APOSTILLE

As the Philippines is now an official member of the Apostille Convention, there are now two primary options for notarizing private documents for use in the Philippines: (1) by notarization at the Philippine Embassy or (2) through the Apostille process.

All countries and territories under the Embassy’s jurisdiction, except Haiti, are members of the Apostille Convention. This means that a document bearing an apostille certificate from these countries will be recognized in the Philippines.

The designated competent authority can issue apostille certificates for private documents, government-issued documents, and business-related documents.

The apostille requirements and cost for private documents (such as special power of attorney, affidavits, etc.) vary from country to country, and in the United States, from state to state, but in general, the process goes like this:

Step 1: Have your document notarized by a local notary public

Step 2: Submit the document to the Competent Authority to get an apostille

Step 3:  Use the document in the Philippines for its intended purpose

For more information, please visit the website of the designated competent authority for your state/country:

NOTE: Since Haiti is not yet a signatory to the Apostille Convention, documents from Haiti will still need to be notarized by a notary public, authenticated by the appropriate agency in the host country, and authenticated by the Philippine Embassy.