An apostille stamp — also called an apostille seal or simply an apostille certificate — is the official authentication issued by a competent authority (a state Secretary of State or the U.S. Department of State) that makes a U.S. document legally valid in any of the 127 countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention. Despite the common term “stamp,” modern U.S. apostilles are almost never an inked rubber stamp — they are a standardized one-page printed certificate physically attached to the original document.
What an Apostille Stamp Looks Like
The Hague Convention requires every apostille to follow the same standardized format so it can be recognized worldwide. A U.S. apostille certificate always contains 10 numbered fields:
- Country — “United States of America”
- Name of person who signed the underlying document
- Capacity — the role of the signer (e.g., “Notary Public,” “State Registrar”)
- Seal/stamp of the underlying document’s signer
- Place of issuance — the U.S. state and city
- Date of issuance
- Issuing authority — e.g., “Secretary of State of California”
- Apostille certificate number — for verification
- Seal/stamp of the issuing authority
- Signature of the issuing authority’s representative
The certificate is usually printed on letter-size paper, bears the state seal in color or embossed, and is stapled or grommeted to the original document. Many states now also include a QR code or unique apostille number that lets the receiving country verify the apostille online.
How an Apostille Stamp Differs from a Notary Stamp
- A notary stamp verifies the identity of the person signing the underlying document. It is recognized inside the United States only.
- An apostille stamp verifies the authority of the official (notary, registrar, or government issuer) who signed the underlying document. It makes the document recognized in any of the 127 Hague member countries.
- A document is typically notarized first, then apostilled. The apostille is added on top of the notarization, not in place of it.
Where the Apostille Stamp Is Placed
The apostille certificate is physically attached to the back or front of the original document with one or more of:
- A staple, eyelet, or grommet through both pages
- A state seal embossed through both layers
- A signed wraparound ribbon (less common in modern issuance)
Do not remove the staple or grommet — separating the apostille from the underlying document invalidates the authentication.
Important Notes
- The apostille stamp does not validate the content of your document — it only verifies that the signature, seal, and authority on the document are genuine.
- Apostilles are language-neutral: the title “Apostille” and the field labels are always in French (the official language of the Convention) so they can be recognized in every member country.
- An apostille stamp from one Hague country is automatically accepted by every other Hague country — no further authentication is needed.
- If your destination country is not a Hague member, the apostille stamp will not be accepted and you’ll need consular legalization instead.