The word Apostille is of French origin meaning "certification".
The term "Apostille" is commonly used in English to refer to the process of legalizing a document for international use under the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. Documents that have been notarized by a notary public and certified with an Apostille are accepted for legal use in all the nations that have signed the Hague Convention.
It's important to note that an Apostille does not verify the validity or authenticity of the document to which it is attached. Instead, it certifies the signatures on the document, the origin of the document, and the necessary legalization process for acceptance in the country where the document will be presented.
In summary, an Apostille is an international signature authentication process. It does not certify the contents of the document as true or valid, but it certifies the signatures on the document as valid, and in specific cases, the individuals authorized to sign the document.the legalization of a document for international use under the terms of the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing Requirements of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. Documents which have been notarized by a notary public, and certain other documents, and then certified with a conformant apostille are accepted for legal use in all the nations that have signed the Hague Convention.
An Apostille authentication/legalization has nothing to do with the validity or authenticity of the document upon which it is attached. However, it has everything to do with certifications of the signatures that are written on the document, the origin of the document and the necessary legalization process for acceptance in the country of destination (receiving country wherein the legalized document will be presented).
The definition of Apostille may be best summarized as an International Signature Authentication Process. the Apostille/Authentication does not certify the contents of a particular document as being true or valid, however it does certify the signatures of the person(s) on the document as valid signatures, and in specific cases the person(s) authorized to subscribe their respective signature(s) on the document(s).