Elizabeth Puente M.
If you were to ask me which words I hear most often around the office, besides ‘deadline’, I would have to answer ‘apostille’ and ‘authentication’. I receive many calls from clients who are concerned because they need to process a government or official formality and they don’t understand what the authority is requiring. Some even get annoyed with me because in trying to offer clarification, I have to explain that we are a translation agency and we do not process apostilles or authentications. A translation agency, basically, delivers translations.
So, what are apostilles or authentications?
Both the apostille and authentication are processes by which an authority recognizes the signatures that appear on an official document, whether it is an academic degree, birth certificate, death certificate, professional license, etc. For example, the office chief is the one who signs a professional license issued in Mexico by the Office of Professions. The apostille or authentication certifies that the signature is authentic and is actually that of the office chief at the time.
The difference between apostille and authentication is determined by the countries that are members of the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961[1], which removes the requirement for public documents to be authenticated and accepts the recognition or certification of signatures through an apostille, while non-member countries have different authentication processes.
Where are apostilles processed for Mexican documents?
The authority that processes apostilles in Mexico is the Department of Internal Affairs (Secretaría de Gobernación). There is a list of offices in the different Mexican states where apostilles can be processed.
In the case of Mexico City, the Notary Archive processes apostilles.
What about foreign documents presented in Mexico?
To be valid in Mexico, documents issued in other countries must have an apostille, which is processed in the country of origin. Here, we’re only talking about apostilles because Mexico is a member of the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961.
If you would like to find out more about this topic, consult the following links:
http://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5317985&fecha=15/10/2013
http://dicoppu.segob.gob.mx/es/DICOPPU/Apostille
https://www.acnur.org/fileadmin/Documentos/BDL/2001/0506.pdf?file=fileadmin/Documentos/BDL/2001/0506
[1] https://www.acnur.org/fileadmin/Documentos/BDL/2001/0506.pdf?file=fileadmin/Documentos/BDL/2001/0506