Apostille or legalisation — how the two routes differ

Which is faster?

An apostille involves fewer steps, but actual timing varies by authority and workload. Neither route should be treated as guaranteed within a fixed number of days.

Can one document carry both?

Normally you use one route or the other, decided by the destination state. Some receiving offices ask for additional steps of their own, which is separate from the certification route.

Does the translation get certified too?

Translation certification is a separate step from apostille or legalisation, and the receiving office decides which language and which translator it accepts.

Does Thailand issue an apostille?

Thailand acceded to the Apostille Convention, and once it is in force for Thailand the Department of Consular Affairs becomes the competent authority for apostilles. Until then, and for any document processed before the entry-into-force date, the legalisation route with consular authentication still applies. Check the current status on the HCCH status table before planning your timeline.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Section

Does Australia accept apostilled documents?

Australia is a contracting party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille issued by another contracting party removes the need for further consular legalisation for use in Australia. An apostille certifies the origin of the signature and seal only — it says nothing about the translation, so a NAATI certified English translation is normally still required.

Source: DFAT — notarial services

Should the document be translated before or after the apostille?

It depends on what the receiving body asks for. Some authorities want the apostille placed on the original and the whole set (original plus apostille) translated afterwards; others accept a translation of the original alone. Confirm the sequence with the receiving body first, because reversing it usually means paying for the step twice.

Is an apostille the same as notarisation?

No. Notarisation is a certification act performed by a notary public or, in Thailand, a Notarial Services Attorney. An apostille is a certificate issued by a designated state authority that verifies the signature and seal on a public document for cross-border use. Many document chains need both, in that order.

How long does the process take?

Processing time varies by authority, document type, workload and whether the document must first be certified by another agency. We give a working-day estimate in writing with each quote rather than a fixed promise, and we tell you which step is outside our control.

What is an apostille and when is it enough on its own?

An apostille is a single certificate that authenticates a public document for use in another country that is party to the Hague Apostille Convention. Where both countries are parties, it replaces the longer chain of consular legalisation.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Section

Does an apostille cover the translation as well as the original?

Not automatically. Depending on the destination, the apostille may be issued on the original, on the translation, or on both. Ask the receiving body which arrangement it accepts, because reordering afterwards means repeating the whole step.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Section

What should I check on an apostille before I lodge it?

That your name matches your passport exactly, that the document referenced is the one you are lodging, that the issuing authority and date are legible, and that any attached translation is bound in the way the destination requires. Errors are far cheaper to fix before lodgement.

What should I confirm before planning an apostille for use in Australia?

Three things: whether the country that issued the document is a contracting party, whether the receiving Australian body actually asks for an apostille or simply for a certified translation, and the current status of Thailand's accession on the HCCH status table if a Thai document is involved. An apostille arranged before those checks is often an unnecessary step.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Section

Does an apostille certify that the contents of the document are true?

No. An apostille certifies the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the signatory acted, and the identity of the seal or stamp on the document. It says nothing about whether the statements in the document are correct, and nothing about any translation attached to it.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Section

Can a private document such as an employment reference be apostilled?

Not directly. The Convention applies to public documents. A private document is normally brought within scope first — for example by a notarial certification of the signature — and the apostille then attaches to that official act. The practical route depends on the issuing country's competent authority.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Section

What if the issuing country is not a contracting party?

Then the legalisation chain applies instead: certification by the issuing authority, then that country's foreign ministry, then the destination country's embassy. It takes longer and involves more counters, so build the extra steps into your timeline and confirm each stage's requirements before starting.

Source: Department of Consular Affairs, MFA Thailand

Translate first, or apostille first?

Ask the receiving body. Some want the apostille placed on the original and the complete set — original plus apostille certificate — translated afterwards, so the certificate appears in the translated set. Others accept a translation of the original alone. Reversing the order usually means paying for a step twice.

Is an electronic apostille (e-Apostille) accepted everywhere?

Not universally. The e-APP programme is operating in a growing number of jurisdictions, but acceptance depends on the receiving body's own lodgement rules and some counters still require paper. Check the HCCH material and the receiving body's instruction together before choosing the electronic route.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Section

Can one apostille be used for several different authorities?

The certificate authenticates the document it is attached to, so in principle it can be presented to more than one body. In practice many authorities keep the submitted set, and some require documents issued within a recent window, so plan on more than one certified original where several applications run in parallel.

How long does the process take?

It varies by competent authority, document type, workload and whether another agency must certify the document first. We give a working-day estimate in writing with each quote and identify which steps sit with a government office and are therefore outside anyone's control, rather than promising a fixed date.

What does an apostille actually certify?

Only the authenticity of the signature, the capacity of the signatory and, where applicable, the seal or stamp on the document. It says nothing about the content of the document and nothing about any translation attached to it.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Section

Which documents count as public documents for apostille purposes?

Broadly: documents from an authority or official connected with a court, administrative documents, notarial acts, and official certificates placed on private documents. Private documents usually need a notarial act first before they can be apostilled.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Section

Does an e-apostille exist and is it accepted?

Several contracting parties issue electronic apostilles and maintain online registers. Acceptance depends on the receiving body's own systems, so verify that it can process an electronic certificate before choosing that route.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Section

What if the destination country is not a contracting party?

Then the older legalisation chain applies: certification in the country of origin, endorsement by its foreign ministry, and endorsement by the destination country's embassy or consulate. Timelines for that route are longer and set by each office.

Source: Department of Consular Affairs, MFA Thailand

Can an apostille be issued on a translation?

Where the translation carries a notarial act or an official certificate, that certificate can generally be apostilled. The apostille then relates to the certifying official's signature, not to the accuracy of the translation itself.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Section

How do I check the status of Thailand's accession?

Read the HCCH status table for the Apostille Convention, which lists contracting parties and the entry-into-force date for each. Documents processed before that date follow the legalisation route.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Section

Does an apostille expire?

The certificate carries no expiry under the Convention, but receiving bodies often impose their own recency window on the underlying document. Ask the receiving body how recent it wants the whole set to be.

Can an apostille be issued outside the country that produced the document?

No. Only a competent authority designated by the state where the document was issued can apostille it. Documents from several countries therefore need separate processes in each country of origin.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Section

My document is a photocopy. Can it be apostilled?

Usually not as a plain photocopy. It generally has to become a certified copy or carry a notarial act first, so that there is an official signature for the apostille to authenticate.

Do I need one apostille per document or one per set?

Normally one per document, because the certificate attaches to a specific signature and seal. Bundled sets are only treated as one document where the issuing authority itself issued them as one bound instrument.

Can the receiving body verify the apostille?

Yes. Competent authorities keep a register of the apostilles they issue, and many publish an online verification portal. Keep the apostille number in case the receiving body checks it.

Source: HCCH — Apostille Section

How long does the apostille step take?

It depends on the competent authority's workload, the document type and whether an earlier certification is needed first. We give a written working-day estimate with each quote and identify which step lies outside our control.