Our rulesWhat every page follows.

Which sources come first

When we need a fact, we look in this order and use the first source that states it:

1. The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH): the status table of the Apostille Convention, its list of designated offices and the Convention text.
2. The website of the office that issues apostilles in that country.
3. Other government websites of that country, such as its foreign ministry or an embassy.
4. The law itself, in a government legal database.

Companies that sell apostille, translation or legalisation services, blogs, forums, encyclopedias and AI answers are never used as a source.

How facts are checked

• Each fact links to its source and shows the date it was checked. See how we check facts.
• Membership, dates and the HCCH list of offices are copied from the HCCH status table. Offices by name, fees, processing times and steps are shown only after a person has compared them with the office's own page.
• When two sources disagree, we do not pick one. We hold the fact back until the issuing office confirms it.
• Pages explain what an apostille certifies, and that the office receiving a document decides what it accepts.

Update schedule

• The HCCH status table is compared with our data automatically. Any difference stops publication until a person has checked it.
• Each country's details are due for a new check 90 days after the last one. A page that falls far behind is taken out of search until it is checked again.
• Euro values in the cost comparison are recalculated from the European Central Bank reference rates when the site is rebuilt.

Independence and conflicts of interest

Not affiliated with the HCCH or any government.

• The guide carries no advertising, no sponsored or affiliate links and no calls to action for any company.
• Nothing on a page can be bought: not a mention, a link, a ranking or a change of wording.
• Outbound links go only to the HCCH, governments, the offices that issue apostilles and the law.
• A person with a link to an organisation named on a page does not check that page.

Plain language

We write for people, not lawyers: short sentences, everyday words, and the answer first. When a technical word is needed, it is explained in Words explained. We make no promises about outcomes and do not present the guide as a government body.

Automation

Software helps us collect information from primary sources, notice changes and calculate numbers such as counts and euro values. Software never publishes a new fee, office or step on its own: a person checks it first.

Corrections

Errors are corrected as soon as they are confirmed. Every material correction is listed with its date, the page and what changed on the corrections page. To report an error, use the link at the bottom of any page.