The DFA's Office of Consular Affairs is the one-stop apostille authority — but notarised documents need a court-issued CANA first, and academic records must pass through CHED.
Overview
The Philippines acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention on 14 May 2019, replacing the old 'red ribbon' Authentication Certificate with the apostille. The designated competent authority is the Department of Foreign Affairs — Office of Consular Affairs (DFA-OCA) Authentication Division, which issues apostilles at DFA Aseana and designated consular offices in metro Manila, Pampanga, La Union, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao and Cagayan de Oro. Fees are PHP 100 for regular processing (released after five working days) and PHP 200 for expedited (two working days); an e-Apostille (PHP 200) exists but currently covers only PSA civil registry e-certificates. Documents executed in a private capacity must first be notarised and issued a Certificate of Authority for a Notarial Act (CANA) by the supervising Regional Trial Court; academic records need CHED (or DepEd/TESDA) certification before the DFA will apostille them. Caution: the DFA advises that the Philippine apostille is not readily accepted in Finland, Germany and Greece, which objected to the accession — documents to and from those countries still need embassy legalisation. Verified against apostille.gov.ph and dfa.gov.ph as of June 2026.
Apostille from DFA-OCA — Fees, Sites, Processing
- Who issues it: the DFA Office of Consular Affairs Authentication Division — not embassies, not the BI. Philippine embassies and consulates abroad cannot issue apostilles; they only retain acknowledgement and jurat services.
- Fees and turnaround: PHP 100 per document for regular processing, released after five working days; PHP 200 for expedited processing, released after two working days.
- Where: DFA Aseana (Parañaque) plus consular offices with authentication services — NCR Northeast (Ali Mall), NCR East (SM Megamall), NCR West (SM Manila), NCR South (Alabang), Pampanga, La Union, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao and Cagayan de Oro. Document owners and immediate family may walk in; others book via appointment.apostille.gov.ph.
- What it certifies: only the authenticity of the signature/seal and the capacity of the signer — not the content of the document.
- Unclaimed documents: disposed of three months after the scheduled release date — collect promptly.
- e-Apostille: PHP 200, issued electronically with a digital certificate; phase one covers only PSA e-certificates (birth, marriage, CENOMAR etc.), ordered via e-app1.apostille.gov.ph and paid through Landbank LinkBiz. It loses validity if printed — it must be transmitted electronically to the end-user.
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See Paid Plans →Frequently Asked Questions
Is the 'red ribbon' still a thing in the Philippines?
No. The red ribbon Authentication Certificate was retired when the Philippines became a party to the Apostille Convention on 14 May 2019. Documents for use abroad still require DFA authentication, but the output is now an apostille — a single certificate that Hague member states must accept without further embassy legalisation. If a foreign authority asks you for a 'red-ribboned' document, what they need today is a DFA apostille; if the destination country is not a Convention party (or is Finland, Germany or Greece, which objected to the Philippine accession), you add the destination embassy's legalisation on top.
How much does a Philippine apostille cost and how long does it take?
PHP 100 per document for regular processing, released after five working days, or PHP 200 for expedited processing, released after two working days — the figures are published on apostille.gov.ph. The e-Apostille also costs PHP 200 and is delivered by email after about one working day, but in its current phase it covers only PSA e-certificates and is paid separately through Landbank's LinkBiz portal (the PSA e-certificate itself costs PHP 300 more). Factor in travel or courier time: applications are lodged at DFA Aseana or a consular office with authentication services, and unclaimed apostilles are destroyed after three months.
Why was my notarised affidavit rejected for apostille?
Almost certainly because it lacked a CANA. Documents executed in a private capacity — affidavits, special powers of attorney, authorisation letters — cannot be apostilled on the strength of notarisation alone. After notarisation, the supervising Regional Trial Court must issue a Certificate of Authority for a Notarial Act (CANA) confirming the notary's commission; only then will the DFA-OCA apostille the document. Budget extra days for the RTC step. PSA civil registry documents and agency-issued records (NBI clearance, PRC licence) skip this because they are public documents in authentication-ready form.
How do I get my Philippine university degree authenticated for use abroad?
Through the CAV-then-apostille chain. First obtain a Certification, Authentication and Verification (CAV) covering your transcript and diploma — for higher education this comes from CHED (application is typically initiated through your university or the CHED regional office; CHED also runs an eCAV system at ecav.ched.gov.ph). CHED forwards CAV'd documents to the DFA with an Authentication Stub; on the stub's release date you book the DFA leg and pay the PHP 100/200 apostille fee. DepEd performs the equivalent step for basic education records and TESDA for technical-vocational certificates. Foreign employers and licensing bodies generally will not accept the CAV alone — they want the apostille.
I'm bringing documents TO the Philippines for a visa application — what authentication do they need?
Get them apostilled in the issuing country before you travel — by that country's competent authority, not the Philippine embassy. The BI's checklists require foreign documents to be either apostilled (for Convention countries) or authenticated by the Philippine Foreign Service Post with jurisdiction over the place of issuance (for non-Convention countries). The PRA applies the same rule to SRRV police clearances, pension proofs and relationship documents, adds a six-month validity window for police and medical certificates, and requires English translations of anything in another language. The DFA in Manila cannot fix an unauthenticated foreign document after arrival — you would have to route it back through the origin country.
Can someone else process my apostille for me?
Yes. Immediate family members can use the walk-in facility with proof of kinship (birth or marriage certificate plus IDs), and non-related representatives — including liaison officers and accredited couriers — can file and claim with an authorisation document and the IDs listed on apostille.gov.ph. Booking through appointment.apostille.gov.ph is required for representatives at most sites. Many applicants simply use a courier service end-to-end; coordinate requirements and fees with the courier. Whoever claims, do it within three months of the release date — the DFA disposes of unclaimed apostilles after that.