Apostille Service Provider in the Philippines

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is the primary government body that performs apostillization. The DFA defines an apostille as a certificate authenticating the origin of an official document. Apostille is issued by a member of the Hague Apostille Convention to be used in another country member of the same organization. The Convention effectively created a simplified way to authenticate to use legally worldwide. An apostille intends to make legal communication between two country members successful.

The Philippines became a member of the Convention on May 14, 2019. Thus, instead of a red ribbon obtained through the process of authentication, an apostille stamp can now certify the legitimacy of official documents originating from the country.

The DFA implemented a strictly no walk-in allowed ruling amid the global health crisis. An appointment is required for all apostille services. This is where the role of an apostille service provider in the Philippines becomes paramount.

What an apostille service provider in the Philippines can do for you?

An apostille service provider, such as FileDocsPhil, helps legalize public documents for use outside the country. Ultimately, we can assist in the attestation by obtaining the certificate with an apostille stamp. We can also:

1. Exert ourselves to understand each client’s legalization needs
2. Liaise with the proper government agency or other legal entities in obtaining the necessary documents
3. Collate the required prerequisites for each document the client needs
4. Ensure the validity of the apostille to meet the legal requirements of the host country

What are the steps in apostillization?

The steps and entities involved in apostillization are straightforward, though it will depend on the country where you will use the apostilled document.

• Apostillization versus authentication

Prior to inclusion in the Convention, the authentication process is generally implemented. Here are the steps in DFA authentication:

1. Certification – Obtaining the document(s) to be certified from the relevant government agency or entity
2. Authentication – Taking the certified document(s) to the DFA for authentication
3. Legalization – Taking the authenticated document(s) to the relevant embassy or consulate for legalization

The apostillization process discards the final step to include only the first two steps. Here are the steps in DFA apostillization:

1. Certification – Obtaining the document(s) to be certified from the relevant government agency or entity
2. Authentication – Taking the certified document(s) to the DFA for authentication

Thereby, apostillization is faster than authentication since the legalization process is no longer needed.

• Apostillization in the Philippines versus contracting and non-contracting parties

As part of due diligence, it is critical that we, at FileDocsPhil, know where you will use the document and its intended use. Not all countries or territories accept an apostilled document (with the stamp and gold round sticker) – some countries still require the authenticated document (with the red ribbon). For the latter, these countries are:

• Austria
• Finland
• Germany
• Greece

These countries do not acknowledge that the apostilled documents are legal and valid. Therefore, the authentication process is in line. Then, the third step, which requires taking the legalized document(s) to the foreign embassy or consulate, must be performed.

What documents need to be apostilled?

Legalizing is required for the following public documents:

• Civil status certificates (birth, death, marriage/no marriage, annulment)
• Education documents (diplomas, transcript of records (TOR), school reports)
• Notarial documents (authorizations, Special Power of Attorney (SPA), declarations, last will)
• Other business documents (business registration, by-laws, certificate of incorporation, articles of incorporation, commercial agreements, export certificate, commercial invoices)
• Professional documents and licenses (issued by the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) and Civil Aviation Authority (CAAP)
• Court documents (Judicial decisions, resolutions, orders)
• Background check documents (National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance, police clearance)
• Religious documents
• Other notarized copies of documents (passport, driver’s license, certificate of good standing, certificate of employment, medical certificate, travel consent)

Sample of apostilled document

What are the requirements for getting document(s) apostilled?

In the Philippines, the apostille service provider will ask you to provide or accomplish the following:

• Authentication form
• Original and photocopy of a valid ID
• A digitized government-issued ID with signature
  • The following IDs are accepted
    • Passport
    • Voter’s ID
    • Solo parent ID
    • Senior citizen ID
    • PWD ID
    • Alumni or student ID
    • Seaman’s book

If using an authorized representative, you will additionally need:

• Authorization letter
• Photocopy of the applicant’s ID
• Original SPA (specifically from the parent or legal guardian of a minor applicant)

The representative always needs to bring the letter, ID, and SPA, especially when transacting with the DFA. 

FileDocsPhil can help with the apostillization process

Since the entire legalization process involves multiple steps, apostille should be approached diligently. Apostille services will vary depending on where you will use the document.

Do not let an incompetent apostille service provider in the Philippines process the apostille for you. You want to leave the process with professionals who fully understand the apostille processes in the Philippines and the unique apostille requirements of the country where you will use the document. Some countries may reject the certificate for certain reasons, compromising time, money, or worse, your business relationships and, to an extent – your reputation.

We at FileDocsPhil will do our best to assist you with your request. We can guarantee fast, easy, accurate, and secure apostilled official documents.

Our legalization process starts with a consultation process. Call us at +63.917.892.2337 or email us at info(at)filedocsphil(dotted)com.

Caveat emptor

The final price for each apostillization order will depend on the document type and how quickly you might need it/these. For example, the average apostillization process for a document may take up to 7 business days.