An apostille is a stamp that tells another country a public document is genuine. Many digital nomad visa consulates ask for one on criminal record checks, birth certificates, and marriage certificates. The steps below cover the offices, fees, and wait times for the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. A later section covers what Nigerian and other applicants do when their country is outside the treaty.
What an Apostille Is and What It Is Not
An apostille is a certificate issued under the Hague Apostille Convention. The certificate confirms that the signature on a document is real, that the signer held the stated role, and that the seal or stamp is genuine. The content of the document is outside its scope, according to the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH).
The treaty works only when both the country that issued the document and the country that will receive it are parties. In the HCCH status table updated on 30 June 2026, 130 countries are listed as parties.
Three terms often get mixed up.
- Notarization. A notary public confirms your identity and witnesses your signature, or certifies that a copy matches the original.
- Apostille. A government office confirms the signature and seal on the document, which may be the notary’s own.
- Certified translation. A qualified translator puts the document into the language of the destination country.
A consulate may ask for one, two, or all three of these, and the order differs by consulate.
Which Documents Usually Need an Apostille
Each visa sets its own list, so treat the examples below as common patterns.
- Criminal record certificates. Spain’s digital nomad visa asks for a criminal record certificate with a Hague apostille. Portugal’s D8 visa asks for one from your country of nationality and from any country where you lived for more than a year.
- Birth and marriage certificates. Applicants who add a partner or children are often asked for these. The guide to digital nomad visas with family and dependent provisions shows which programs allow dependents.
- Degrees and work contracts. Some consulates ask for these. Confirm before paying for an apostille the consulate may not require.
How to Get Documents Apostilled, Step by Step
1. Get the Checklist From Your Own Consulate
The receiving consulate decides which documents need an apostille. The consulate also sets how recent each one must be and the order to prepare them. The digital nomad visa application documents checklist shows the usual papers, and the consulate page has the final word.
- Which consulate. Use the office that covers the place where you apply. Two offices for the same visa can post different lists.
- Age limit. Spanish consulates differ. London, Houston, and Canberra list six months, while Nicosia lists three.
- Order of steps. Some consulates want the translation before the apostille and others want it after.
Consulate checklists can change, so save a dated copy of the page you follow.
2. Confirm Both Countries Are Hague Parties
Check the country that issued the document and the country that will receive it against the HCCH status table. A short sample from the 30 June 2026 update appears below.
| Country | Status in the HCCH table |
|---|---|
| United States | Party |
| United Kingdom | Party |
| Canada | Party since 11 January 2024 |
| Australia | Party |
| India | Party since 14 July 2005 |
| China | In force since 7 November 2023 |
| Spain | Party |
| Portugal | Party |
| Thailand | Joined 30 June 2026, in force 28 February 2027 |
| Viet Nam | In force since 11 September 2026 |
| Nigeria | Not listed |
| Kenya | Not listed |
| Ghana | Not listed |
Colombia, Indonesia, and Mexico are also parties. The table marks some accessions with asterisks when another country has objected, so check the exact pair of countries and not only the destination.
Thailand joined on 30 June 2026, but the treaty does not start there until 28 February 2027. Until then, ask the Thai embassy which route it accepts. The Thailand DTV requirements guide covers that program.
3. Order the Right Original
An apostille attaches to an original or an officially certified copy. A plain photocopy usually needs notarization first.
- Criminal records. Order from the agency that issues them, such as the FBI for a US Identity History Summary or ACRO for UK records. The Portugal and Spain checklists that mention UK records accept ACRO with an apostille. The guide to getting a police clearance certificate for a digital nomad visa covers the ordering step by country.
- Birth and marriage certificates. Order a fresh certified copy from the registry that holds the record.
- Record age. Sources disagree on how old an FBI report can be when it is apostilled, with one saying three months and another six. Ask the consulate and the apostille office.
Order the record only after learning the consulate’s age limit, because an old record may fail the limit before it reaches the appointment.
4. Add a Notary Only Where the Office Requires One
Apostille offices set their own rules for copies and private papers.
- United Kingdom. Copies and contracts need a UK notary or solicitor first.
- Australia. Documents that are not originals need an Australian Notary Public first.
- Canada. The federal office takes paper originals only.
Read the apostille office page before paying a notary, since each office sets its own rules.
5. Send the Document to the Correct Apostille Office
Each country names one or more offices, and the wrong office means the document returns unstamped.
| Country | Office | Fee | Wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | State Department Office of Authentications for federal documents. Secretary of State for state documents. | $20 per federal document. State fees run about $1 to $25. | About 5 weeks by mail from receipt. About 7 business days for walk-in service. |
| United Kingdom | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Legalisation Office | £45 for paper, £35 for e-Apostille, plus courier | Up to 25 working days plus postage. Up to 2 working days for e-Apostille. |
| Canada | Global Affairs Canada. Some provinces issue their own. | See the Global Affairs Canada fee page | 25 business days plus 5 to 10 business days of mailing. No rush service. |
| Australia | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) | A$105 (Smartraveller, 18 August 2026) | See the DFAT page |
Fees and waits come from the offices and their government pages, and the dates differ by country.
- United States. A state-issued birth certificate goes to that state’s Secretary of State and not to Washington. Form DS-4194 lists the country where the document will be used.
- United Kingdom. The e-Apostille is not available for GRO certificates, ACRO, DBS, Scotland and Northern Ireland disclosure, fingerprint certificates, or ACCA documents. Documents of those types use the paper route. Courier return costs £6 within the UK, £32 to Europe, and £42 to the rest of the world. Next-Day and urgent services exist only for registered businesses.
- Canada. Canadian documents used to need embassy legalisation before 11 January 2024, so older blog posts may describe a longer process. Check the Global Affairs Canada “find where to send” tool, since some provinces issue apostilles directly.
- Australia. Fees rise with inflation each 1 January. The HCCH authority page still shows A$102 from January 2025, so expect the current fee to be the higher figure.
The HCCH states that e-Apostilles fall within the Convention, so a party should accept them. Confirm the format with the consulate before choosing.
6. Translate in the Order the Consulate Asks
A translation is a separate job from the apostille, and the two can happen in either order.
- Spain. A criminal record certificate needs a Hague apostille and a sworn Spanish translation. The Spain digital nomad visa guide lists the other documents.
- Portugal. Documents need a Hague apostille and a Portuguese translation. The Portugal D8 visa guide covers the full list.
- Order. Consulates differ on whether the translator works before or after the apostille, so follow the checklist from step 1.
7. Use Authentication and Legalisation if the Country Is Not a Party
Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana do not appear in the HCCH table. A document issued in a country outside the treaty cannot receive an apostille, even when Spain or Portugal is a party. Documents from those countries go through a longer chain.
- Nigeria. The chain generally runs from a notary public to the Ministry of Education (education documents only). Next comes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, Legal Services Division, and then the destination embassy for legalisation. One embassy page states the foreign ministry authentication is valid for six months.
- Destination outside the treaty. A US document going to a country outside the treaty gets an authentication certificate from the State Department. The destination embassy then legalises it.
- Cost and wait. Fees and times vary by office, so ask each one before you send anything.
The guide to digital nomad visas for Nigerian and other non-Western passport holders shows which programs suit those passports.
8. Build the Timeline Before You Order Anything
Add the waits together first, so no record expires on the way to the appointment.
- Add the waits. The United Kingdom standard service takes up to 25 working days, which is 5 weeks, plus postage. Canada takes 25 business days plus 5 to 10 business days of mailing, which is 6 to 7 weeks. US mail service takes about 5 weeks, or 35 days.
- Subtract from the age limit. Suppose a consulate accepts records up to 90 days old, and the State Department takes 35 days. About 55 days remain for translation, shipping, and the appointment. The total is just under 8 weeks.
- Ask when the clock starts. The age limit may count from the date of issue or the date of the apostille. The consulate can say which.
- Start with the slowest document. Order the paper with the longest wait first and the quick ones later.
The Most Common Mistake
Applicants can follow a general guide and apostille everything in one pass. At the appointment, they may learn that the consulate wanted a fresher record, a different order, or a translation first. A second round of fees and waiting follows.
A general guide, including this one, shows the usual path. The consulate checklist shows the path for your application. Ticking off each line of the checklist before posting anything helps avoid repeat orders. Another common error sends a state record to the federal office, or the reverse, which means a return trip through the mail.
Visa and document rules change. Confirm the current requirements with the consulate or embassy handling your application, or with a qualified immigration professional. The information here is accurate as of 28 October 2026.
Next Steps
Apostilles take weeks, and each consulate sets its own order, so begin with the checklist and the slowest document. Once the stamps are done and the appointment is booked, search flights for your move on FlyBibe. Choose a date with a few days of room after the appointment. A small buffer helps if the consulate asks for one more paper before it issues the visa.