What is an apostille and when do I need one?

An Apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document. It is issued by a country that is party to the Apostille Convention to be used in another country which is also a party to the Convention.

On 14 May 2019, the Philippines became a party to the Apostille Convention. Authentication is still required for all Philippine documents to be used abroad, but this time with an Apostille instead of an Authentication Certificate (“red ribbon”) as proof of authentication.

After authentication (Apostillization) by DFA-OCA, as Competent Authority, there is no more need for authentication (legalization) by the Embassies or Consulates except for non-Apostille countries and those that objected to the Philippine accession. (dfa.gov.ph/faqs/)