Issuing Apostille Certificates under the Hague Convention

Barbados is a party to the 1961 Hague Convention which abolished the requirements of diplomatic or consular legalization for foreign public documents. The Hague Convention has legal effect in Barbados by virtue of the Public Documents (Exemption from Diplomatic or Consular Legalization) Act, Cap. 122.

Who is authorized to issue an Apostille Certificate in Barbados?

The Registrar of the Supreme is one of the following six (6) public officials in Barbados who are legally authorized to issue an Apostille Certificate for purposes of the Hague Convention:-

1. The Solicitor General
2. The Deputy Solicitor General
3. The Registrar of the Supreme Court
4. The Registrar of Corporate Affairs & Intellectual Property
5. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and
6. The Chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

What is an Apostille?

An Apostille is an internationally recognized certificate which certifies the authenticity of official signatures appearing in the following categories of “public documents”:

• documents which emanate from an authority or an official connected with the courts or tribunals of the State, including those emanating from a public prosecutor, a clerk of a court or a process server (“hussier de justice”);
• administrative documents;
• notarial acts;
• official certificates recording the registration of a document or the fact that it was in existence on a certain date and notarial authentication of signatures.

What is the purpose of an Apostille?

An Apostille Certificate facilitates the production and recognition overseas of Barbados-issued public documents and is accepted in foreign jurisdictions which are parties to the 1961 Hague Convention.

What is the cost of an Apostille in Barbados?

The fee for issuance of an Apostille Certificate in Barbados is Bds $50.00