Apostille — in Spanish and Italian.

Definition

An international certificate authenticating a public document.

Spanish and Italian equivalents

In Spanish, Apostille is rendered as Apostilla; in Italian, as Apostille / Postilla. Italian likewise admits more than one form (Apostille / Postilla), with the choice driven by the document type and context. Spanish equivalents follow Argentine (Rioplatense) usage where it differs from European Spanish. In a certified translation the equivalent is chosen for the target jurisdiction; where the concept has no exact counterpart, the source term is kept alongside a functional explanation.

Translating Notarial, Apostille & Certification terminology

This is the vocabulary of getting a document accepted abroad. A certified translation in the U.S. sense (translator's signed statement of accuracy and competence, as USCIS requires) is not a Spanish traducción jurada or an Italian traduzione asseverata, which are sworn before a public authority; an apostille under the 1961 Hague Convention replaces consular legalización/legalizzazione only between member states; a copia certificada/copia conforme is not the same as a notarised signature. Knowing which of these a given authority actually wants saves clients weeks.

Related terms in Notarial, Apostille & Certification

• Notary / Civil-law notary — Escribano público / Notario
• Notarial deed / Public instrument — Escritura pública
• Private deed / Instrument — Instrumento privado
• Authentication / Certification — Autenticación / Certificación
• Certified copy — Copia certificada / fiel
• Notarization — Protocolización / Certificación notarial
• Legalization — Legalización
• Sworn translation — Traducción pública / jurada
• Certification of translation — Legalización de la traducción
• Power of attorney — Poder
• General power of attorney — Poder general
• Special power of attorney — Poder especial
• Affidavit / Sworn statement — Declaración jurada / Afidávit
• Statutory declaration — Declaración jurada (sustitutiva)
• Commissioner of oaths — Comisionado para tomar juramentos
• Acknowledgment — Reconocimiento de firma
• Witnessing (signature) — Certificación de firma
• Protocol / Notarial register — Protocolo notarial
• Original document — Original / Matriz
• Authentic copy / Engrossment — Testimonio / Primera copia
• Seal / Stamp — Sello
• Registration of documents — Inscripción / Registro de documentos
• Verification of identity — Verificación de identidad
• Validity / Legal effect — Validez / Eficacia
• Public registry — Registro público
• Certified true copy — Copia fiel certificada
• Endorsement (document) — Refrenda / Visado
• Wet signature — Firma ológrafa / manuscrita
• Digital signature — Firma digital
• Electronic signature — Firma electrónica

Browse the full Notarial, Apostille & Certification area, return to the dictionary index, or search all 712 terms in the interactive dictionary (also available as a PDF).

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This page is for general orientation only. It is not legal advice and does not substitute for advice from licensed counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Terminology varies between countries and between civil-law and common-law systems; the equivalents shown here are the most common in cross-border practice.