Understanding Apostille and Translation Services

Those who are emigrating from a country, immigrating to a country, looking for dual citizenship, or a whole host of other international legal issues will require a large amount of documentation that must be translated and certified. Failure to do so will mean that these individuals will not meet the various standards of the countries in question and are likely to be denied. In times past, trying to figure out the different legal requirements of multiple countries was an incredibly difficult task. The many different standards also led to widespread fraud that was hard to detect.

Over time, various international treaties were signed that attempted to streamline many of these processes. In 1961, the Hague Convention put together a system for legal documents from one country to be recognized in another, titled “Abolishing the Requirement of Consular Legalization for Foreign Public Documents of 1961” this act standardized many of the legal processes and requirements amongst the signing countries. Over 115 countries are a part of the Convention, and it is used throughout the entire European Union.

For most, our first run-in with this information is when we are told we need to get an apostille for one or more of our documents. In this article, we are going to help you understand just what an apostille is and how it relates to translation services and requirements. By the end, you should be able to explain why apostilles exist, and if you require one.

For those needing apostille and translations services, The Spanish Group is a highly recommended, and internationally recognized certified translation service specializing in getting you exactly what you need. From translation to notarization to apostille, start today!