Foreign country of intended use: apostille or embassy legalization?
The country where the document will be used determines the type of legalization needed.
- Apostilles are for documents used in countries that joined the Hague Apostille Convention.
- Embassy legalization is for countries that do not participate in the Hague Apostille Convention.
An apostille is an official certificate issued by the government on the state or federal level that makes a document from the United States acceptable in other countries that joined the Hague Apostille Convention.
In the United States an apostille is not a stamp. It is a separate page attached to the document.