Apostilles and translations for descent claims
An apostille is a certificate attached to a public document, such as a birth certificate, that confirms where it came from: the signature, the capacity of the person who signed and any seal. The convention gives it only those three points, so it does not vouch for what the document says.
It is issued by an authority in the country that issued the document, and between states in the 1961 Hague convention it replaces the older chain of legalisation. A translation is separate: many routes want documents in their own language, done by a sworn or certified translator. Rootdossier tracks both as stages of each document in your cases.
Who issues an apostille
Only a competent authority in the country where the document was issued. A US birth certificate is apostilled in the United States, usually by the state that issued it; an English one in the UK; an Irish one in Ireland. The receiving country cannot apostille a foreign document. Some countries also issue electronic apostilles, with the same effect as paper ones.
Order matters. Get the certified copy first, then the apostille on that copy, then the translation of both. A translation of a document without its apostille may have to be redone.
Which routes ask for them
As read on 28 September 2026. These are the defaults Rootdossier sets for each document; you can switch either off per document when the official page says it is not needed.
| Route | Apostille | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Germany: Declaration (section 5) | Usually, for foreign documents | Yes, sworn or certified |
| Germany: Restoration (Art. 116(2), s. 15) | Not asked for on the page we read | Not for English documents |
| Germany: Ordinary descent | Usually, for foreign documents | Yes, sworn or certified |
| Ireland: Foreign Births Register (grandparent) | Not asked for on the page we read | Not for English documents |
| Ireland: Automatic (parent born in Ireland) | Not asked for on the page we read | Not for English documents |
| Poland: Confirmation (unbroken descent) | Usually, for foreign documents | Yes, sworn or certified |
| Canada: Descent beyond the first generation | Not asked for on the page we read | Only if not English or French |
| Italy: Only-Italian parent or grandparent | Usually, for foreign documents | Yes, sworn or certified |
| Italy: Parent resident in Italy two years | Usually, for foreign documents | Yes, sworn or certified |
Worked example: one record through every stage
A document that needs both runs through 6 stages in Rootdossier: needed, requested, received, certified or apostilled, translated, checked. A document that needs neither skips two of them and runs through 4.
In the invented German sample, the grandmother's birth record was requested in May, received in June, apostilled and then translated by a sworn translator in July, and waits to be checked. Switch the apostille off on a document already at that stage and it steps back to received, so the register never claims a stage the document skipped.
Common mistakes
- Translating before the apostille. The translation should cover the apostille too.
- Asking the wrong country to apostille. Only the issuing country can.
- Using a family member or yourself as translator. Canada forbids it outright, and sworn translation rules elsewhere rule it out in practice.
- Apostilling documents that do not need it. Ireland's register page asks for originals and certified copies; Germany's restoration page says US documents usually need no apostille.
- Assuming an apostille makes a document correct. It certifies the signature and seal, not the content, so a misspelled name stays misspelled.
Start your dossier
Pick your country and route, add the people in your line, and the register lists every document the route asks for, with the rule behind each one. Free for one case. Your family's records stay in this browser.
Frequently asked questions
Does an apostille prove my document is accurate?
No. It confirms the signature, the signer's capacity and any seal or stamp. The content of the document is not checked.
Can my own country's authority apostille a document from another country?
No. An apostille can only be issued by a competent authority in the country that issued the document.
What is a sworn translator?
A translator authorised by a court or authority to certify translations for official use. Germany and Poland ask for sworn translations into their languages.
Sources
Last reviewed 28 September 2026 against:
- Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, full text, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), treaty text, articles 2, 3 and 5, read 28 September 2026. Used for: What an apostille certifies (articles 3 and 5) and who issues it.
- Apostille Section, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), undated page on the Convention of 5 October 1961, read 28 September 2026. Used for: The apostille replacing legalisation between the convention's contracting parties.
- Information sheet: acquisition of German citizenship by declaration, for persons living abroad, German federal office that handles citizenship cases from abroad, PDF, page 1 dated July 2024 and pages 2 to 7 dated October 2025, read 28 September 2026. Used for: Germany: apostille or legalisation, EU and Swiss exceptions, sworn translation.
- Confirming Polish citizenship or its loss, Polish government service pages for the United States (gov.pl), undated page, read 28 September 2026. Used for: Poland: certified copies, apostilles and sworn translations into Polish.
- Apply for a citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship), Government of Canada (canada.ca), date modified 17 July 2026, read 28 September 2026. Used for: Canada: translations with a translator's affidavit.
This guide is our own summary of the sources, not legal advice. Rules change: if it disagrees with the current official page, the official page wins, and the consulate or a lawyer should confirm your case. Rootdossier is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any government, consulate, embassy, ministry, court or law firm, including the German, Irish, Polish, Canadian and Italian authorities that decide citizenship cases.