Apostille is a French word for “certification”. Apostilles (for countries that are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention) or Certification (for countries that are not parties to the Hague Apostille Convention) authenticate the seals and signatures of officials on public documents such as birth certificates, court orders, or any other document issued by a public authority so that they can be recognized in foreign countries.

An Apostille or Certification on a document does not confirm the validity of the document itself (rare exceptions apply). It only verifies that a document was signed by the appropriate official, his or her capacity in which they acted, and the identity of the seal placed on the document.

A notary is a publicly commissioned official who serves as an impartial witness to the signing of a legal document. Document signings where the services of a notary are likely include real estate deeds, affidavits, wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. The main reason a notary is used is to deter fraud.