If you are reading this article it means that you are in need to legalize a document internationally. Not to worry, this article will explain what you need to know about the process and who you should contact for your needs.

An apostille allows a document to be legally accepted internationally under the terms of the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. All countries that have signed the Hague Convention will recognize your document if they are accompanied with an apostille. These countries include: Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, China (Macau), China (Hong Kong), Colombia, Cook Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Republic of, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Republic of, Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niue, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, FYR of Macedonia, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom (U.K.), United States of America, and Venezuela.

Most all legal documents will have the ability to be used internationally. Common documents allowed include: birth certificate, adoption documents, marriage certificate divorce decree, death certificate, report of birth abroad, single proof letter (to marry), naturalization documents, power of attorney, diploma and/or transcripts, corporate documents, certificate of good standing, incorporation documents, ISO certificate, bylaws, affidavits, identity documents and/or passports, proof of citizenship, deeds or titles, wills, agreements, assignments, trademark and patent documents, letter of invitation, letter of debt, invoices, bills of sale, proof of ownership, police records, and private documents.

If you need to have documents transferred to a country that is not part of the Hague Convention you will need to have the document legalized through the Embassy of the given country or directly with the country.

The great news is both apostille and embassy legalization services can be initiated online, legalized, then mailed directly to your door step. Different services made available by the internet have made it possible for professionals from all over the country to provide you with expedited service to have your documents taken care of in a timely manner.