Apostille Certificates are available for use in countries that have signed the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents.

What is legalisation?

Legalisation simply means confirming that a signature, seal or stamp appearing on a document is genuine.

Why documents need to be legalised?

The signatures or seals of Cook Islands public officials (such as solicitors, notaries public, registrars) on certain public documents from the Cook Islands have to be confirmed before those documents can be accepted overseas.

For example, if you want to get married or start working overseas, several documents (such as your birth certificate or academic qualifications) may need to be ‘legalised’.

To legalise a document we attach an apostille to it.  The fee for legalisation is NZ$20.00. 

Which documents require apostille certification?

Apostilles are only attached to public documents.

1. 1. A birth, marriage or death certificate issued in the Cook Islands: Send the document straight to us if it bears the round seal of the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
2. A document bearing the seal and signature of an approved government agency such as the Registrar of Ships, Registrar of International and Foreign Companies.
3. Any other type of document:  Do not send straight to us.  All other documents such as contracts, references, powers of attorney, extracts from commercial registers and other registers; patents; court rulings; academic diplomas issued by public institutions will need to be notarized by a Notary Public in the Cook Islands before you send them to our office.  The Notary Public will sign the document and affix his/her seal to it.

Finally, the apostille is not attached to documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents nor to administrative documents dealing directly with commercial or customs operations (e.g., certificates of origin or import or export licenses).

How to obtain an apostille certificate?

The Ministry will legalise official public documents such as birth, death or marriage certificates and if your document is being used in any of the following countries:

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