Implementation of the Hague Convention

After Chile deposited the instrument of Accession in December of 2015, the "Apostille Convention" will come into effect in our country on August 30, 2016, along with entry into effect of Law No. 20,711 that implements the abovementioned Convention and its Regulation (Supreme Decree No. 81 of 2015).

Under this Convention, Member States are exempted from their duty to the legalize public documents that are to be submitted within their territories, with the sole formality of issuing a seal known as an Apostille.

Practically speaking, the process consists of placing upon the document an apostille or annotation that certifies the authenticity of the public document issued in a certain country that is to be invoked in another. Thus, the Convention recognizes the legal validity of documents between member states, thereby eliminating the legalizations performed in the Chilean Consulates located in such states. Additionally, legalizations are no longer required in Chile