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Another milestone for the electronic Apostille Pilot Program (e-APP):

New Zealand launches its e-Register of Apostilles and becomes the first jurisdiction to have completed a comprehensive implementation of both components of the e-APP

Today the Authentication Unit of the Department of Internal Affairs (Te Tari Taiwhenua) of New Zealand officially launched its e-Register of Apostilles. It may be accessed at http://www.dia.govt.nz/apostille (see the link in the top-left corner of the site).

The New Zealand e-Register is in full compliance with the model suggested under the e-APP. The number of such e-Registers continues to grow at a remarkable pace. They are deployed as an effective tool to combat fraud in the context of the ever increasing cross-border use of public documents. A recipient of a New Zealand Apostille can now conduct a secure online search to verify the origin of the Apostille. All a recipient has to do is enter the number and date of the New Zealand Apostille in the relevant fields of the e-Register. If the Apostille is genuine, the e-Register will confirm the number and dispatch date of the Apostille and, in addition, provide information about the name of the person who signed the underlying public document and, if relevant, about the seal on the document.

New Zealand is the first jurisdiction worldwide to have completed a comprehensive implementation of both components of the e-APP. New Zealand has indeed been issuing electronic Apostilles (e-Apostilles) under the e-APP since May 2009. These e-Apostilles (issued with a digital signature) offer an additional degree of security.

The Permanent Bureau congratulates the Department of Internal Affairs, and in particular the Authentication Unit, on this most successful and impressive implementation of both components of the e-APP.

For more information on the Apostille Convention, click here.
For more information on the e-APP, click here.
For a full status of the implementation of the e-APP, click here.