Document Certification: Apostille

In 1981, the United States joined the 1961 Hague Convention abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. The Convention provides for the authentication of public (including notarized) documents to be used in countries that have joined the convention, such as Austria.

The documents in question should be certified by one of the officials in the jurisdiction in which the document has been issued. These officials must have been designated as competent to issue certifications by "apostille" (usually in the office of the State Secretary of State of his/her counterpart) as provided for by the 1961 Hague Convention. For more information on the Convention, please see the information provided by the U.S. Department of State.

In the context of applying to an Austrian university, the Hague Convention means that diplomas of U.S. colleges and universities have to be authenticated by apostille, before they can be accepted by an Austrian institution. In order to receive an apostille for your diploma, you need to contact the responsible state authority that has been designated to issue these certifications. Note: You need to contact the authority in the state in which your diploma was issued, not in your home state (unless, of course, you attended college/university in your home state).

The Austrian-American Educational Commission (Fulbright Commission) endeavors to update
the information on this site on a regular basis, but cannot guarantee its accuracy at all times.