To formally attest to a signature on a document, a notary public will sign and stamp the document with their seal after verifying the identity of the signer. For countries that have signed the Hague Convention, only an apostille is needed, which is a certificate attached to the document by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to authenticate the notary's seal. If the country is not part of the Hague Convention, the document must go through a process of legalization where each country's authorities further authenticate the document so it will be recognized as valid.