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27 September 2024

Who accepts apostilles?

When you go abroad, you might need to get an apostille if you are taking documents with you. Find out which countries accept apostilles in our informative blog.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Who accepts apostilles?

Knowing who accepts apostilles is important if you are planning on going to another country for a reason such as to work, study, for business, or another similar reason, you will need to take some documents with you. These documents will act as proof of your right to work or study, and prove that you have the required qualifications. 

However, for documents to be accepted as legitimate, they will first need to be notarised and legalised. Apostilles are on such from of legalisation, and the most common.

It should be noted that not every country accepts apostilles, and they instead use other forms of legalisation. If you are wondering ‘who accepts apostilles?’ then we shall take you through which countries do accept apostilles, so that you can plan for getting one. 

Who accepts apostilles?

The following is a lot of what countries accept apostilles as a way of legalising official documents:

  1. Albania
  2. Andorra
  3. Antigua and Barbuda
  4. Argentina
  5. Armenia
  6. Australia
  7. Austria
  8. Azerbaijan
  9. Bahamas
  10. Bahrain
  11. Barbados
  12. Belarus
  13. Belgium
  14. Belize
  15. Bolivia
  16. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  17. Botswana
  18. Brazil
  19. Brunei Darussalam
  20. Bulgaria
  21. Burundi
  22. Cabo Verde
  23. Canada 
  24. Chile
  25. China
  26. Colombia
  27. Cook Islands
  28. Costa Rica
  29. Croatia
  30. Cyprus
  31. Czech Republic
  32. Denmark
  33. Dominica
  34. Dominican Republic
  35. Ecuador
  36. El Salvador
  37. Estonia
  38. Eswatini
  39. Fiji
  40. Finland
  41. France
  42. Georgia
  1. Germany
  2. Greece
  3. Grenada
  4. Guatemala
  5. Guyana
  6. Honduras
  7. Hong Kong
  8. Hungary
  9. Iceland
  10. India
  11. Ireland
  12. Israel
  13. Italy
  14. Jamaica
  15. Japan
  16. Kazakhstan
  17. Kosovo
  18. Kyrgyzstan
  19. Latvia
  20. Lesotho
  21. Liberia
  22. Liechtenstein
  23. Lithuania
  24. Luxembourg
  25. Macau
  26. Malawi
  27. Malta
  28. Marshall Islands
  29. Mauritius
  30. Mexico
  31. Moldova
  32. Monaco
  33. Mongolia
  34. Montenegro
  35. Morocco
  36. Namibia
  37. Netherlands
  38. New Zealand
  39. Nicaragua
  40. Niue
  41. North Macedonia
  42. Norway
  1. Oman
  2. Palau
  3. Panama
  4. Paraguay
  5. Peru
  6. Philippines
  7. Poland
  8. Portugal
  9. Romania
  10. Russian Federation
  11. Rwanda (as of 5 June 2024)
  12. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  13. Saint Lucia
  14. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  15. Samoa
  16. San Marino
  17. São Tomé and Principe
  18. Saudi Arabia
  19. Serbia
  20. Seychelles
  21. Singapore
  22. Slovakia
  23. Slovenia
  24. South Africa
  25. South Korea (Republic of Korea)
  26. Spain
  27. Suriname
  28. Sweden
  29. Switzerland
  30. Tajikistan
  31. Tonga
  32. Trinidad and Tobago
  33. Tunisia
  34. Türkiye
  35. Ukraine
  36. United Kingdom
  37. United States of America
  38. Uruguay
  39. Uzbekistan
  40. Vanuatu
  41. Venezuela

This list of who accepts apostilles may change over time, as more countries become signatories of the Hague Convention that introduced apostilles. We shall keep this list updated in the event there are any changes.

Also, some other countries accept apostilles, but use them as part of their own legalisation system. For example, the UAE uses apostilles, but requires them as part of a longer process. 

Legalisation for other countries

Countries that do not accept apostilles have another form of legalisation, called embassy legalisation. 

As there is no specific international standard for embassy legalisation, the process itself can vary a lot between different countries. Some will take longer than others, and be more costly. 

Which documents need to be legalised?

Essentially, any document that you plan on using abroad will need to be legalised by being given an apostille, or through another type of legalisation. 

Types of documents can range from Birth Certificates and other General Register Office (GRO) certificates, to Powers of Attorney and even business documents like the Certificate of Incorporation from Companies House. 

Please note that whilst most documents that can be legalised will first need to be notarised, some will not need to be notarised at all. For example, GRO certificates cannot be notarised as they are subject to Crown copyright, and so are already certified documents. However, they will still need to be legalised for a foreign jurisdiction to recognise them as having legal weight to documents from their own country.

How we can help

Now you know which countries use apostilles, you can make use of our notarisation and legalisation services.

We can help you with getting your documents notarised, and then we can help you with getting them apostilled for your destination country. If the country you want to go to does not just need an apostille, we can assist you with other forms of legalisation as well.

To get your documents notarised, you will first need to book an appointment with our Notary Public of England and Wales, Nathan Woodcock. You can do this by contacting our helpful team by either phone, email, or our website chatbot.

For your appointment, you can choose for it to take place at one of our conveniently located offices, or use our mobile notary service. We have offices in London, Manchester, and Sheffield. If you decide to use our mobile notary service, then you can arrange your appointment to take place at a suitable time and place, such as at your home or office. 

Once your documents have been notarised, we can then begin to help you with getting an apostille from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. We offer a standard apostille service, and a fast-track service. View our apostille packages to see what suits you the most. 

Get in touch with us today to see how we can help you get your documents notarised and apostilled. 

READY FOR ASSISTANCE?

If you have any questions about our notary, apostille or consular services,
contact Woodcock Notary Public today.

Call us on 0800 049 2471 (free to call) or email info@woodcocknotarypublic.com.

If you have any questions about our notary, apostille or consular services, contact Woodcock Notary Public today.

Call us on 0800 049 2471 (free to call) or email info@woodcocknotarypublic.com.