MANILA -- The Apostille Convention on Authentication of Documents will take effect on May 14, 2019 in the Philippines.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it will no longer issue authentication certificates starting Tuesday next week instead it will affix an "Apostille" to documents for use abroad.
"After authentication by the DFA, there is no more need for authentication (legalization) by the concerned Foreign Embassies or Consulates General if the country or territory of destination of the authenticated document is already a member of the Apostille Convention," it said in an advisory on Tuesday.
In the same manner, public documents executed in Apostille member countries and territories (except for Austria, Finland, Germany and Greece) which will be used in the Philippines no longer have to be authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate General once Apostillized.
The previous process of authentication, however, still applies in countries and territories which are not Apostille-contracting parties.
"Documents still have to be authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate General before they can be used in the Philippines. Also, there is still a need for authentication (legalization) by the concerned Foreign Embassies or Consulates General if the country of destination of the authenticated document is not yet a member of the Apostille Convention," it said.
Authentication fees will remain at PHP100 (regular processing) and PHP200 (expedited processing) per document.
For the updated list of Apostille-contracting parties, concerned parties can visit https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?.... (DFA Advisory)
