Why Apostille Applications Fail and How to Fix Them
Nine out of ten failures come from four causes: the notary office lacked foreign affairs qualification, the process order was wrong, the name spelling did not match the passport, or the document exceeded the validity window required by the destination.
Key Points
- Most common: unqualified notary office
- Second: name spelling differs from passport
- Third: document older than the destination allows
- Fourth: missing or unacceptable translation
- Remedy: obtain the written reason before redoing anything
Legal Basis
Hague Apostille Convention Article 5; Ministry of Foreign Affairs rules on refusal to issue.