Member Countries of the Hague Apostille Convention

This page lists the Contracting Parties to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention where the Convention is currently in force. For a document from the U.S., that status determines how it gets authenticated for use abroad.

When the destination is on this list, an eligible U.S. document generally needs an apostille rather than embassy or consular legalization. The lists below separate Hague Convention countries from the non-Hague countries, so you can quickly identify the appropriate process. The country information is based on the official HCCH status table. If you need a refresher on how an apostille works, our guide to the Hague Apostille explains the certificate in more detail.

Hague Apostille Convention Countries

Below is the complete alphabetical list of destinations where the Hague Apostille Convention is currently in force in relation to the United States. Accession and entry into force are separate events, and the Convention must be effective between the United States and the destination country for the apostille route to apply. Bilateral objections and territorial extensions can affect that relationship. The information below was verified against current official HCCH data.

The Convention took effect for the United States on 15 October 1981. Some countries joined earlier — including France and the United Kingdom in 1965, Germany in 1966, and Japan in 1970 — so their entry-into-force dates in the table may predate U.S. participation.

Country or Territory	Convention Entry Into Force Date	Status Note
Albania	9 May 2004
Algeria	9 July 2026	Recent entry into force.
Andorra	31 December 1996
Antigua and Barbuda	1 November 1981
Argentina	18 February 1988
Armenia	14 August 1994
Australia	16 March 1995
Austria	13 January 1968
Azerbaijan	2 March 2005
Bahamas	10 July 1973
Bahrain	31 December 2013
Bangladesh	30 March 2025	Recent entry into force.
Barbados	30 November 1966
Belarus	31 May 1992
Belgium	9 February 1976
Belize	11 April 1993
Bolivia	7 May 2018
Bosnia and Herzegovina	6 March 1992
Botswana	30 September 1966
Brazil	14 August 2016
Brunei Darussalam	3 December 1987
Bulgaria	29 April 2001
Burundi	13 February 2015
Cabo Verde	13 February 2010
Canada	11 January 2024
Chile	30 August 2016
China (mainland)	7 November 2023	Mainland China. Hong Kong and Macao are listed separately, each with its own apostille authority.
Colombia	30 January 2001
Cook Islands	30 April 2005
Costa Rica	14 December 2011
Croatia	8 October 1991
Cyprus	30 April 1973
Czechia	16 March 1999
Denmark	29 December 2006	Includes the Faroe Islands since 13 December 2021; does not extend to Greenland.
Dominica	3 November 1978
Dominican Republic	30 August 2009
Ecuador	2 April 2005
El Salvador	31 May 1996
Estonia	30 September 2001
Eswatini	6 September 1968
Fiji	10 October 1970
Finland	26 August 1985
France	24 January 1965
Georgia	14 May 2007
Germany	13 February 1966
Greece	18 May 1985
Grenada	7 April 2002
Guatemala	18 September 2017
Guyana	18 April 2019
Honduras	30 September 2004
Hong Kong SAR (China)	25 April 1965	In force since 1965 via the United Kingdom; continued by China after 1997. Separate apostille authority.
Hungary	18 January 1973
Iceland	27 November 2004
India	14 July 2005
Indonesia	4 June 2022
Ireland	9 March 1999
Israel	14 August 1978
Italy	11 February 1978
Jamaica	3 July 2021
Japan	27 July 1970
Kazakhstan	30 January 2001
Kosovo	14 July 2016
Kyrgyzstan	31 July 2011
Latvia	30 January 1996
Lesotho	4 October 1966
Liberia	8 February 1996
Liechtenstein	17 September 1972
Lithuania	19 July 1997
Luxembourg	3 June 1979
Macao SAR (China)	4 February 1969	In force via Portugal; continued by China after 1999. Separate apostille authority.
Malawi	2 December 1967
Malta	3 March 1968
Marshall Islands	14 August 1992
Mauritius	12 March 1968
Mexico	14 August 1995
Monaco	31 December 2002
Mongolia	31 December 2009
Montenegro	3 June 2006
Morocco	14 August 2016
Namibia	30 January 2001
Netherlands (Kingdom of the)	8 October 1965	Includes Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the Caribbean Netherlands.
New Zealand	22 November 2001
Nicaragua	14 May 2013
Niue	2 March 1999
North Macedonia	17 November 1991
Norway	29 July 1983
Oman	30 January 2012
Pakistan	9 March 2023
Palau	23 June 2020
Panama	4 August 1991
Paraguay	30 August 2014
Peru	30 September 2010
Philippines	14 May 2019
Poland	14 August 2005
Portugal	4 February 1969
Republic of Korea	14 July 2007
Republic of Moldova	16 March 2007
Romania	16 March 2001
Russian Federation	31 May 1992
Rwanda	5 June 2024
Saint Kitts and Nevis	14 December 1994
Saint Lucia	31 July 2002
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	27 October 1979
Samoa	13 September 1999
San Marino	13 February 1995
Sao Tome and Principe	13 September 2008
Saudi Arabia	7 December 2022
Senegal	23 March 2023
Serbia	27 April 1992
Seychelles	31 March 1979
Singapore	16 September 2021
Slovakia	18 February 2002
Slovenia	25 June 1991
South Africa	30 April 1995
Spain	25 September 1978
Suriname	25 November 1975
Sweden	1 May 1999
Switzerland	11 March 1973
Tajikistan	31 October 2015
Tonga	4 June 1970
Trinidad and Tobago	14 July 2000
Tunisia	30 March 2018
Turkiye	29 September 1985
Ukraine	22 December 2003
United Kingdom	24 January 1965	Extended to Crown dependencies and listed overseas territories (e.g., Bermuda, Gibraltar, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands).
Uruguay	14 October 2012
Uzbekistan	15 April 2012
Vanuatu	30 July 1980
Venezuela	16 March 1999
Viet Nam	11 September 2026	Recent entry into force.

Non-Hague Countries

In this context, a non-Hague country is a destination where the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention is not currently in force in relation to the United States. As a result, an apostille is not accepted, and documents usually require a different certification process before they can be used there. Common destinations outside the Convention include:

• Afghanistan
• Angola
• Cambodia
• Cameroon
• Cuba
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Egypt
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Iran
• Iraq
• Jordan
• Kenya
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Libya
• Malaysia
• Myanmar
• Nepal
• Nigeria
• Qatar
• Sri Lanka
• Sudan
• Syria
• Taiwan
• Thailand — the Convention is scheduled to enter into force on 28 February 2027; until then, documents follow the legalization route.
• Turkmenistan
• United Arab Emirates
• Yemen
• Zimbabwe

For these destinations, a U.S. document generally needs authentication followed by legalization through the destination country’s embassy or consulate. If your document follows this path, our legalization services cover everything from filings through final submission and document return.

Which Service Do You Need?

Check your destination against the two lists above, then choose the service that matches. If it appears among the Hague countries, our apostille services can handle the request. For non-Hague destinations, our embassy legalization services take you through the additional authentication and legalization steps. Not sure which service you need? Send us the document and destination, and we’ll confirm what is required.