Hague apostille by country: practical 2026 table

Before commissioning a sworn translation of a foreign document for Spain, you almost always have to go through the apostille. It's the certification each signatory country of the 1961 Hague Convention issues so that its public documents are recognised by other signatory States without additional consular legalisation.

The problem: each country has its own system. The issuing authority, fee, timeline and format change. This table covers the countries from which we translate most files at Textualia, with data updated to 2026.

Summary — universal points

• The apostille goes on the original document (or notarial certified copy), before sworn translation.
• The apostille gets translated together with the document into Spanish. The sworn translator includes it in their work.
• Spain accepts the apostille without additional seal because both countries are signatories.
• Some documents are exempt from apostille between EU States for civil status (EU Regulation 2016/1191): birth, marriage, death, capacity to marry, criminal record, domicile, residence.
• Private documents (private commercial contracts without notary) are not apostilled; apostille applies only to public documents or notarial certification of signatures.

Table by country

🇺🇸 United States

Two parallel systems:

Particular: the FBI Identity History Summary is federal — common mistake to send it to state SoS. Details in our US apostille guide.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Particular: centralised system. FCDO accepts postal submissions or premium in-person service in London.

🇫🇷 France

Particular: France migrated in 2025 to a centralised apostille system at certain Courts of Appeal. 36 courts have competence. Verify which corresponds based on where the document was issued.

🇩🇪 Germany

Particular: federal system with 16 Länder. Authority changes by state and document type. Best to confirm with Bundesverwaltungsamt beforehand.

🇮🇹 Italy

Particular: apostilles split between Procura della Repubblica and Prefettura by document type. Not always the same authority.

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Particular: Switzerland is not EU — all documents need apostille (including civil status). Cantonal system: each of 26 cantons has its own Chancellery.

🇨🇦 Canada

Particular: Canada acceded to the Hague Convention in January 2024. Before, Canadian documents required Spanish consular legalisation (long and expensive). Now simple apostille suffices.

🇦🇺 Australia

Particular: centralised system. DFAT accepts walk-in at some state offices for same-day apostille.

🇧🇷 Brazil

Particular: decentralised system in thousands of accredited cartórios. It's the fastest and cheapest system of all the countries we cover.

🇲🇽 Mexico

Particular: Mexico has 32 federal entities (31 states + CDMX), each with its own apostille system. Some states offer online apostille (CDMX, Nuevo León, Jalisco).

🇦🇷 Argentina

Particular: centralised system in Buenos Aires. Some professional colleges also accredited to apostille academic documents.

🇨🇴 Colombia

Particular: Colombia has 100% online apostille — document is uploaded, paid online and apostille downloaded as PDF.

🇵🇪 Peru

🇨🇱 Chile

🇿🇦 South Africa

EU countries — civil status exception

For civil status documents issued in another EU State destined for Spain, apostille is not necessary since February 2019 thanks to EU Regulation 2016/1191. This exemption covers:

• Birth, death, life.
• Marriage, capacity to marry, single status.
• Adoption, filiation, parentage.
• Criminal record (yes, included).
• Domicile, residence.
• Nationality.

The original document goes with the multilingual form (Annex II of the Regulation) containing fields in the 24 official EU languages. But the document body remains in the issuing country's language, so Spain still requires sworn translation by MAEC translator.

Notable exceptions to apostille exemption even between EU:

• Judicial rulings (not civil status).
• Notarial deeds (not civil status).
• Commercial and corporate documents.
• Academic degrees.

For these, apostille remains necessary even between EU States.

Non-Hague countries

Some important countries are not signatories: Canada was not until 2024, mainland China (only Hong Kong and Macau are signatories), Vietnam, Egypt, Pakistan. For documents from these countries, full consular legalisation is needed (longer, more expensive, with double step: local legalisation + legalisation at the Spanish consulate).

Common mistakes

1. Apostilling the wrong document (the photocopy instead of the original).
2. Apostilling out of validity period — some documents expire at 3-6 months for Spain; apostille close to your consular appointment.
3. Not including the apostille in the sworn translation. Remember: apostille gets translated with the document.
4. Assuming the EU multilingual form replaces translation. It doesn't.
5. Requesting apostille when not needed (civil status between EU) — waste of time and money.
6. Requesting consular legalisation when apostille sufficed (Canada post-2024 is the most common case — Global Affairs Canada apostille now suffices).

Related pages

• US apostille: federal vs state
• Apostille of The Hague: what it is and how to obtain it — general explanation
• FBI vs ACRO vs French B3: criminal record comparison
• Complete catalogue of documents we translate

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