Filipinos working or planning to work in UAE and other countries which are not member of Apostille Convention are advised to continue with the usual three-step authentication process of their documents such as birth certificates and diplomas.
This was the clarification made by the Department of Foreign Affairs as the Philippines started last Tuesday a streamlined authentication process for documents required abroad or documents obtained abroad needed in the Philippines.
The red ribbon was ditched and replaced by an Apostille stamp.
The Philippines signed the Hague Apostille Convention, an international treaty where member countries have agreed to do away with the third layer of authentication process of public documents. There are 116 countries which signed the Convention including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and The Netherlands.
The list of Apostille Convention can be accessed here: http://www.internationalapostille.com/hague-apostille-member-countries/
However, for non-Apostille members, DFA advised Filipinos to coordinate with the embassy or consulate concerned on the requirements.
What do I do if the country where I need to use my public document is not an Apostille Country?
“If your public document is to be used in a country where the Apostille Convention does not apply, you should contact the Embassy or Consulate of the country where you intend to use the document in order to find out what your options are. This usually means that you need to present your documents to the said country’s Embassy or Consulate in the Philippines for its authentication/legalization,” the DFA said in the Frequently Asked Question in their website.
(By Malou Talosig-Bartolome and James Konstantin Galvez)
