E-apostille
Case Study
2022
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Key Findings
E-apostilles
issued globally
Introduction
Acceptance of
the e-apostille
Methods used to
send e-apostilles
The shift towards
e-apostilles
The e-APP and
its uses
The future of e-
apostilles
01
04
02
05
07
03
06
08
Table of Contents
Summary of data
09
Methodology &
data
Resource List
10 11

34% of all countries in the Hague Conference
issue and accept e-Apostilles.
Summary of key finding of
the e-Apostille case study:
Since 2016, over 11 million e-apostilles have
been issued worldwide.
Since 2018, over 2 million e-apostilles have
been issued worldwide every year.
2019 marked a historic high in the number of
e-apostilles issued worldwide (3.5 million).
41 Contracting Parties have implemented one
or both e-APP’s components.
Based on our forecast sheet, about 4.1 million
e-apostilles will be issued globally in 2022.
By 2024, approximately 5.1 million digital
apostilles will be issued worldwide annually.
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01

Introduction
The 2006 Hague Conference launched the e-legalisation
process with the aim of modernising the apostille process [1].
Since September 2022, the UK government has begun
issuing e-apostilles to simplify document legalisation [2].
An e-apostille is a digital certificate attached to your
electronic documents to confirm their authenticity; it holds
the same authority as paper apostilles.
Its validity can be confirmed at an official online registry,
where the identification number of the electronic document
can be found and proved [3].
Thus, the e-legalisation process is not only free of forgeries
but also safer and environmentally friendly.
This case study analyses the Summary of Responses to the
Apostille Questionnaire 2021 [4].
We also give our own analysis of e-apostilles, their use and
trends.
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Traditional methods such as in-person (86%) and postal services
(52%) remain the most dominant ways of requesting apostilles
worldwide.
However, there has been a notable shift towards e-apostilles
since 2016 [4].
By 2021, more people were applying for apostilles through
electronic means such as email (15%) and through a website
(34%).
This was a 7% and 17% increase in email transmissions and
website applications, respectively, from 2016.
The following table illustrates the shift from in-person and post
methods to electronic means (email and websites):
The shift towards
e-apostilles
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Between 2016 and 2020, over 11 million e-apostilles were issued
worldwide, compared to about 49 million paper apostilles [4].
The annual global issuance of e-apostilles rose from 1.3 million to
2.2 million between 2016 and 2020 (a 69.96% increase).
This increase is attributed to the effects of the pandemic and the
accelerated shift towards digital services.
With the suspension of in-person operations across the globe,
more people pursued e-legalisation.
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The highest number of electronic apostilles was issued in 2019.
3.5 million e-apostilles were issued globally.
This was 27.5% of the paper apostilles issued that year
(approximately 12 million paper apostilles were issued).
2020 saw a marked decline in the number of e-apostilles issued
worldwide.
Only 2.1 million e-apostilles were issued that year.
This is not surprising given the pandemic’s social, economic, and
political impacts.
However, this was still 67% higher than the number of e-
apostilles issued in 2016.
This notable shift towards digital apostilles indicates that they
are more efficient, and the end-to-end process is more
straightforward for the legalisation office and the general public.
The following chart illustrates the global trends in e-apostille
issuance between 2016 and 2020 [4].
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Over 11 million e-apostilles were issued globally between
2016 and 2020, compared to 49 million paper apostilles.
There has been a 69.96% increase in e-apostilles issued
worldwide since 2016.
2019 saw a historic high in the number of e-apostilles issued
worldwide (3.5million e-apostilles were issued). The increase
is attributed to the pandemic and the shift to digital services.
Key Takeaways:
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2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
0
E-ApostillesissuedGlobally 2 0 1 6 - 2 0 2 0

By 2021, 34% of all the countries of the Hague Conference
issued and accepted e-apostilles. This translates to 41
Contracting Parties [5].
Countries such as Latvia, Columbia, Belgium, and Armenia
exclusively offer digital apostilles.
Additionally, 61% of the contracting parties who do not issue
digital certificates are studying them with the goal of
implementing the process in the future [4].
At least 52% of those who have not launched e-legalisation
cite implementation challenges as the primary impediment.
Other challenges that have been cited include cost, security
concerns, internal law limitations, and judicial or
administrative structure.
However, it has been suggested that participating in the e-
App forums and partnering with countries that have already
implemented the process will help overcome this challenge.
The contracting parties
that issue and accept
e-apostilles
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34% of all the Contracting Parties issue and accept e-
apostilles (41 countries).
61% are studying e-apostilles intending to implement
them.
52% of those who have not implemented e-apostilles cite
implementation challenges.
Key Takeaways:
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08

Developed by the HCCH and America’s Nation Notary
Association, the e-APP promotes the use of e-apostilles and e-
registers that can be accessed online by the recipients to
confirm the validity of the digital apostille [6][8].
All contracting parties retain the discretion as to if and how
they implement the two components.
Each e-APP component can be executed independently.
In 2021, over 200 Competent Authorities from over 41
contracting parties had implemented one or both e-APP
components 9 (34%) [4].
This translates to a 29.3% increase from 2017 when only 29
countries had launched the e-APP.
Of the 41 Contracting parties, 18 have implemented both of the
e-APP’s components (e-register and e-apostilles).
This indicates the e-APP programme’s success and the
Apostille Convention’s increasing significance.
The e-APP
and its uses
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Countries not launching the programme are encouraged to
collaborate with those who have already implemented it to
overcome implementation difficulties.
The following table illustrates the variations in some of the
challenges associated with implementing the e-APP.
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34% of the contracting parties have launched at least one
of the E-APP’s components (41 countries).
15% of these countries have implemented e-apostilles and
e-registers (18 countries).
46% of the Contracting parties that have not launched the
E-APP are experiencing implementation issues with the e-
register and 52% with the e-apostilles.
Key Takeaways:
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Most e-apostilles are issued either as a digitally signed PDF
attachment merged with the associated documents or as a
separate file along with the related documents.
By 2021, 21% of e-apostilles were transmitted via email, while
33% were via an online government platform [4].
The digital certificates can be stored in an online file and shared
as often as possible.
Approximately 54% of the Contracting Parties maintain an e-
register to confirm the validity of the digital apostilles [4].
This represents 22 Contracting parties with the e-APP.
Generally, countries that have already launched the e-APP
accept all e-apostilles issued.
Methods used to
send e-apostilles
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21% of e-apostilles are transmitted via email, while 31% are
via an e-register.
About 22 Contracting parties maintain an e-register to
verify all e-apostilles.
Key Takeaways:
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The 2016 HCCH Special Commission predicted that the interest
in the Apostille Convention and the e-APP programme would
continue to increase among current and future signatories [5]
[9].
Since 2014, new signatories have joined the Convention,
including Australia, Austria, Chile, Romania, Tajikistan, Brazil,
Singapore and one state of Mexico, with many more expected to
join.
As of July 2022, there are 124 Contracting Parties in the
Apostille Convention (4 more since 2021) [7].
Not only is the overall number of Contracting Parties to the
Convention continuing to rise, but so too is the number of
countries that have launched one or both components of the e-
APP [5].
Since 2016, there has been a 69.96% increase in e-apostilles
issued worldwide.
The future of
e-apostilles
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With increased digitisation, more Contracting parties will likely
implement the e-APP. New signatories have also joined as e-
APP participants.
Based on the recorded findings of the ‘Summary of Responses
to the Apostille Questionnaire 2021’, we have come up with this
forecast sheet:
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2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
6,000,000
4,000,000
2,000,000
0
Total e-apostille issued worldwide Forecast (total e-apostilles issued worldwide)
Upper confidence bound (total e-apostilles
issued worldwide)
E-apostille growth forecast for 2024
5.1 million

This forecast indicates that about 4.1 million e-apostilles will be
issued globally in 2022.
In 2024, approximately 5.1 million digital apostilles will be
issued worldwide.
Based on these, it is evident that the popularity of e-apostilles
will continue to increase as more contracting parties implement
the e-APP by 2024.
The HCCH recognises the positive impact of the e-APP on
Apostille issuance and verification.
Thus, Competent Authorities for the current and future
Contracting Parties have been encouraged to implement both
e-APP components [4].
The 11th International Forum on the Electronic Apostille
Programme proposed establishing an expert group that
includes IT experts who can further support and improve the e-
APP.
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As of July 2022, there are 124 Contracting Parties in the
Apostille Convention.
At the end of 2022, approximately 4.1 million e-apostilles
will be issued worldwide.
Approximately 5.1 million electronic apostilles will be issued
globally in 2024.
Key Takeaways:
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Although paper apostilles are still popular (at 86%), countries
are shifting towards electronic apostilles.
Currently, over 34% of countries (41) in the Apostille
Convention accept e-legalisation and have one or both of the e-
App’s components.
79 Contracting parties have not launched the e-APP. However,
61% of these are studying the program for implementation in
the near future.
Other countries have cited multiple challenges with launching
the programme.
Based on our forecast sheet, we expect approximately 4.1
million e-apostilles to be issued by the end of 2022.
This is a testament to their increased popularity and
implementation of the e-APP.
Summary of
data
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For this case study, we have analysed the Summary of
Responses to the Apostille Questionnaire 2021 presented by
the HCCH in 2021.
The questionnaire covers the practical aspects of the apostille
issuance process, the e-APP programme and the data and
statistics relating to the Convention.
The Questionnaire includes data from 130 interested parties,
including all HCCH members and all the Contracting Parties of
the Apostille Convention.
For our research, we reviewed multiple publications from the
following websites: the HCCH apostille section and the UK and
U.S government websites focusing on electronic apostille.
These websites offer descriptive statistics on e-apostille trends.
All our statistical analyses, deductions and predictions are
based on the findings of the 2021 Apostille Questionnaire.
Methodology
& data
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This case study was written by experts and fact-checked by experts.
We only link to high-quality sources like government information &
data, original reporting and interviews with industry experts.
Reputable publishers are also sourced and cited where appropriate
to support the facts within our articles.
1. Background Note on the e-APP. (n.d.).
Retrieved from https://assets.hcch.net/docs/764f82b4-a8d6-
4073-8e1b-4db0f12c880e.pdf
2. Press release – UK legalises public documents electronically
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-legalises-public-
documents-electronically-2-september-2022
3. Verify an Apostille
https://www.gov.uk/verify-apostille
4. Hague Conference on Private International Law Conférence de
La Haye de droit international privé. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://assets.hcch.net/docs/145673d6-d49a-414b-9fcc-
ad0f9b32b7d8.pdf
5. HCCH | FAQ on the issuance and verification of an e-Apostille.
(n.d.). hcch.net. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from
https://www.hcch.net/es/publications-and-studies/details4/?
pid=5578
Resource List
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6. International Forum on e-Notarization and e-Apostilles
https://www.biicl.org/files/1520_hague_conference_-
_second_international_forum_on_e-notarization_and_e-
apostilles.pdf
7. Hague Apostille Country List. (n.d.). gsccca.org. Retrieved
October 16, 2022, from https://www.gsccca.org/notary-and-
apostilles/apostilles/hague-apostille-country-list
8. International: Electronic Apostille Program Developments. (n.d.).
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved from
https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2017-03-
16/international-electronic-apostille-program-developments/
9. HCCH Membership Growth
https://assets.hcch.net/docs/e11314e9-9453-4f06-b159-
fa86d450f9ea.pdf
Competent Authorities
https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/authorities1/?
cid=41
Contracting Parties
https://www.hcch.net/en/states/authorities
HCCH Members
https://www.hcch.net/en/states/hcch-members
Hague Convention Countries [Updated for 2022]
https://apostillelondon.com/hague-convention-countries/
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