The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents also known as the Apostille Convention or Apostille Treaty is an international agreement between the participating countries. It states that any and all documents certified by one of the signatory countries is accepted and considered valid by the receiving country. This process removes the need for double certification. Having an apostille document is valuable in countries that are members of the convention, as processing documents, are faster and easier.

Which countries are under the Apostille Convention?

As per the Hague Conference on Private International Law Conference de La Haye de droit international prive (HCCH) website, these countries are registered as members. In total there are 85 members. 

Why does an apostille wedding certificate matter in Dubai?

The UAE is not a member of the HCCH. Which means the wedding certificate issued here will not be recognized in the apostille countries. The apostile legalization will have to be done as a separate step.

As defined above, all documents that are apostilled will be recognized and considered legal in other members of the HCCH. It simply means that if you get married and have your marriage license apostilled, then it will be recognized by other countries that are also members of the HCCH. Your marriage license will be recognized by said countries without having to register it to the local embassy.

It is very important to note that all countries in the world abide first and foremost by their own laws and regulations. In some cases, even having an apostille document would not be enough in certain processes. You have to make sure that the documents you present are all available and accepted by your current situation. If you are unsure about your specific case, you can check with our legal team to provide full clarification.

Let us know where you’re from and if your country is part of the Apostille convention from the comments below.