Post

If you are taking part in an international real estate transaction, you may encounter a document called an Apostille. Few people have heard of it, but it may be a key component of the sale or purchase of your home in St. Lucia.

The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Public Documents (5th October, 1791) is an international treaty signed by 121 countries. This allows a document originating in one country to be certified for legal use in another.  This certification is called an apostille.

For example, let’s say, you own property in St Lucia but live in the United States. To sell the property, you can either travel to the island to sign the deed of sale or appoint a Power of Attorney to act on your behalf. The Power of Attorney, originating in the United States is only valid in St. Lucia when it has been certified by an apostille.

Because of the apostille, the document does not have to be certified in both the originating and receiving countries. In the case of countries that are not contracted to the Apostille Treaty, such as Canada, the document must be certified in both countries.

The apostille is a document with standard fields including, the country of origin, name of the person who has signed the document, the capacity in which that person has signed it, where and when it was signed. The document also contains the seal and signature of the authority issuing the apostille.

Each country designates an authority, which is responsible for apostilles. The authority for issuing apostilles in Saint Lucia is the Court Registrar.