The Apostille Convention: complete English text and explanation

Notary Geek explanation

How to read the treaty and our explanations

This page places the complete English treaty wording beside separately labelled original explanations. “Convention text” sections reproduce the preamble, all fifteen articles, closing clause and annexed model’s wording. “Explanation” sections are our reading aid, not additional treaty provisions. Source links identify the official English text and model.

The English and French texts are authentic, and the closing clause says the French text prevails in case of divergence. The related topic guides explain current HCCH guidance and practical issues in more detail. The original treaty wording alone does not resolve every national procedure, territorial relationship, electronic implementation or recipient condition.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Title, date and preamble, PDF page 1; signature and authentic-language clause, PDF page 4
• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Official full-text HTML: title/date, preamble, Articles 1–15 and closing clause; Article 4 links the model separately
• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Annex to the Convention, Model of certificate; one-page PDF: dimension sentence, French title, ten numbered fields and grouping labels

Convention rule

Convention text — title, date and preamble

CONVENTION ABOLISHING THE REQUIREMENT OF LEGALISATION FOR FOREIGN PUBLIC DOCUMENTS

(Concluded 5 October 1961)

The States signatory to the present Convention,

Desiring to abolish the requirement of diplomatic or consular legalisation for foreign public documents,

Have resolved to conclude a Convention to this effect and have agreed upon the following provisions:

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Title, date and preamble, PDF page 1; signature and authentic-language clause, PDF page 4

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 1

The present Convention shall apply to public documents which have been executed in the territory of one Contracting State and which have to be produced in the territory of another Contracting State.

For the purposes of the present Convention, the following are deemed to be public documents:

a) documents emanating from an authority or an official connected with the courts or tribunals of the State, including those emanating from a public prosecutor, a clerk of a court or a process-server ("huissier de justice");

b) administrative documents;

c) notarial acts;

d) official certificates which are placed on documents signed by persons in their private capacity, such as official certificates recording the registration of a document or the fact that it was in existence on a certain date and official and notarial authentications of signatures.

However, the present Convention shall not apply:

a) to documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents;

b) to administrative documents dealing directly with commercial or customs operations.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 1(1), 1(2)(a)–(d), 1(3)(a)–(b); PDF page 1

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 1 — Scope: identify the public document before choosing a route

Article 1 sets the Convention’s cross-border scope, gives four public-document categories and states two exclusions. Begin with the official act or certificate actually being authenticated: a private agreement and the notarial authentication placed on it are different things. This matters because an apostille on the latter does not turn every statement in the agreement into an official finding.

Identify where that public act was executed, where it will be produced, and whether the Convention operates for that relationship. Then read the public-document and copies-and-translations guides for classification and exclusions. The commercial-or-customs wording does not justify treating every business document as excluded; its interpretation requires the relevant HCCH guidance and the actual document.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 1(1), 1(2)(a)–(d), 1(3)(a)–(b); PDF page 1
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Three, §§102–110, printed pp51–53; footnotes 61–66
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Three, §§123–138, printed pp54–57; footnotes 68–79

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 2

Each Contracting State shall exempt from legalisation documents to which the present Convention applies and which have to be produced in its territory.

For the purposes of the present Convention, legalisation means only the formality by which the diplomatic or consular agents of the country in which the document has to be produced certify the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which it bears.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 2; PDF page 1

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 2 — Legalisation has a specific meaning here

Article 2 requires exemption from the defined diplomatic or consular authentication formality for documents within the Convention. It explains why a valid Convention route should not acquire an additional consular certification step merely to authenticate the same signature, capacity or seal.

When a checklist asks for “legalisation”, identify which formality it means. A translation, a prescribed underlying record or a substantive filing condition is a different question from the consular authentication defined here. The recipient-requirements guide separates those issues; Article 2 alone does not settle every use requirement.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 2; PDF page 1

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 3

The only formality that may be required in order to certify the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which it bears, is the addition of the certificate described in Article 4, issued by the competent authority of the State from which the document emanates.

However, the formality mentioned in the preceding paragraph cannot be required when either the laws, regulations, or practice in force in the State where the document is produced or an agreement between two or more Contracting States have abolished or simplified it, or exempt the document itself from legalisation.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 3(1)–(2); PDF pages 1–2

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 3 — An authentication ceiling, with room for a simpler route

Article 3 makes the origin State’s competent-authority apostille the only formality that may be required for the specified origin authentication within the Convention. Its second paragraph also preserves applicable exemptions and simplifications. The practical result can be an apostille or no authentication at all, rather than a mandatory purchase for every document crossing a border.

Identify the applicable destination law, regulation, practice or agreement if relying on a simpler route, and retain its written basis. If authentication remains necessary, use the designated origin authority. Read the start and competent-authorities guides; this authentication ceiling does not establish the underlying document’s substantive effect.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 3(1)–(2); PDF pages 1–2

Choose the next step from the facts

1. If: An applicable written rule dispenses with authentication for this document and use.

   Then: Retain the rule and use the prescribed simpler route; an apostille need not be added merely because the document crosses a border.

   Outcome: no apostille needed

   • Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 3(1)–(2); PDF pages 1–2
   • Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 8–9; PDF page 2

2. If: The Convention applies and origin authentication remains required.

   Then: Identify the designated origin authority and follow its supported procedure; do not add a consular authentication of the same origin.

   Outcome: check route

   • Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 3(1)–(2); PDF pages 1–2
   • Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 6; PDF page 2

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 4

The certificate referred to in the first paragraph of Article 3 shall be placed on the document itself or on an "allonge"; it shall be in the form of the model annexed to the present Convention.

It may, however, be drawn up in the official language of the authority which issues it. The standard terms appearing therein may be in a second language also. The title "Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)" shall be in the French language.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 4(1)–(2); PDF page 2

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 4 — Placement, model and language are treaty questions

Article 4 requires the certificate on the document or an allonge, an attached sheet, in the annexed model’s form. It permits the issuing authority’s official language and a second language for standard terms, while retaining the French apostille title. A recipient’s preferred language or visual style should therefore be tested against the actual treaty requirements rather than assumed to control the issuer’s certificate.

Read the separate model text below and the issuance guide together. This is the original treaty wording; later HCCH implementation guidance explains electronic attachment and acceptable variations. Do not convert the model into an automatic rejection checklist or detach, resize or rewrite an issued certificate yourself.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 4(1)–(2); PDF page 2
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Four, §§221–240, printed pp74–79; model p74 and table pp78–79
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Four, §§245–251, printed pp80–81; footnotes 138–141
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Five, §§294–306, printed pp91–93; footnotes 154–169

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 5

The certificate shall be issued at the request of the person who has signed the document or of any bearer.

When properly filled in, it will certify the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears.

The signature, seal and stamp on the certificate are exempt from all certification.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 5(1)–(3); PDF page 2

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 5 — Who requests it, what it certifies and where certification ends

Article 5 permits a request by the signer or a bearer and defines the properly completed certificate’s authentication effect: signature, official capacity and, where appropriate, seal or stamp. It also exempts the apostille’s own signature, seal and stamp from further certification. That is why an apostille is not the start of another authentication chain.

Identify the actual official whose origin is certified, then distinguish that official act from the contents or legal effect of the underlying document. Follow the office’s supported request procedure and any applicable representative requirements. The meaning and competent-authorities guides explain these boundaries; “bearer” does not itself grant access to somebody else’s restricted source records.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 5(1)–(3); PDF page 2
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part One, §§21–28, printed pp31–32; footnotes 21–24
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Four, §§189–192, printed p69

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 6

Each Contracting State shall designate by reference to their official function, the authorities who are competent to issue the certificate referred to in the first paragraph of Article 3.

It shall give notice of such designation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands at the time it deposits its instrument of ratification or of accession or its declaration of extension. It shall also give notice of any change in the designated authorities.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 6; PDF page 2

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 6 — A competent authority is designated, not self-appointed

Article 6 requires States to designate issuing authorities by official function and notify the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including changes. This creates an identifiable official issuing role; offering apostille assistance commercially is not itself that role.

Use the maintained HCCH competent-authority records to find the relevant authority and its current document remit. For a disputed historical issuance, identify the designation and notification applicable at that time rather than relying only on today’s contact page. The competent-authorities guide distinguishes the issuing authority from helpers and preliminary certification offices.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 6; PDF page 2
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Two, §§51–53, printed p40, footnote 33; Part Four, §§213–214, printed pp72–73

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 7

Each of the authorities designated in accordance with Article 6 shall keep a register or card index in which it shall record the certificates issued, specifying:

a) the number and date of the certificate,

b) the name of the person signing the public document and the capacity in which he has acted, or in the case of unsigned documents, the name of the authority which has affixed the seal or stamp.

At the request of any interested person, the authority which has issued the certificate shall verify whether the particulars in the certificate correspond with those in the register or card index.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 7(1)–(2); PDF page 2

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 7 — Verification compares certificate particulars with the issuer’s record

Article 7 requires an issuing register or card index containing specified certificate particulars and an issuer comparison at an interested person’s request. The reason for checking is to establish whether the presented apostille matches the issuance record; this is different from deciding whether the underlying assertions are true.

Copy the certificate number, date and relevant identifying particulars accurately and use the issuer’s official verification channel. The treaty does not require every register to be an open search website. Read the verification guide if there is no public search result, the data do not match or the electronic original cannot be opened; keep the precise failure unresolved until examined.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 7(1)–(2); PDF page 2
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Four, §§267–281, printed pp84–86; footnotes 145–149

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 8

When a treaty, convention or agreement between two or more Contracting States contains provisions which subject the certification of a signature, seal or stamp to certain formalities, the present Convention will only override such provisions if those formalities are more rigorous than the formality referred to in Articles 3 and 4.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 8–9; PDF page 2

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 8 — Other agreements can preserve a less demanding route

Article 8 addresses certification formalities in agreements between Contracting States. The Convention overrides those provisions only when their formalities are more rigorous than Articles 3 and 4. It therefore does not automatically displace an agreement that makes authentication easier.

Identify the actual agreement, the parties, document category and applicable date before claiming a simpler route. Read it alongside Article 3(2), rather than assuming an apostille must be added because both countries participate in the Convention. The start guide explains how an exemption can remove an unnecessary step.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 8–9; PDF page 2

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 9

Each Contracting State shall take the necessary steps to prevent the performance of legalisations by its diplomatic or consular agents in cases where the present Convention provides for exemption.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 8–9; PDF page 2

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 9 — Preventing an unnecessary consular layer is a State obligation

Article 9 requires each Contracting State to take steps to prevent its diplomatic or consular agents performing legalisations where the Convention provides exemption. It reinforces the removal of an authentication chain, rather than inviting an additional consular endorsement of a valid apostille.

If such an endorsement is requested, preserve the exact instruction and identify whether it concerns the covered authentication or a separate consular service. Use the recipient-requirements guide to frame that discrepancy. Article 9 does not prohibit every unrelated service that a consulate might lawfully provide.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 8–9; PDF page 2

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 10

The present Convention shall be open for signature by the States represented at the Ninth Session of the Hague Conference on Private International Law and Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein and Turkey.

It shall be ratified, and the instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 10–15 in full; Article 10 PDF page 2, Articles 11–15 PDF page 3

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 10 — Signature and ratification are the original joining route

Article 10 identifies the States to which the Convention was open for signature and requires ratification instruments to be deposited in the Netherlands. It describes a treaty-making route, rather than an application procedure for an individual’s document.

Do not treat a signature date, HCCH membership or an issuing office’s existence as proof that this Convention is already applicable. Consult the maintained status record and Article 11’s entry-into-force rule. Other States’ accession route is addressed separately in Article 12.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 10–15 in full; Article 10 PDF page 2, Articles 11–15 PDF page 3

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 11

The present Convention shall enter into force on the sixtieth day after the deposit of the third instrument of ratification referred to in the second paragraph of Article 10.

The Convention shall enter into force for each signatory State which ratifies subsequently on the sixtieth day after the deposit of its instrument of ratification.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 10–15 in full; Article 10 PDF page 2, Articles 11–15 PDF page 3

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 11 — Ratification and entry into force are different events

Article 11 supplies the entry-into-force timetable for the original ratification route: the sixtieth day after the third deposit, and the sixtieth day after a later signatory’s own deposit. This interval explains why a deposit date alone does not establish that the Convention was in force on the relevant date.

Use the official status table’s entry-into-force date and linked notifications for the actual State and historical question. Do not apply Article 11’s timetable indiscriminately to accessions: Article 12 has a different sequence involving an objection period. The start guide explains why the origin-to-destination relationship must be checked.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 10–15 in full; Article 10 PDF page 2, Articles 11–15 PDF page 3

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 12

Any State not referred to in Article 10 may accede to the present Convention after it has entered into force in accordance with the first paragraph of Article 11. The instrument of accession shall be deposited with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

Such accession shall have effect only as regards the relations between the acceding State and those Contracting States which have not raised an objection to its accession in the six months after the receipt of the notification referred to in sub-paragraph d) of Article 15. Any such objection shall be notified to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

The Convention shall enter into force as between the acceding State and the States which have raised no objection to its accession on the sixtieth day after the expiry of the period of six months mentioned in the preceding paragraph.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 10–15 in full; Article 10 PDF page 2, Articles 11–15 PDF page 3

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 12 — An accession must be tested as a relationship

Article 12 allows accession by States outside Article 10 and makes its effect depend on the absence of an objection in the specified six-month period, followed by the stated sixty-day interval. A list containing both State names therefore cannot by itself establish that the Convention operates between them.

Read the maintained status entry, objection notes and relevant depositary notifications for the two States and date. Keep an unresolved objection or effective-date question explicit instead of treating an apostille as universally portable. The start guide addresses bilateral application and later developments; the treaty text here is not a replacement membership dataset.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 10–15 in full; Article 10 PDF page 2, Articles 11–15 PDF page 3
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Three, §§78–83, printed pp47–48; especially §82 on withdrawal and issuance date; footnotes 48–51

Choose the next step from the facts

1. If: Both State names are listed but an objection, withdrawal or effective date remains unresolved.

   Then: Read the relevant maintained note and actual notification; do not infer an applicable bilateral relationship from the two names.

   Outcome: need facts

   • Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 10–15 in full; Article 10 PDF page 2, Articles 11–15 PDF page 3
   • Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Three, §§78–83, printed pp47–48; especially §82 on withdrawal and issuance date; footnotes 48–51

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 13

Any State may, at the time of signature, ratification or accession, declare that the present Convention shall extend to all the territories for the international relations of which it is responsible, or to one or more of them. Such a declaration shall take effect on the date of entry into force of the Convention for the State concerned.

At any time thereafter, such extensions shall be notified to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

When the declaration of extension is made by a State which has signed and ratified, the Convention shall enter into force for the territories concerned in accordance with Article 11. When the declaration of extension is made by a State which has acceded, the Convention shall enter into force for the territories concerned in accordance with Article 12.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 10–15 in full; Article 10 PDF page 2, Articles 11–15 PDF page 3

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 13 — A State’s participation does not answer every territorial question

Article 13 provides for extending the Convention to territories for whose international relations a State is responsible. It distinguishes declarations at signature, ratification or accession from later notifications and directs entry into force through Article 11 or 12 according to the State’s joining route.

Identify the actual origin and destination territories, then inspect the relevant extension and effective-date record. Do not infer coverage solely from a mainland name or postal address. Use the start guide’s territorial analysis; a particular unit’s coverage and the applicable relationship remain questions for the actual records.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 10–15 in full; Article 10 PDF page 2, Articles 11–15 PDF page 3
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Three, §§68–71, printed p46; footnotes 40–44

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 14

The present Convention shall remain in force for five years from the date of its entry into force in accordance with the first paragraph of Article 11, even for States which have ratified it or acceded to it subsequently.

If there has been no denunciation, the Convention shall be renewed tacitly every five years.

Any denunciation shall be notified to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands at least six months before the end of the five year period.

It may be limited to certain of the territories to which the Convention applies.

The denunciation will only have effect as regards the State which has notified it. The Convention shall remain in force for the other Contracting States.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 10–15 in full; Article 10 PDF page 2, Articles 11–15 PDF page 3

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 14 — Treaty renewal is not an apostille expiration date

Article 14 concerns the Convention’s duration, automatic five-year renewals and denunciation by a State, including a possible territorial limitation. Those periods govern the treaty relationship; they do not state that an individual apostille expires every five years.

For a historical or changed-relationship question, check the actual denunciation notification, affected territory and effective date. For a recipient’s demand for a recent underlying record, examine that separate demand in the recipient-requirements guide. This article alone does not determine every consequence for a previously issued document.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 10–15 in full; Article 10 PDF page 2, Articles 11–15 PDF page 3

Convention rule

Convention text — Article 15

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands shall give notice to the States referred to in Article 10, and to the States which have acceded in accordance with Article 12, of the following:

a) the notifications referred to in the second paragraph of Article 6;

b) the signatures and ratifications referred to in Article 10;

c) the date on which the present Convention enters into force in accordance with the first paragraph of Article 11;

d) the accessions and objections referred to in Article 12 and the date on which such accessions take effect;

e) the extensions referred to in Article 13 and the date on which they take effect;

f) the denunciations referred to in the third paragraph of Article 14.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 10–15 in full; Article 10 PDF page 2, Articles 11–15 PDF page 3

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of Article 15 — Notifications supply the events behind the status record

Article 15 assigns the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs the task of notifying the specified States of authority designations, signatures, ratifications, entry into force, accessions and objections, territorial extensions and denunciations. These are the source events behind many practical routing questions.

When a status-table note is incomplete for the question at hand, follow its linked notification and identify the particular event and effective date being investigated. Do not recreate a country list from memory or substitute an undated summary. The start and competent-authorities guides explain the transaction questions those records can resolve.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Articles 10–15 in full; Article 10 PDF page 2, Articles 11–15 PDF page 3

Convention rule

Convention text — signature and authentic-language clause

In witness whereof the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto, have signed the present Convention.

Done at The Hague the 5th October 1961, in French and in English, the French text prevailing in case of divergence between the two texts, in a single copy which shall be deposited in the archives of the Government of the Netherlands, and of which a certified copy shall be sent, through the diplomatic channel, to each of the States represented at the Ninth Session of the Hague Conference on Private International Law and also to Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein and Turkey.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Title, date and preamble, PDF page 1; signature and authentic-language clause, PDF page 4

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of the closing clause — use the authentic texts

The closing clause records the place and date of conclusion, signature, the single deposited copy and certified-copy distribution. It expressly gives the French text priority if the English and French diverge. This is why a difficult wording dispute cannot be resolved merely by choosing a convenient English summary.

Use the official English text as the source linked here. If a substantive divergence is suspected, identify the exact English phrase and compare the authentic French text before claiming an error or a changed rule. A later Handbook explanation is guidance, not an amendment of these treaty provisions.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Title, date and preamble, PDF page 1; signature and authentic-language clause, PDF page 4

Convention rule

Convention text — annexed model of certificate

Annex to the Convention

Model of certificate

The certificate will be in the form of a square with sides at least 9 centimetres long

APOSTILLE

(Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)

1. Country:

This public document

2. has been signed by

3. acting in the capacity of

4. bears the seal/stamp of

Certified

5. at

6. the

7. by

8. No

9. Seal/stamp:

10. Signature:

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Annex to the Convention, Model of certificate; one-page PDF: dimension sentence, French title, ten numbered fields and grouping labels
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Four, §§221–240, printed pp74–79; model p74 and table pp78–79
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Five, §§294–306, printed pp91–93; footnotes 154–169

Notary Geek explanation

Explanation of the model — distinguish the document and its certificate

The annex supplies the square model, minimum side length and ten numbered fields. Items 1–4 identify the origin State and the public document’s signature, capacity and seal or stamp. After “Certified”, items 5–10 identify the apostille’s place, date, issuing authority, number, seal or stamp and signature. Keeping those two groups separate prevents confusing the underlying official with the person issuing the apostille.

The wording above preserves the model’s labels in reading order; its blank writing lines and two-column placement are not reproduced as a fillable form. Read the actual official model and the issuance guide when examining a certificate. HCCH’s 2023 Handbook §§221–240 and 294–306 address model variations and rejection limits. Its guidance does not treat departure from the square or size alone as a sufficient rejection reason, and its treatment of electronic form must also be considered. The minimum dimension in the treaty model is therefore not an automatic invalidity test; preserve the actual certificate and investigate the specific alleged defect rather than altering it.

• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Annex to the Convention, Model of certificate; one-page PDF: dimension sentence, French title, ten numbered fields and grouping labels
• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 4(1)–(2); PDF page 2
• Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Article 5(1)–(3); PDF page 2
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Four, §§221–240, printed pp74–79; model p74 and table pp78–79
• Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Five, §§294–306, printed pp91–93; footnotes 154–169

Choose the next step from the facts

1. If: The stated objection is solely the certificate’s nonsquare shape or model size.

   Then: Compare the exact objection with HCCH’s model and rejection guidance and preserve the certificate unchanged while resolving the discrepancy.

   Outcome: resolve conflict

   • Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Annex to the Convention, Model of certificate; one-page PDF: dimension sentence, French title, ten numbered fields and grouping labels
   • Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Four, §§221–240, printed pp74–79; model p74 and table pp78–79
   • Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention — Part Five, §§294–306, printed pp91–93; footnotes 154–169

What this page cannot settle for your document

• A suspected substantive divergence needs comparison with the authentic French text; no such divergence is asserted here.
• Current bilateral or territorial application, national procedures, electronic implementation and the underlying document’s effect require their specific sources and transaction facts.

Continue reading

• Do I need an apostille?
• What an apostille proves—and what it does not
• Which documents can use the Convention?
• Who can issue an apostille?
• How issuance works—and how to read the result
• How to check an apostille
• Copies, notarization and translations
• Recipient requirements and common mistakes
• Existing apostille routing guide
• Notary Geek's notarial routing model

These explanations are available without giving contact details, paying, or requesting a service. If you want help with a document, paid apostille help is optional.