From Paper to Pixel: How e-Apostilles are Transforming Immigration Processes
This is a guest post by our partners at BiCortex Languages
Back in the pandemic, immigration processes quietly changed in a big way.
Apostilles – the mechanism for certifying a document so that other countries will recognise it – went digital. The age of the e-Apostille is upon us.
What is an e-Apostille?
An e-Apostille is simply a foreign public document authenticated online instead of on paper, with secure electronic dates and signatures.
To prevent forgery, e-Apostilles are validated and verified by official e-Registers, where the e-Apostille’s identification number can be found and proven.
E-Apostilles have made cross-border ratification much faster, safer, and more environmentally friendly, as these documents use a substantial amount of paper. As of 2024, 41 countries, including Armenia, Columbia, Latvia, Belgium, and more, now accept e-Apostilles.
The change to e-Apostilles
While many people now use e-Apostilles to validate their documents internationally, paper-based methods, processed in person and by post, still account for most apostille certifications. But the last decade has seen a marked ramp-up in electronic methods.
Between 2016 and 2020, over 11 million e-Apostilles were issued worldwide. Even the pandemic’s restrictions on travel and cross-border trade didn’t manage to dampen this demand; By the end of 2020, 67% more requests for e-Apostilles had been filed than in 2016. That’s because digital apostilles are simply more efficient and straightforward, both for legalisation offices and the general public.
The launch of the e-App mobile application should accelerate this adoption curve.
What is the e-App?
The e-App, also known as the electronic Apostille Pilot Program, was developed by America’s Nation Notary Association and the HCCH. It makes accessing e-registers and e-Apostilles easier, cheaper and more secure.
Processing e-Apostilles
If a competent authority is using the e-App to issue e-Apostilles, it’s recommended to use the digital certificate through a PDF.
The competent authority needs a valid license for either the Professional or Standard version of Adobe (Adobe 7.0 or higher). For competent authorities with many officials, it’s suggested that they use Adobe 8.0, as the free Adobe Reader 8.0 has the ability to be digitally signed. This means that only one licensed version is needed for all officials to be able to issue e-Apostilles. Recipients can use a free Acrobat Reader to open and look at e-Apostilles.
Competent Authorities don’t only have to use PDF for issuing, as long as a similar program has the same abilities and attributes. This can also mean creating and using their own programs.
E-Apostilles are digitally signed by the competent authority, which then attaches a digital copy of the original document. These are then combined as a singular PDF file, also known as an e-Apostilled document, and sent back to whoever requested it.
E-Apostilles are sometimes sent to the authority or right person in the other country by Competent Authorities. After the person who requested the e-Apostille receives it, it’s important to check if the competent authority’s digital certificate has not been revoked and is still valid.
The first time someone receives an e-Apostille, they might see a question mark next to the signature. However, this will go away once Adobe has been properly set up.
Three steps for obtaining e-Apostilles
- Document authentication – The first step is to make sure that the document that needs to be legalised is authenticated by the proper authority of the requester’s country. This is to help confirm the origin, seal and signature of the document.
- E-Apostilles issuance – After the documents have been checked, the correct authority, such as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, will then add an e-Apostille. The e-Apostille will have the Competent Authorities signature, a unique ID number, country and date on it.
- Validation and verification – Authorities in the country receiving the document will then look at the e-Apostille with an online system. This is to make sure that the e-Apostille hasn’t been altered and is, in fact, genuine and valid.
Why e-Apostilles are the future
Speed and efficiency
By removing the need to prepare physical paperwork ahead of trips to government offices or the use of postal services, e-Apostilles processing has made document legalisation and authentication much quicker.
Cost-effectiveness
E-Apostilles don’t need physical materials or require shipping costs, making them a more affordable option than traditional methods.
Improved security
E-apostilles are also safer than their physical counterparts. Inbuilt security features, such as digital signatures and encryption, protect the document from tampering throughout the entire authentication process. This helps provide peace of mind for businesses, individuals and authorities.
Inclusive accessibility
E-Apostilles are easy to access, request and verify from around the world. Many individuals and businesses have previously struggled with apostilles because of their geographical boundaries. But e-Apostilles leave this an issue of the past.
Ready to authenticate your documents faster and more safely? Try e-Apostiles today!
