Apostille
An apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document, a signature, seal or stamp, so it is recognised in other countries party to the Hague Apostille Convention. It does not certify content or translation; it validates the official document for cross-border use. In Australia apostilles are issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
How it works
When a document has to be used in another Convention country, the issuing country's designated authority attaches an apostille confirming that the signature or seal on it is genuine. The receiving country then accepts it without further legalisation.
Where a translation is involved, the order of steps, translate, certify, notarise, apostille, depends on the destination's rules, so it pays to confirm the sequence before starting.
How SourceTarget uses it
SourceTarget provides the certified translation that an apostille process often sits around, and can advise on the usual sequence, though the apostille itself is issued by the relevant government authority, not the translator.