FAQ on e-Registers
1. What are the e-Registers suggested under the e-APP?
2. What are the advantages of e-Registers?
3. What technology is suggested under the e-APP to create and operate e-Registers?
4. How can a Competent Authority use an e-Register?
5. How can an interested person use an e-Register?
6. What are the costs of implementing and operating an e-Register?
7. Is there a danger that an e-Register could be misused by persons seeking to 'fish' for information?
1. What are the e-Registers suggested under the e-APP? ^
The HCCH and the NNA developed a software model that may be used by Competent Authorities to operate electronic Registers (e-Registers). These e-Registers can be used by Competent Authorities to record the Apostilles they have issued. Moreover, any interested person, who has been presented with an Apostille, can access online the e-Register of the Competent Authority that issued the Apostille to verify its authenticity.
This open-source software can be downloaded from here. An updated software has been developed by Spain (information in English available here).
2. What are the advantages of e-Registers? ^
It is a well established fact that the Registers, which Competent Authorities must keep according to Article 7 of the Convention, are rarely used in practice. The Register must record at least i) the number and date of the Apostille certificate; ii) the name of the person signing the public document and the capacity in which he has acted, or in the case of unsigned documents, the name of the authority which has affixed the seal or stamp.
The e-Register software proposed under the e-APP are designed to dramatically facilitate access to and consultation of the Registers. An e-Register under the e-APP allows for easy online queries by third parties to verify the origin of a paper or e-Apostille without Competent Authorities having to answer these queries individually by phone, email or otherwise. An e-Register is easier to install, operate and use than a paper-based Register (or a card index), providing a strong incentive for Competent Authorities which do not yet have a Register to create one.
These advantages should encourage greater use of the Register as a public convenience and a deterrent to forgery and fraud.
3. What technology is suggested under the e-APP to create and operate e-Registers? ^
The e-Register software offered under the e-APP relies on two open source technologies - PHP and MySQL:
- Short for "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor", PHP is an entirely open source language used mainly for developing dynamic web applications;
- MySQL is a database application that can be installed and operated as free software under the GNU General Public License (GPL);
- PHP is often combined with MySQL and the resulting pairs are sometimes nicknamed the "Dynamic Duo."
Operation of the e-Register software offered under the e-APP requires a secure Web server managed and maintained by the Competent Authority or by a third party on behalf of the Competent Authority.
The use of PHP and MySQL technology is a suggestion only. Competent Authorities can modify the free e-Register or rely upon comparable open source software to develop a custom application that integrates within their existing IT infrastructure. As well, Competent Authorities may use proprietary software to develop and operate their own e-Register.
For information on the software developed by Spain, see here.
4. How can a Competent Authority use an e-Register? ^
A Competent Authority might use an e-Register to record the issue of an Apostille (be it a paper Apostille or an e-Apostille) or to view the logbook of all completed register entries.
To make an e-Register operational, a Competent Authority must first install the relevant software (to view instructions on how to install the e-Register model suggested under the e-APP, access the comprehensive e-Register Installation Guide).
The following instructions relate primarily to the use of the e-Register model suggested under the e-APP; if a Competent Authority uses a different model, different steps are likely to apply.
A. Record the Issue of an Apostille (create a Register Entry)
To record the issue of an Apostille (be it a paper Apostille or an e-Apostille), a Competent Authority has to create a register entry by following these instructions:
a) Point to Use the e-Register on the left navigation menu;
b) Click Create Register Entry;
c) Enter the required register entry information, which includes the Number of the Apostille Certificate, the Date of the Apostille Certificate, the Name of the Person who has signed the Public Document, and the Capacity in which he or she has acted. In case of unsigned documents, click the checkbox titled, "Click here if public document is unsigned", and then enter the required register entry information including the Name of the Authority which has affixed the seal or stamp.
For more detailed information on this point, see How a Competent Authority Creates a Register Entry. (link to document on the e-APP website).
If the Competent Authority has issued an e-Apostille, an optional digital fingerprint of the e-Apostille can be recorded in the e-Register. A digital fingerprint is a secure hash value of the file which includes both the e-Apostille Certificate and the underlying public document. If and when activated, this option enables a recipient (interested person) of the file (e-Apostille with underlying public document) to verify that it has not been altered. He or she does so by comparing the hash value of the document he or she has received with the value stored in the e-Register of the Competent Authority who has (supposedly) issued the e-Apostille.
B. View Register Logbook
The authorized staff of the Competent Authority may view the Register Logbook by following these instructions:
a) Point to Use the e-Register on the left navigation menu;
b) Click View Register Logbook.
The Register Logbook displays all the entries a Competent Authority has made in its e-Register, whether they are entries corresponding to paper Apostilles or e-Apostilles.
For more detailed information on this point, see How a Competent Authority Views the Register Logbook. (link to document on the e-APP website).
C. Enable interested persons to look up a Register Entry
After installing the e-Register model suggested under the e-APP, a Competent Authority may activate an optional feature by following these instructions:
a) Point to Admin Center on the left navigation menu.
b) Click Look Up Register Entry Option.
c) Select the Visible option on the Look Up Register Entry drop-down list.
d) Click the Set Option button.
If and when activated, this option enables anybody who is presented with an Apostille (i.e. an interested person) to verify the origin of that Apostille by looking up the relevant register entries on the web site where the e-Register of the Competent Authority who has (supposedly) issued the Apostille is hosted (see explanations in question 5).
5. How can an interested person use an e-Register? ^
To verify the origin of an Apostille (be it a paper Apostille or an e-Apostille) an interested person may access the website where the e-Register of the Competent Authority who has (supposedly) issued the Apostille is hosted (the name of the Competent Authority appears on the Apostille) and look up the relevant register entries by following these instructions:
a) Navigate to the URL of the Competent Authority's e-Register (the list of operational e-Registers is available here; depending on the set up, the interested person may have to Sign Up before using the e-Register);
b) If the Competent Authority uses the e-Register model suggested under the e-APP, point to Use the e-Register on the left navigation menu and click Look Up Register Entry;
c) Enter the required information in the relevant boxes; the required information includes both the Number of the Apostille Certificate and the Date of the Apostille Certificate. Then, click the Submit button to look up the register entry. If there is a matching record, the e-Register will automatically display the number and date of the Apostille, as well as the name of the person signing the public document and the capacity in which that person has acted, or in the case of unsigned public documents, the name of the authority which has affixed the seal or stamp.
d) Optionally, if the Competent Authority has stored a digital fingerprint of the e-Apostille in its e-Register, the interested person may choose to verify that the e-Apostille has not been improperly modified since it was issued. To perform this validation, the interested party simply needs to click Browse to select the e-Apostille file that the interested person has received before clicking the Submit button. The e-Register will automatically include the validation of the digital fingerprint of that document when searching the e-Register database. If this digital fingerprint and the number and date of the e-Apostille correspond to a valid entry in the e-Register, the e-Register software will display the appropriate confirmation message that a matching entry has been found. This optional safeguard ensures that the e-Apostille has not been improperly modified since it was issued.
For further and more detailed information about this process, see the comprehensive e-Register User's Guide.
6. What are the costs of implementing and operating an e-Register? ^
The technology for e-Registers suggested under the e-APP is open source software developed by the NNA and the HCCH. This software is offered for free to Competent Authorities for electronic recording of the Apostilles they have issued. Operation of the e-Register software offered under the e-APP requires a secure Web server managed and maintained by the Competent Authority or by a third party on behalf of the Competent Authority.
7. Is there a danger that an e-Register could be misused by persons seeking to "fish" for information? ^
Under the suggested model, an e-Register does not allow for "fishing expeditions" - interested persons do not have unlimited access to all the information stored in an e-Register but can only verify whether or not an Apostille they have been presented with has really been issued by the Competent Authority whose name appears on the Apostille. To access the relevant e-Register, a person must provide the date and the number of the Apostille he or she has been presented with, in conformity with Article 7.2 of the Convention.