Apostilles issued in accordance with the requirements of the Convention must be recognised in the country where they are to be used.

Apostilles may only be rejected if and when: their origin cannot be verified (i.e., if and when the particulars on the apostille do not correspond with those in the register kept by the Competent Authority that allegedly issued the Apostille); or their formal elements differ radically from the Model Apostille annexed to the Convention.  Apostilles issued by different countries and even by different states in the U.S. vary in design, size and color as well as in any additional elements that may be included on the Apostille. Such variations in appearance are not a basis for refusal of an Apostille. Failure to affix an Apostille to the public document in a particular manner is not a basis for refusing the Apostille. The mere fact that an Apostille has been affixed by a method that differs from the method(s) employed by the country where it is to be used is not a reason for the rejection of the Apostille. Additional text on an Apostille outside the box with the 10 numbered standard informational items is not a basis for rejection of an Apostille.

In all states of the United States of America, an apostille is a separate page attached to the document. It can be attached to the document by a staple (as used by the DC Secretary of State, and also in the states of California, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and many ohters), by a grommet (U.S. State Department Apostilles, New York apostilles), by a ribbon (Massachusetts apostilles), they can be glued to the original documents or affixed in some other manner. All these ways are legitimate ways of attaching apostilles to documents.