// the Hague Apostille Convention
Where an apostille works — 128 countries
An apostille is accepted in every country that belongs to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. Below is the full list of member states and the date the apostille took effect for each. For a country that is not a member, you need consular legalization instead, not an apostille.
// a short history
One stamp instead of a chain of stamps.
Before 1961, using a public document abroad meant a slow chain of legalizations — the document was certified again and again by a series of authorities in both the issuing and the receiving country, often ending at an embassy or consulate. It was expensive and could take weeks or months.
The Hague Conference on Private International Law fixed that with the Apostille Convention, signed at The Hague on 5 October 1961 and in force from 24 January 1965. Among member countries a single certificate — the apostille (French for “a marginal note”) — replaces the whole chain. One authority in the country where the document was issued attaches it, and every other member country must accept it with no further legalization.
The apostille itself is standardized: the same numbered fields in every country (country, who signed the document, in what capacity, any seal, where and when it was certified, the issuing authority, apostille number, and signature). The United States joined effective 15 October 1981; the convention keeps growing — China joined in 2023 and Canada in 2024 — to 129 states today.
This is general information, not legal advice. Always confirm the current requirement for your destination country.
// newest members
Recently joined.
The convention is still expanding — these countries switched from consular legalization to the apostille most recently.
All 129 member countries A–Z
With the year the apostille took effect for each. Source: HCCH status table (hcch.net), cross-checked 2026-06.
- Albania2004
- Algeria2026
- Andorra1996
- Antigua and Barbuda1981
- Argentina1988
- Armenia1994
- Australia1995
- Austria1968
- Azerbaijan2005
- Bahamas1973
- Bahrain2013
- Bangladesh2025
- Barbados1966
- Belarus1992
- Belgium1976
- Belize1993
- Bolivia2018
- Bosnia and Herzegovina1992
- Botswana1966
- Brazil2016
- Brunei1987
- Bulgaria2001
- Burundi2015
- Canada2024
- Cape Verde2010
- Chile2016
- China2023
- Colombia2001
- Cook Islands2005
- Costa Rica2011
- Croatia1991
- Cyprus1973
- Czech Republic1999
- Denmark2006
- Dominica1978
- Dominican Republic2009
- Ecuador2005
- El Salvador1996
- Estonia2001
- Eswatini1968
- Fiji1970
- Finland1985
- France1965
- Georgia2007
- Germany1966
- Greece1985
- Grenada2002
- Guatemala2017
- Guyana2019
- Honduras2004
- Hungary1973
- Iceland2004
- India2005
- Indonesia2022
- Ireland1999
- Israel1978
- Italy1978
- Jamaica2021
- Japan1970
- Kazakhstan2001
- Kosovo2016
- Kyrgyzstan2011
- Latvia1996
- Lesotho1966
- Liberia1996
- Liechtenstein1972
- Lithuania1997
- Luxembourg1979
- Malawi1967
- Malta1968
- Marshall Islands1992
- Mauritius1968
- Mexico1995
- Moldova2007
- Monaco2002
- Mongolia2009
- Montenegro2006
- Morocco2016
- Namibia2001
- Netherlands1965
- New Zealand2001
- Nicaragua2013
- Niue1999
- North Macedonia1991
- Norway1983
- Oman2012
- Pakistan2023
- Palau2020
- Panama1991
- Paraguay2014
- Peru2010
- Philippines2019
- Poland2005
- Portugal1969
- Romania2001
- Russia1992
- Rwanda2024
- Saint Kitts and Nevis1994
- Saint Lucia2002
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines1979
- Samoa1999
- San Marino1995
- São Tomé and Príncipe2008
- Saudi Arabia2022
- Senegal2023
- Serbia1992
- Seychelles1979
- Singapore2021
- Slovakia2002
- Slovenia1991
- South Africa1995
- South Korea2007
- Spain1978
- Suriname1975
- Sweden1999
- Switzerland1973
- Tajikistan2015
- Tonga1970
- Trinidad and Tobago2000
- Tunisia2018
- Turkey1985
- Ukraine2003
- United Kingdom1965
- United States1981
- Uruguay2012
- Uzbekistan2012
- Vanuatu1980
- Venezuela1999
- Vietnam2026pending
Dates are from the HCCH status table (hcch.net), cross-checked 2026-06; for an exact date always confirm with HCCH. Members occasionally raise objections to specific countries, which can affect whether an apostille is accepted between that pair.
Whatever country it's going to, an apostille is obtained in the U.S. state that issued your document — start there: apostille by state →
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