Firms exporting products from Alabama are often asked by foreign customers or foreign governments to supply a "certificate" for products regulated by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries.

Apostilles

The Authentication Division of the Alabama Office of the Secretary of State is responsible for providing authentication services for Alabama public documents that will be used in foreign countries.
There are two types of authentications. The type of authentication your Alabama document requires for foreign use is based upon the country in which the document will be used.

  • If the country in which the document(s) will be used is party to the Hague Convention, an Apostille is affixed to documents.
  • If the country in which the document(s) is to be used is not part of the Hague Convention, a Certification is affixed to document(s).

Please note that there is a difference between Members of the Hague Conference and Parties to the Hague Convention.