state police check depending on the country’s requirements; some countries require both; some accept just state-level for recent residents
• Apostilled marriage certificate — if married; usually required even if the spouse is not part of the application

Some countries add requirements:

• Paraguay: Also requires an apostilled certificate from your current country of residence confirming no criminal record there (in addition to the US FBI check)
• Mexico: Accepts state-level background checks apostilled by the issuing state’s Secretary of State
• Chile: Requires all foreign documents to also be translated into Spanish by a sworn translator (traductor oficial) registered in Chile — the apostille and the certified translation are both required
• Colombia: Accepts both FBI and state background checks

Documents for LatAm residency must also be translated into Spanish by a certified translator. The apostille is done first; the translator then translates the apostilled document. Some countries require the translation to be certified by the local consul, but this is becoming less common.

Cost and Timeline

Budget tip: If you’re moving to Latin America, request 2–3 certified copies of each vital record at the same time — the extra copies cost a few dollars each but save you from requesting them again if your residency application requires an additional set (or if one gets rejected for condition).

What If the Country Isn’t in the Hague Convention?

For non-Hague countries, documents require “legalization” — a multi-step chain of authentications rather than a single apostille. The typical chain for a US document going to China, UAE, or another non-Hague country:

1. State-level certification (Secretary of State)
2. US State Department authentication
3. Embassy of the destination country in Washington, DC (final authentication)

This process takes 2–6 weeks and costs significantly more than an apostille. For Latin American destinations, this is not relevant — all major LatAm countries are Hague members.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an apostille?
A standardized authentication certificate from the Hague Convention (1961) that makes a document from one country legally valid in another member country. Issued by the Secretary of State (state docs) or US State Department (federal docs).

Which countries accept apostilles?
124+ Hague member countries, including all major Latin American countries. Non-members (China, UAE) require embassy legalization instead.

How much does a US apostille cost?
Government fee: $10–20 per document (state), $20 (federal). Using a service: $75–250 total per document depending on type and speed.

Do I need apostilles for LatAm residency?
Yes — virtually every LatAm residency program requires apostilled birth certificate and criminal background check at minimum. Married applicants also need an apostilled marriage certificate.

Can I do it myself?
Yes — mail documents to the Secretary of State or State Department directly. Services like ApostilleUSA are faster and handle the logistics, especially for multi-state or FBI documents.

Related: US Apostille Service · How to Apostille US Documents · Apostille Checklist · Birth Certificate · FBI Background Check

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