An Apostille (pronounced “ah-po-steel”) is a French word meaning certification.
An Apostille is simply the name for a specialized certificate, issued by the
Secretary of State. The Apostille is attached to your original document to verify it
is legitimate and authentic so it will be accepted in one of the other countries
who are members of the Hague Apostille Convention.1
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan,
An authentication and an apostille are both certifications from the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of official documents issued by government / public agencies
and local governments. An authentication / apostille will be required when you
need to submit Japanese official documents for various procedures (such as
marriage, divorce, birth registration, visa application, incorporation or real estate
purchase) in foreign countries and when its relevant agency asked you to obtain
a certification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It may also be required for
certification by the consul of the Embassy / Consulate (-General) of the
destination country in Japan (= legalisation). In other words, you need to apply
for an authentication or an apostille only when it is required by the relevant
foreign agency or Embassy / Consulate (-General) in Japan. xxx
An apostille is a certification by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the form of an
allonge (= apostille) under the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of
Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (or the Apostille Convention) (Hague
Convention of October 5, 1961). An apostille will be accepted only by signatory
countries of the Hague Convention. In the destination country, it can be used as a
certification equivalent to legalisation by the Embassy / Consulate (-General) of
the destination country in Japan.
Even if the destination country is a signatory to the Hague Convention
(Apostille Convention), legalisation may be required in some cases. In
such cases, an authentication should be necessary. Xxx
All certifications submitted to non-signatory countries of the Hague
Convention should be an authentication.2
HAGUE APOSTILLE MEMBER COUNTRIES
The following 117 countries are members of the Hague Apostille Convention and
will require an Apostille from the Secretary of the State or the US Department of
State in Washington, DC.
This list was last revised on July 20, 2019.3
Albania Greece Oman
Andorra Grenada Panama
Antigua and Barbuda Guatemala Paraguay
1
https://www.internationalapostille.com/what-is-an-apostille/
2
https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/cs/page22e_000417.html
3
https://www.internationalapostille.com/hague-apostille-member-countries/
Argentina Honduras Peru
Armenia Hong Kong Philippines
Australia Hungary Poland
Austria Iceland Portugal
Azerbaijan India Romania
Bahamas Ireland Russia
Bahrain Israel Saint Kitts and Nevis
Barbados Italy Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the
Belarus Japan
Grenadines
Belgium Kosovo Samoa
Belize Kazakhstan San Marino
Bolivia Kyrgyzstan Sao Tome and Principe
Bosnia and
Latvia Serbia
Herzegovina
Botswana Lesotho Seychelles
Brazil Liberia Slovakia
Brunei Liechtenstein Slovenia
Bulgaria Lithuania South Africa
Burundi Luxembourg South Korea
Cape Verde Macau Spain
Chile Macedonia Suriname
Colombia Malawi Swaziland
Cook Islands Malta Sweden
Costa Rica Marshall Islands Switzerland
Croatia Mauritius Tajikistan
Cyprus Mexico Tonga
Czech Republic Moldova Trinidad and Tobago
Denmark Monaco Tunisia
Dominica Mongolia Turkey
Dominican Republic Montenegro Ukraine
Ecuador Morocco United Kingdom
El Salvador Namibia United States
Estonia Netherlands Uruguay
Fiji New Zealand Uzbekistan
Finland Nicaragua Vanuatu
France Niue Venezuela
Georgia Norway
Germany
Public documents executed in Apostille-contracting countries and territories
(except for Austria, Finland, Germany and Greece) to be used in the Philippines
no longer have to be authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate
General once Apostillized.
https://www.dfa.gov.ph/dfa-news/statements-and-advisoriesupdate/22114-
public-advisory-apostille-convention-on-authentication-of-documents-takes-
effect-in-ph-on-14-may-2019
According to the FAQs on Apostille4 on DFA,
To which documents does the Apostille Convention apply?
The Philippine Apostille will apply to the same types of documents that
are subject to authentication by the DFA prior to the effectivity of the
Apostille Convention in the Philippines.
Moreover, an Apostille may never be used for the recognition of a
document in the country where that document was issued.Apostilles are
strictly for the use of public documents abroad. Thus, if your document is
to be used in the Philippines, it cannot be submitted to the DFA for
authentication/Apostillization.
How much is an Apostille?
For now, payment for the DFA-OCA’s Authentication Service is the same:
Php100.00 for Regular Processing (i.e., released after three working days)
and Php200.00 for Expedited Processing (to be released the following
business day).
Where can I avail of the Apostille?
The Apostille is available in all Authenticating Units of the DFA: DFA-
Aseana; DFA NCR-Northeast (Ali Mall); DFA NCR-East (SM Megamall);
DFA NCR-West (SM Manila); DFA NCR-South (Metro Gaisano Alabang);
DFA San Fernando, Pampanga; and soon, DFA Davao (SM Davao) and
DFA Cebu (Pacific Mall-Metro Mandaue). xxx
What if I still want my document, executed in an Apostille country, to be
authenticated by the Philippine Embassy?
By 14 May 2019, Philippine Embassies/Consulates shall no longer
authenticate documents originating from Apostille countries. Such
documents will still need the Apostille from the host government but not
the authentication by the Philippine Embassy/Consulate.
Embassies and Consulates are not authorized to issue an Apostille.
However, Philippine Embassies/Consulates shall continue to provide
acknowledgement and jurat services to walk-in applicants regardless of
whether the origin of the document is an Apostille country or not. xxx
4
https://consular.dfa.gov.ph/advisories/97-faqs-authentication
