| Notarization | Apostille | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Verifies the signature (that you really signed, with ID) | Verifies the document/notary is authentic for use abroad |
| Where | Any notary public | Secretary of State (after notarization) |
| Purpose | Needed for a document to be valid | Needed for the document to be recognized in another Hague country |
In short: notarize first, apostille second. The apostille only “sits on top” of a notarized (or otherwise authentic) document. They are not interchangeable.
A note on the old “red ribbon”: before the Philippines joined the Hague Convention in 2019, documents needed authentication by the DFA (the “red ribbon”). Today the apostille replaces that for member countries. If someone tells you to get a red ribbon for a US→PH document now, they’re likely working from outdated information.