St. Kitts And Nevis Citizenship: Real Estate Minimum Reduced
One of the world's oldest and most popular Citizenship-by-Investment Programs, the St. Kitts and Nevis CBI Program, is now more affordable for expats...
Securing your Plan-B or moving abroad are always exciting ventures—but not without complications. Think of learning new languages, adapting to a different culture, and, of course, dealing with bureaucracy. Paperwork is one of the biggest obstacles to carrying out your plans, but it is a necessary step.
The good news is that, in the last few years, more countries and territories have embraced the apostille, a simplified authentication method for documents issued in your country. For example, imagine you must prove you are married to secure your permanent residency in Paraguay. Then, if Paraguay and your home country are members of the Hague Convention, apostilles may help you authenticate your marriage certificate.
Instances like this illustrate the power of apostilles, simplifying what was once a lengthy and time-consuming process. Moreover, the recent adoption of electronic apostilles (e-apostilles) has further simplified the process.
In this article, we will explore the basics of e-apostilles, including how they work and what countries accept them. Read on to learn all the details and ensure your overseas operations run smoothly.
The word ‘apostille’ comes from French and means ‘certification.’ At first, you might think this term would be equivalent to legalization or notarization, but there are important differences to consider. While a legalized or notarized document is often valid in the country of issuance, an apostilled document is valid in a series of countries. For more information, you can also refer to one of our previous articles, where we explained what apostilles are in depth.
Related content: How To Apostille Documents From The United States
Some countries have developed a simpler method for validating documents abroad to reduce the bureaucracy in document authentication. What once required multiple steps is now streamlined into a single verification in the country of origin: the apostille
Authenticating documents was extremely inconvenient in the past, requiring a lengthy legalization chain. To illustrate this further, imagine you wanted to authenticate important documents like criminal records to secure a new residency. Such a process would depend on multiple agents and institutions, making it time-consuming and prone to errors.
This observation led a handful of countries to come up with a smarter, simpler way of making documents valid abroad. A multi-step process turned into a single check in the country of origin. This single check is what we refer to as apostille. In short, the Hague Apostille eliminates the requirement for public documents to be legalized by consular or diplomatic authorities.
Related content: How To Apostille Documents From Canada
Even though apostilles simplified document authentication, they still had a major downside: the use of paper documents. Why would this be an issue? Think of physical transportation, notarization and other intermediate steps that would cause delays. The more hands the documents need to be in, the higher the probability of an error.
That’s why some countries issue e-apostilles, making sure the process is simple.
The main differences between traditional apostilles and e-apostilles are the following:
Format: Traditional apostilles are paper-based, whereas e-apostilles are digital files;
Issuance: Traditional apostilles need in-person visits to competent authorities, while e-apostilles are obtained online via a secure platform;
Verification: Traditional apostilles are verified manually, whereas e-apostilles can be verified electronically via QR codes or a digital signature embedded in the document.
The adoption of e-apostilles has brought various benefits over the traditional method, such as:
Efficiency: E-apostilles reduce processing times, allowing documents to be submitted, authenticated and verified within a few days;
Cost- and Time-Effectiveness: E-apostilles minimize the costs associated with printing, mailing and sending documents while eliminating the need to visit government offices and wait in line. These time-savings are particularly beneficial for those with tight schedules;
Security and Accessibility: E-apostilles leverage advanced digital signatures to prevent fraud and protect the document’s integrity while providing easy access from anywhere with an internet connection.
In the following table, you can see which countries issue e-apostilles. It is important to note that the list may vary over time, but as of the time of writing (July 2024), these are the countries that have already implemented the e-apostille:
Argentina |
Armenia |
Austria |
Bahrain |
Belgium |
Bolivia |
Brazil |
Bulgaria |
Chile |
Colombia |
Denmark |
Dominican Republic |
Ecuador |
El Salvador |
Estonia |
Georgia |
Greece |
Guatemala |
Israel |
Kazakhstan |
Korea, Republic of |
Latvia |
Moldova, Republic of |
New Zealand |
Panama |
Peru |
Philippines |
Russian Federation |
Slovenia |
Spain |
Türkiye |
United Kingdom |
United States (Connecticut, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington) |
Uzbekistan |
Venezuela |
Related content: How To Apostille Documents From Australia
While countries like Canada and some U.S. states still rely on traditional apostilles, it's important to be aware of the list of countries using e-apostilles. This knowledge can be crucial in expediting your administrative procedures in the future if needed
Apostilles and e-apostilles have drastically changed document authentication for the better. The time to get your documents ready for your next move, whether you want to pursue residency, purchase property or everything in between, has gotten shorter. Some benefits of e-apostille include its accessibility and cost-effectiveness, which makes things much simpler when you need to validate important documents.
Still, to this day, not all HCCH (Hague Conference on Private International Law) countries use e-apostilles. Notably, Canada and even some States in the U.S. still rely on traditional apostilles. However, knowing the list of countries that use e-apostilles will surely help you streamline administrative procedures when considering moves outside your place of birth. Feel free to use this article as a guide, referring to it whenever needed.
If you want the best intel from the expat world, including profitable offshore opportunities, little-known tax-saving strategies, and hard-won insights on immigration, passports, and Plan-B residencies, all delivered to your inbox every single week, then join our daily correspondence, EMS Pulse™. Currently enjoyed by over 84,000 expats and expat-hopefuls worldwide. Fill in the form below to join our newsletter free:
Written by Mikkel Thorup
Mikkel Thorup is the world’s most sought-after expat consultant. He focuses on helping high-net-worth private clients to legally mitigate tax liabilities, obtain a second residency and citizenship, and assemble a portfolio of foreign investments including international real estate, timber plantations, agricultural land and other hard-money tangible assets. Mikkel is the Founder and CEO at Expat Money®, a private consulting firm started in 2017. He hosts the popular weekly podcast, the Expat Money Show, and wrote the definitive #1-Best Selling book Expat Secrets - How To Pay Zero Taxes, Live Overseas And Make Giant Piles Of Money, and his second book: Expats Guide On Moving To Mexico.
One of the world's oldest and most popular Citizenship-by-Investment Programs, the St. Kitts and Nevis CBI Program, is now more affordable for expats...
France is facing yet another political crisis. After the June-July 2024 parliamentary elections aimed at countering the rising far-right, the fragile...
Colombia is one of the most exciting countries in South America. Whether you're visiting Colombia for a holiday or considering it a second residence,...