Apostille in Latin America: competent authority by country
An apostille is the certification provided for by the 1961 Hague Convention, which lets a public document issued in one country be recognised in another Contracting Party without further consular legalization. Each country designates the issuing authority with the HCCH.
The steps
- Obtain the public document from the body that issues it: the civil registry, the university, the court, the notary or whichever entity applies. An apostille certifies the signature and capacity of the signer, not the content.
- Check with the competent authority which documents it accepts and what prior signature it requires. In several countries a private document must be notarised first, and an academic qualification must pass through the relevant ministry.
- File the request with the designated competent authority, through the channel that authority names on its own site, and pay the fee that authority publishes.
- Receive the apostille. Several countries in the region issue an electronic apostille with an online verification code; the competent authority states on its site whether that applies and how it is verified.
The concrete steps, requirements and fees are published by each competent authority on its own site. The table links go to the HCCH record and to each country's authority site.
Competent authority by country
Each row links to the HCCH record designating that authority. The HCCH is the depositary organisation of the 1961 Convention.
| Country | Competent authority | In force since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 馃嚘馃嚪 Argentina | Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Cultoguide | February 18, 1988 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚙馃嚧 Bolivia | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | May 7, 2018 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚙馃嚪 Brasil | Conselho Nacional de Justi莽aguide | August 14, 2016 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚚馃嚤 Chile | Subsecretario de Justicia, Secretarios Regionales Ministeriales de Justiciaguide | August 30, 2016 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚚馃嚧 Colombia | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Apostille Coordination and Legalizationsguide | January 30, 2001 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚚馃嚪 Costa Rica | Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto de Costa Rica, Departamento de Autenticaciones | December 14, 2011 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚚馃嚭 Cuba | Not a party to the Convention | - | HCCH |
| 馃嚛馃嚧 Republica Dominicana | Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de la Rep煤blica Dominicana (MIREX), Direcci贸n de Legalizaci贸n de Documentos de la Sede Central de la Canciller铆a | August 30, 2009 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚜馃嚚 Ecuador | Director de Documentos de Viaje y Legalizaciones, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humanaguide | April 2, 2005 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚫馃嚮 El Salvador | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | May 31, 1996 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚞馃嚬 Guatemala | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Guatemala, Department of Authentication of the Directorate of Legal Affairs | September 18, 2017 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚟馃嚦 Honduras | Secretar铆a de Estado en el Despacho de Relaciones Exteriores | September 30, 2004 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico | Direcci贸n de Coordinaci贸n Pol铆tica con los Poderes de la Uni贸nguide | August 14, 1995 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚦馃嚠 Nicaragua | Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores | May 14, 2013 | HCCH |
| 馃嚨馃嚘 Panama | Secretar铆a General de la Corte Suprema de Justicia (documentos de autoridades judiciales); Direcci贸n de Servicios Administrativos del Ministerio de Gobierno y Justicia (documentos notariados); Departamento de Autenticaci贸n y Legalizaci贸n del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (otros documentos p煤blicos) | August 4, 1991 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚨馃嚲 Paraguay | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate-General of Consular Affairs | August 30, 2014 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚨馃嚜 Peru | Ministerio de Relaciones Exterioresguide | September 30, 2010 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚭馃嚲 Uruguay | Direcci贸n General para Asuntos Consulares | October 14, 2012 | HCCH | Authority website |
| 馃嚮馃嚜 Venezuela | Ministerio del Poder Popular para Relaciones Exteriores | March 16, 1999 | HCCH | Authority website |
Convention status table | HCCH apostille section - checked on September 3, 2026
When the US visa process asks for an apostille
For a nonimmigrant visa, the official visitor visa page lists the passport, the DS-160 confirmation page and the photograph, and says additional documents may be requested. It names no apostilled documents.
For an immigrant visa, the Department of State has its own civil documents step, with per-country requirements for each document in the reciprocity and civil documents tables.
official visitor visa page | official civil documents stepchecked on September 3, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Which authority issues apostilles in International?
According to the HCCH status table at https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41, this country is not a Contracting Party to the 1961 Apostille Convention, so no authority issues apostilles there. Checked on September 3, 2026.
Does a nonimmigrant visa application require apostilled documents?
The Department of State's visitor visa page names the passport, the DS-160 confirmation page and the photograph, and says additional documents may be requested. It names no apostilled documents. Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visitor.html, checked on September 3, 2026.
What does an apostille certify?
The 1961 Hague Convention provides for a certificate of the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing acted and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp on the document. It does not certify the content of the document. HCCH apostille section: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/specialised-sections/apostille.