All apostilles are created with a date of issue. Apostilles do not have a use by date and they do not expire. However, you may find that some countries request that apostille is no more than 3, 6, or 12 months old. This is not determined by the Hague Convention or stated in law and an apostille may well be accepted for many years after issue.

It is understandable that in some circumstances a ‘period of use’ is enforced. For example a criminal record check may show no history of any criminal proceedings. An individual may then be prosecuted at a later date after the apostille was issued.