Hague Apostille Countries & Authentication Directory for U.S. Documents
Updated: 17 hours ago
BOSTON NOTARY SERVICE · INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENT SERVICES
Look up the country or territory where your U.S. document will be used. The right route depends on the destination, which authority issued the record and whether the Apostille Convention applies to the document. Boston Notary Service reviews the preparation and delivery steps before you approve a quote.
Start here if you already know your destination
Corporate documents for an overseas transaction
If a foreign bank, registry or business partner requests company documents, identify the issuer and destination for each record. A certified formation filing, a certificate of good standing and a privately signed board resolution can follow different preparation routes, even when they are delivered together.
Share the recipient’s written checklist and the required arrival date. Boston Notary Service reviews which records need retrieval, which need notarization, and which need apostille or further authentication before quoting the complete packet.
Use the corporate document routing worksheet · Review UAE corporate attestation · Set up recurring corporate work
Apostille destinations for eligible U.S. public documents
Use this list as a first check. The Convention must apply between the United States and the destination, and the document must be within its scope. Check the current HCCH entry, objections and territorial extensions before sending originals. If a guide is available, the country name links to it.
🇦🇱 Albania · 🇩🇿 Algeria · 🇦🇩 Andorra · 🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda · 🇦🇷 Argentina · 🇦🇲 Armenia · 🇦🇺 Australia
🇦🇹 Austria · 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan · 🇧🇸 Bahamas · 🇧🇭 Bahrain · 🇧🇩 Bangladesh · 🇧🇧 Barbados · 🇧🇾 Belarus
🇧🇪 Belgium · 🇧🇿 Belize · 🇧🇴 Bolivia · 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina · 🇧🇼 Botswana · 🇧🇷 Brazil · 🇧🇳 Brunei
🇧🇬 Bulgaria · 🇧🇮 Burundi · 🇨🇻 Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) · 🇨🇦 Canada · 🇨🇱 Chile · 🇨🇴 Colombia · 🇨🇰 Cook Islands
🇨🇷 Costa Rica · 🇭🇷 Croatia · 🇨🇾 Cyprus · 🇨🇿 Czechia (Czech Republic) · 🇩🇰 Denmark · 🇩🇲 Dominica · 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
🇪🇨 Ecuador · 🇸🇻 El Salvador · 🇪🇪 Estonia · 🇸🇿 Eswatini · 🇫🇯 Fiji · 🇫🇮 Finland · 🇫🇷 France
🇬🇪 Georgia · 🇩🇪 Germany · 🇬🇷 Greece · 🇬🇩 Grenada · 🇬🇹 Guatemala · 🇭🇳 Honduras · 🇭🇺 Hungary
🇯🇵 Japan · 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · 🇽🇰 Kosovo · 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan · 🇱🇻 Latvia · 🇱🇸 Lesotho · 🇱🇷 Liberia
🇱🇮 Liechtenstein · 🇱🇹 Lithuania · 🇱🇺 Luxembourg · 🇨🇳 Mainland China · 🇲🇼 Malawi · 🇲🇹 Malta · 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands
🇲🇺 Mauritius · 🇲🇽 Mexico · 🇲🇩 Moldova · 🇲🇨 Monaco · 🇲🇳 Mongolia · 🇲🇪 Montenegro · 🇲🇦 Morocco
🇳🇦 Namibia · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · 🇳🇿 New Zealand · 🇳🇮 Nicaragua · 🇳🇺 Niue · 🇲🇰 North Macedonia · 🇳🇴 Norway
🇴🇲 Oman · 🇵🇰 Pakistan · 🇵🇼 Palau · 🇵🇦 Panama · 🇵🇾 Paraguay · 🇵🇪 Peru · 🇵🇭 Philippines
🇵🇱 Poland · 🇵🇹 Portugal · 🇷🇴 Romania · 🇷🇺 Russia · 🇷🇼 Rwanda · 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis · 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia
🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · 🇼🇸 Samoa · 🇸🇲 San Marino · 🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe · 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia · 🇸🇳 Senegal · 🇷🇸 Serbia
🇸🇨 Seychelles · 🇸🇬 Singapore · 🇸🇰 Slovakia · 🇸🇮 Slovenia · 🇿🇦 South Africa · 🇰🇷 South Korea · 🇪🇸 Spain
🇸🇷 Suriname · 🇸🇪 Sweden · 🇨🇭 Switzerland · 🇹🇯 Tajikistan · 🇹🇴 Tonga · 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago · 🇹🇳 Tunisia
🇹🇷 Türkiye (Turkey) · 🇺🇦 Ukraine · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · 🇺🇾 Uruguay · 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan · 🇻🇺 Vanuatu · 🇻🇪 Venezuela
Destinations where authentication or legalization may apply
Start with the destination authority’s current instructions. A state certification, a federal authentication and a consular or other destination attestation may be required in sequence. The exact chain depends on the type of document and the receiving office. Verify whether the responsible office can currently accept your packet.
🇦🇫 Afghanistan · 🇦🇴 Angola · 🇧🇯 Benin · 🇧🇹 Bhutan · 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso · 🇰🇭 Cambodia · 🇨🇲 Cameroon
🇨🇫 Central African Republic · 🇹🇩 Chad · 🇰🇲 Comoros · 🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire · 🇨🇺 Cuba · 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo · 🇩🇯 Djibouti
🇪🇬 Egypt · 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea · 🇪🇷 Eritrea · 🇪🇹 Ethiopia · 🇫🇲 Federated States of Micronesia · 🇬🇦 Gabon · 🇬🇲 Gambia
🇬🇭 Ghana · 🇬🇳 Guinea · 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau · 🇭🇹 Haiti · 🇻🇦 Holy See (Vatican City) · 🇮🇷 Iran · 🇮🇶 Iraq
🇯🇴 Jordan · 🇰🇪 Kenya · 🇰🇮 Kiribati · 🇰🇼 Kuwait · 🇱🇦 Laos · 🇱🇧 Lebanon · 🇱🇾 Libya
🇲🇬 Madagascar · 🇲🇾 Malaysia · 🇲🇻 Maldives · 🇲🇱 Mali · 🇲🇷 Mauritania · 🇲🇿 Mozambique · 🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma)
🇳🇷 Nauru · 🇳🇵 Nepal · 🇳🇪 Niger · 🇳🇬 Nigeria · 🇰🇵 North Korea · 🇵🇸 Palestine · 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
🇶🇦 Qatar · 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo · 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone · 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands · 🇸🇴 Somalia · 🇸🇸 South Sudan · 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
🇸🇩 Sudan · 🇸🇾 Syria · 🇹🇿 Tanzania · 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste · 🇹🇬 Togo · 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan · 🇹🇻 Tuvalu
🇺🇬 Uganda · 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates (UAE) · 🇾🇪 Yemen · 🇿🇲 Zambia · 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Treaty exceptions, upcoming changes and territorial checks
🇬🇾 Guyana — Guyana is a Convention party, and the official status table records a U.S. objection. Confirm the authentication and legalization route for U.S. documents before proceeding. Read the Guyana document guide.
🇹🇭 Thailand — Current consular legalization applies where required. The Convention entry-into-force date is scheduled for February 28, 2027. Massachusetts falls under the Royal Thai Consulate-General in New York for the published legalization process.
🇹🇼 Taiwan — Verify the representative-office authentication procedure for your document. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston serves Massachusetts.
🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR — Check the territorial application and Hong Kong recipient's instructions separately from mainland China.
🇲🇴 Macao SAR — Check the territorial application and Macao recipient's instructions separately from mainland China.
🇺🇸 United States — For domestic use, follow the U.S. recipient’s own certification or verification instructions. This guide primarily covers U.S. records going abroad.
For the following territories, check the applicable territorial extension or domestic procedure and the exact receiving office.
🇦🇸 American Samoa · 🇦🇼 Aruba · 🇨🇼 Curaçao · 🇬🇺 Guam · 🇬🇬 Guernsey · 🇮🇲 Isle of Man · 🇯🇪 Jersey
🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands · 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico · 🇸🇽 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) · 🇻🇮 Virgin Islands, U.S.
Choose the U.S. authority by the issuing document
Massachusetts vital and court records. Start with the correct certified copy from the city or town, vital records office or court. Massachusetts requires an eligible original official signature. A state-issued birth certificate, a court judgment and a private affidavit each have different preparation requirements.
Massachusetts university credentials. Ask the receiving office whether it needs a diploma, transcript, degree letter or two distinct credentials. Then ask the registrar what signature and paper format it can prepare. Confirm release authorization before arranging third-party pickup.
Corporate packets and powers of attorney. List each certified charter, status certificate, board resolution and authorization on its own line. If your entity was formed in Delaware, start with the Delaware-issued corporate record. If a power of attorney will be signed in Massachusetts, verify the receiving office’s execution and notarization requirements first.
FBI background checks and federal records. An FBI Identity History Summary follows the federal route. Leave the original federal document unnotarized and use the appropriate federal instructions. For federal court orders or U.S. consular vital records, confirm the designated federal authority for that document type.
Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth · U.S. Department of State apostille instructions · U.S. Department of State authentication instructions · Official HCCH status table
Recent changes customers ask about
Mainland China’s Convention route began November 7, 2023. Canada’s Convention entry into force was January 11, 2024. Saudi Arabia’s was December 7, 2022. Vietnam began accepting eligible apostilled U.S. public documents under the Convention on September 11, 2026. Thailand’s scheduled date is February 28, 2027, so check the present consular rules if your documents are needed sooner.
What to include with your quote request
Send the receiving office’s written instructions, destination city, each document type and issuing location, the number of originals, the arrival deadline, and where the packet should go after processing. Include any requirements for translation, copy format or dating. Wait for confirmed instructions before sending original records.
Boston Notary Service can review the document route, discuss eligible retrieval or registrar arrangements and coordinate the agreed certification and delivery steps. A certificate verifies the origin of the signature or seal. The receiving office makes the final decision about the document and the supporting paperwork.
Requirements reviewed November 14, 2026.
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