Apostille in Philippines
Apostille Philippines refers to the authentication process performed by the Philippine authorities to certify the validity of public documents for use in countries that are parties to the Apostille Convention. What are the documents mentioned in the apostille and authentication? Birth, marriage, or certificate of legal capacity to contract for spouses; the certificate of candidacy for Filipino citizens intending to run for public office in the Philippines; For Filipino citizens who have been issued a Disinheritance Certificate; NBI/Police Clearance; SEC, DTI documents; Special Power of Attorney; Certificate of Official Importation of Philippine Agriculture and Fishery Goods; TOR and Diploma; and in some cases, court decisions. What countries can authenticate documents? Authentication is done by the applicable Foreign Service Post. The authenticated documents should be shouldered and can be mailed back.
For Filipinos who intend to work or move to other countries, they may have come across having to deal with authentication and apostille. “Apostille” is a French word meaning certification. As for “authentication”, this refers to the process used to verify the authorities of the document. Furthermore, authentication of a document can be for use in a foreign country constituency. Apostille is required for countries where our Philippine Foreign Service Post have an Apostille Convention relationship. Hence, a document originating from a country party to the said Convention and attached with an “Apostille” does not require further legalization by the Embassy or Consulate where the notary public is. Here’s how to obtain an apostille.
DFA Apostille
The DFA apostille service, offered by the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines, involves affixing an apostille to documents to verify their authenticity and facilitate their acceptance abroad. A step-by-step guide is available below to help clients familiarize themselves with the different types of authentication services, as well as other engagement methods with the DFA regarding authentication concerns. The Philippines officially became a member of the Apostille Convention on 14 May 2019. Although Apostilles may only be issued by the DFA, the drive towards adherence to accord the Apostille function has been an inter-agency effort that includes the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Office of the President (OP), and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
With the Philippines as a member of the Apostille Convention, documents issued in the Philippines will no longer require consular legalization. Known as the Apostille, this certificate is attached to the document and is accepted in 117 countries that are a party to the Apostille convention. This is a simplified and faster means of document verification, cutting down processing time and costs. The DFA has two verification options, On-site Verification and Online Verification. On-site Verification is the traditional verification process that does not require appointment slots. Walk-in clients have the option to avail of the regular release of processed documents after four working days.
Apostille Requirements
Fulfilling apostille requirements typically involves submitting original documents to the designated government authority, paying applicable fees, and ensuring that the documents meet specific criteria for authentication under the Apostille Convention. The registration of the particular document facilitates its circulation on the territory of the countries that have ratified it. It requires the following items: the original copy of the paper and its additional notes, if any; the attorney or public lawyer’s signature; the signature of the notary public; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ endorsement of the document’s legality. Once denounced, the mentioned paper has the opportunity to circulate on the territory of the Apostille-ratifying member countries. The paper is considered to have the same force which it should have in the country that has issued it. Prior to the certification of the document in another, it has to endure an official anonymity process and to be subsequently recognized by the appropriate officials. The absence of an Apostille does not prevent the occurrence of the mentioned processes, but the papers will have to cross a longer way of itinerary. If destruction of the paper exists, an equivalent act is issued.
The Apostille Convention has simplified the process of legalization. Instead of the previous chain of certifications from the local notary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Department of State, then to the embassy or consulate of the country of destination, the document is now taken to a local notary and then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Department of State, after which the Apostille itself is issued. According to the Hague Conference, Apostille must be pre-printed to a standard format that can be recognized through the use of common symbols and language, citing: “Apostille should be affixed to the public documents issued by the participating countries and which are both sealed and signed by authorized persons of the ministries of justice, meaning the judiciary of correspondent jurisdictions.”
