What Is An Apostille?

Most small business owners set a goal to grow their businesses. Those looking to expand their operations in a foreign country will need to obtain it.

What is an Apostille? If you’re new to this term, here’s what small business owners need to know before they can take their businesses to new places.

What’s An Apostille?

An Apostille certifies the authenticity of a document for international use. If a small business owner is issued a public document in one country, an Apostille recognizes this document as valid in another country.

Before the Apostille, public documents needed to authenticate their origins. This could be an incredibly time-consuming process depending on the jurisdiction. The Hague Apostille Convention drafted a multilateral treaty which abolished the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents (1961). The Convention began enforcing the process in 1965. Some of the first ratifying states to adopt Apostilles included the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Hong Kong.

Under the terms, The Convention covers public documents. These include:

Court documents
An administrative document
A notarial act
Other official certificates

What Documents Can An Apostille Authenticate?

An Apostille certificate can authenticate the following public documents of a foreign origin:

Certificates of Incorporation
Certificates of Good Standing
Adoption Certificates
Affidavits
Agreements & Mandates
Awards & Degrees
Baptism & Confirmation Certificates
Bills of Sale & Proof of Ownership
Birth Certificates
Confirmation Judgments & Edicts
Death Certificates
Deeds
Diplomas & Transcripts
Executor of Will
Marriage Certificates
Notary Oaths
National Identification Certificates
Passports
Permits
Powers of Attorney
Wills

Who Issues An Apostille?

Small business owners can work alongside their local Secretary of State to issue an Apostille or an Authentication.

These business owners may also enlist the assistance of third-party filing organizations, like MyCorporation. In the event you don’t have time to certify documents or need extra help, our Apostille service makes it easy to authenticate any necessary public documents. Then you may use these documents in a foreign country.

Why Should I File For An Apostille Certificate?

By filing for this certificate, the foreign country where you wish to conduct business will recognize your company’s charter. This is important for international banking and registration purposes.

Small businesses which are slowly growing or do not plan to grow to another country may decide to wait to file. However, small businesses significantly growing in one country which wish to expand into another country find this certificate to be beneficial. Obtaining this certificate will ensure your public documents are recognized and certified abroad.

Start certifying your documents with our Apostille service today. Contact MyCorporation at mycorporation.com or give us a call at 877-692-6772.

Deborah Sweeney

Deborah Sweeney is an advocate for protecting personal and business assets for business owners and entrepreneurs. With extensive experience in the field of corporate and intellectual property law, Deborah provides insightful commentary on the benefits of incorporation and trademark registration.

Education: Deborah received her Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees from Pepperdine University, and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of West Los Angeles and San Fernando School of Law in corporate and intellectual property law.

Experience: After becoming a partner at LA-based law firm, Michel & Robinson, she became an in-house attorney for MyCorporation, formerly a division in Intuit. She took the company private in 2009 and after 10 years of entrepreneurship sold the company to Deluxe Corporation. Deborah is also well-recognized for her written work online as a contributing writer with some of the top business and entrepreneurial blogging sites including Forbes, Business Insider, SCORE, and Fox Business, among others.

Fun facts/Other pursuits: Originally from Southern California, Deborah enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, Benjamin and Christopher, and practicing Pilates. Deborah believes in the importance of family and credits the entrepreneurial business model for giving her the flexibility to enjoy both a career and motherhood. Deborah, and MyCorporation, have previously been honored by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal’s List of the Valley’s Largest Women-Owned Businesses in 2012. MyCorporation received the Stevie Award for Best Women-Owned Business in 2011.