On 5 October 1961, at The Hague, the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — the Apostille Convention — is signed, simplifying recognition of public documents among contracting states.

Instead of the classic chain of diplomatic legalisations, a single certificate (“apostille”) issued by the competent authority of the state of origin authenticates the signature, the capacity of the signatory and, where appropriate, the seal. The Convention was drawn up within the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH).

It entered into force on 24 January 1965; today it has over 120 parties. It remains the standard instrument for the circulation of public documents.

The official text is on the HCCH website.

For private international law, 5 October 1961 marks the Hague signature.

The document is available on hcch.net.

The Apostille Convention of 5 October 1961 remains the milestone of simplified legalisation.

Image: The Hague; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Apostille Convention. Treaty text: HCCH — Apostille Convention.