Meaning & use
apostille
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
An official certificate attached to a public document, such as a birth certificate, confirming that its signature or seal is genuine so other countries will accept it.
Grammar: Countable: an apostille, several apostilles.
Patterns
- an apostille for something
- get an apostille on something
You need an apostille on your marriage certificate before using it in Spain.
The office attached an apostille to the diploma.
The apostille proves that the notary is a real official.
verbtransitive
To attach such a certificate to a document so that it is legally valid abroad.
Grammar: Takes an object: apostille a document.
Patterns
- apostille a document
The state office will apostille your birth certificate for a small fee.
I need to have my degree apostilled before I move abroad.
Word forms
| plural | apostilles |
|---|---|
| -ing form | apostilling |
| past tense | apostilled |
Common combinations
- get an apostille
- You can get an apostille from the state office.
- apply for an apostille
- We applied for an apostille on her diploma.
- apostille certificate
- The apostille certificate was a single stamped page.
- apostille service
- An apostille service will handle the paperwork.
- apostille convention
- The Hague Apostille Convention simplifies the process.
Synonyms and how they differ
- legalization
- Legalization is the older, longer process of confirming a document through embassies, while an apostille is the simpler stamp.
- authentication
- Authentication is a general verification step, whereas an apostille is a specific form of it.
- notarization
- Notarization confirms a signature before a notary, and often comes before the apostille.
Word family
- apostil noun
- an obsolete word for a marginal note
- apostilled adjective
- carrying an apostille
- notary noun
- an official who certifies documents
- authenticate verb
- to prove something is genuine
Commonly confused: apostille or apostrophe?
apostille vs apostrophe
An apostrophe is the punctuation mark ('), which is unrelated to this document certificate.
Practice
Before using your birth certificate in another country, you may need an ___ to prove it is genuine.
Choose one answer.
An apostille certifies a public document for use abroad. An affidavit is a sworn written statement, a different kind of document.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “apostille”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.