Hague Convention countries: the full 2026 apostille list

Which Hague Convention is this list for?

This is the list for the Apostille Convention, Hague Convention No. 12 of October 5, 1961, which replaces embassy legalization of foreign public documents with one certificate, the apostille. Other Hague Conventions keep their own lists:

• Service Convention (No. 14, 1965): sending judicial and extrajudicial documents, such as court papers, abroad for service in civil or commercial cases.
• Evidence Convention (No. 20, 1970): taking evidence abroad in civil or commercial matters.
• Child Abduction Convention (No. 28, 1980): civil aspects of international child abduction, behind many "Hague Convention countries" results.
• Intercountry Adoption Convention (No. 33, 1993): protection of children and cooperation in intercountry adoption, the State Department's "Convention Countries" list.

Membership of the Hague Conference (HCCH) is separate too: Thailand has been an HCCH Member since 2021, but the Apostille Convention applies there only from February 28, 2027.

Full list of Hague Convention countries (apostille), A to Z

All 130 Contracting Parties in the HCCH status table for the Apostille Convention, read on November 5, 2026, with the date the Convention took effect, or takes effect, in each. Long official names are shortened, with the HCCH name underneath, and names such as Vietnam and Turkey are added for the search box.

Which countries joined the Apostille Convention recently?

The Convention took effect in 10 countries from 2022 to 2026, and Thailand is next. Some older lists miss recent joiners.

Thailand is the only party where the Convention is not yet in force. Under Article 12, entry into force comes "on the sixtieth day after the expiry of the period of six months" that members have to object; by our count, Thailand's window closes on December 30, 2026, and the table listed no objections on November 5, 2026. Territories change too: Denmark extended the Convention to the Faroe Islands from December 13, 2021.

When do two Hague countries not use apostilles with each other?

When a country joins by accession, existing parties have six months from the depositary's notification to object (Article 12). An objection means those two countries do not use apostilles with each other; each still uses them with the parties that did not object.

No objection in place involves the United States, so none affects documents from New York. The only US objection, to Liberia, was withdrawn, and the Convention has applied between the two since May 20, 2015.

On November 5, 2026, HCCH's notifications showed 80 objections in place, made by 34 countries against 19 that joined; Germany (17) and Austria (12) object most often. Separately, Brazil, Chile, the Russian Federation and Spain made declarations about Kosovo, so the Convention does not apply between them and Kosovo either. The newest change: Greece withdrew its objection to Uzbekistan, effective October 30, 2026.

Which countries are not in the Hague Apostille Convention?

Any country missing from the table had not joined as of November 5, 2026. For those countries, and for Thailand until February 28, 2027, a New York document is authenticated and then legalized by the destination's embassy or consulate instead.

Countries people often ask about that have not joined

None of these is in the HCCH table checked November 5, 2026: Afghanistan, Cambodia, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritania, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Taiwan is not in the table either; the receiving office sets its own requirements.

Often thought to be outside, but they have joined

Besides the recent joiners above, all of these are in the table: Belarus, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Malawi, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Singapore and Tunisia.

The legalization route from New York, step by step

1. The document. A certified copy from the issuing office, or a signature notarized by a New York notary, as on a power of attorney for use abroad.
2. County clerk. It certifies the signature on notarized documents and local vital records ($3 at the New York County Clerk). NYC birth and death certificates need a Letter of Exemplification first.
3. New York Department of State. A certificate of authentication instead of an apostille, at the same $10.
4. US Department of State, usually. An authentication certificate, $20; its request form asks for the destination country. The embassy or consulate can tell you whether it needs this step.
5. Embassy or consulate. Legalization, with fees and requirements set by each embassy or consulate.

Federal documents, such as FBI background checks, skip steps 2 and 3. The office receiving the document decides what it accepts, and some also ask for a translation.

Totals leave out notary, courier and embassy fees; other counties' clerk fees were not checked. Our borough prices are on the notary cost page.

How do you get an apostille for a New York document?

The office depends on who signed the document: the New York Department of State for New York State, local and notarized documents, and the US Department of State for federal ones. Either way, an apostille certifies the signature, the signer's capacity and the seal, not what the document says. Our guide to getting an apostille in NYC walks through each step.

Notarized documents: the county clerk comes first

The Department of State's instructions say notarized documents are first certified by the county clerk "where the notary is certified". School records follow the same path once a school official certifies them and the signature is notarized. Our guide to what needs a notary in New York explains which documents are notarized at all.

Birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates

Local or county certificates "must first be certified by the County Clerk of the county where the document was issued". The Department of State adds that NYC birth and death certificates need a Letter of Exemplification and certification by the New York County Clerk. New York State Department of Health records signed by the Director of Vital Statistics or the State Registrar skip the county clerk. The Department of State's process for these records starts from a copy issued by the records office; it asks for notarized copies only for other documents, such as a power of attorney. See how to apostille a NYC birth certificate.

Federal documents: the US Department of State

Documents issued by federal agencies or signed by federal officials, such as FBI background checks, go to the State Department's Office of Authentications, for a "$20 nonrefundable fee for each document". For federal documents, its apostille page says "Do not notarize your document". New York State background checks from DCJS, by contrast, go to the New York Department of State with the DCJS cover letter.

Offices, fees and timing at a glance

Frequently asked questions about Hague Convention countries

Official sources

Last checked November 5, 2026.

• HCCH, Apostille Convention status table: the 130 parties, dates, territories and objections
• HCCH, Apostille Convention full text: Articles 2 and 12
• HCCH news on Thailand, Viet Nam, Algeria, Bangladesh and China: recent dates and Thailand's HCCH membership
• HCCH notification on China: Hong Kong and Macao dates, China's declaration and India's objection
• HCCH territory pages for the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Denmark: territories in the table notes
• HCCH, United States authorities: who issues US apostilles
• HCCH pages for the Service, Child Abduction and Intercountry Adoption Conventions: the other conventions
• US Department of State pages on requesting authentication, authenticating a document, apostille requirements and authentication certification: fees, times, addresses and which office handles what
• US Department of State, adoption Convention Countries: a different convention's list
• New York Department of State pages on apostilles and authentication and walk in service: the $10 fee, county clerk and vital records rules, offices and hours
• NYC Health, birth certificates: the Letter of Exemplification and the appointment wording
• New York County Clerk: the $3 fee, the room and payment
• NYC 311, apostille: the floor and payment wording

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