As per the terms of the Hague Convention, the Apostille is issued to a document originating from one country in order for this to be legally recognised in another member country. For example, a UK birth certificate that has been issued with the apostille should be legally recognised in the USA.

Overall, this does prove to be an effective system to simplify the circulation of documents throughout countries that are part of the apostille convention. However, one clear caveat of this is the fact that there is not a common language shared by all of these countries.

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Translating a Birth Certificate

Managing the estate of a deceased person can be a difficult process and this can be exacerbated by the circumstances. When the deceased held assets overseas there are many legal barriers to overcome.

Expatriation to Spain is becoming more and more commonplace for UK citizens. Furthermore, many people choose to invest their money overseas to diversify their interests and provide financial security in the long term. Following the death of an individual there are several documents that may require legalisation when managing the property of the deceased.

Presenting your document overseas in a country in which English is not the predominant language will often necessitate the translation of your documents. It is always advisable to check if the authority requesting the Apostille also require a translation to ensure they can better understand the content of your UK document.