An Apostille is a certificate that authenticates the signature of a public official or a notary public on a document for use in another country. It is issued by the Minnesota Secretary of State. An Apostille certifies:
The authenticity of the signature of the public official who signed the document,
The capacity in which that public official acted, and
When appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears, e.g., a notary public seal
Note that the Apostille does not validate the contents of the document.
You will need an apostille if the country in which the document is to be used requires an Apostille. You must check with the receiving country for their requirements.
Effective May 15, 2018, the Minnesota Secretary of State issues a single Apostille for documents to be used outside of the United States, regardless of the country of destination.
