An Apostille is for documents to be used in countries that participate in the 1961 Hague ConventionTreaty. The certificate contains a seal by the Secretary of State or the U.S. Department of State where applicable.
Authentication certificates are for documents to be used in countries that do not participate in the 1961 Hague Convention Treaty. This process requires additional steps of Embassy Legalization.
Examples of documents that may require an Apostille or authentication for use abroad include:
birth certificate
marriage certificate
death certificate
divorce decree
court documents
power of attorney
adoption records
copy of U.S. passport
copy of driver license
transcripts
diplomas
articles of incorporation
corporate bylaws
deeds
background checks
trademarks
treaties
warrants
extraditions
agreements
certificates of good standing
courier letters