Apostille or consular legalisation?
For Hague Convention routes, the competent authority in the country of issue usually places the apostille. Other routes can require prior certification, foreign ministry authentication and an embassy or consular stamp. A translation may need certification too. One stamp cannot be reused as a universal approval for every destination.
- Birth and marriage certificates
- Police clearance certificates
- Bank, company and source of funds records
- Court orders, name changes and powers of attorney
Where files go wrong
The trouble is often mundane: a short-form certificate omits a parent's name, the spelling differs from the passport, or a translation was completed before the document reached the correct authority. We compare the civil record with the passport and the receiving programme's checklist first. For an overview of the programmes we support, see our citizenship by investment directory.
What an apostille actually proves
The HCCH is precise on this point: an apostille certifies the origin of a public document, including the signature, the signer's capacity and the seal. It does not confirm that every statement in the underlying record is true. Only a designated Competent Authority can issue it. The HCCH Apostille Section keeps the current country and authority lists.