Glossary

‘Certificate of authenticity’

An unofficial name some agencies give to their own verification stamp; it has none of the legal effect of an apostille.

Checked on 12 September 2026

Neither the 1961 Hague Convention nor Federal Law No. 330-FZ knows any such procedure. A stamp of this kind is a commercial mark, not a state certification, and a foreign authority has no reason to accept it.

If you are offered a ‘certificate of authenticity’ instead of an apostille, ask which authority affixes it and under what law. There is no good answer to that question.

Checked on 12 September 2026 Sources: www.hcch.net, base.garant.ru