Apostille or Authentication Certificate

An apostille is an official certificate created by the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961. Placed on or attached to a public document, it confirms that the signature is genuine, states the capacity of the person who signed and identifies any seal or stamp. It follows a common model with ten numbered fields: country, signatory, capacity, seal, place, date, issuing authority, number, stamp and signature. Where the convention does not apply, the document is given an authentication certificate instead, which plays a similar role. Neither certifies what the document itself says.

When do you need it translated?

• When the authority asks for the whole document to be translated, apostille included

• For a residence permit or French nationality application

• For a marriage, an inheritance or a deed before a notaire

• For enrolment at a school or university, or for court proceedings

• For a procedure abroad with a French public document