An Apostille must be placed either directly on the public document itself or on a separate page (called an extension) attached to the public document. Apostilles can be affixed in a variety of ways, including stamps, stickers, printed seals, etc. If an Apostille is placed on an extension, it can be attached to the underlying public document in various ways, including glue, eyelets, staples, ribbons, wax seals , etc. While all of these means are acceptable under the Convention, Competent Authorities are encouraged to use more secure methods to preserve the integrity of the Apostille. The fact that an Apostille has not been affixed in a particular way is not a reason for refusing it to a large number of documents. Most Apostilles are issued for documents of an administrative nature, including birth, marriage and death certificates; documents issued by an authority or official linked to a court or commission; extracts from commercial and other registers; patents, notarial deeds and signature certifications; school, university or other diplomas issued by public institutions. The Apostille Convention does not apply to documents drawn up by diplomatic or consular agents. The Convention also excludes from its scope certain administrative acts relating to commercial or customs operations. An Apostille does not certify the content of the public document to which it relates. Apostilles do not confer authority or give any additional weight to the content of the underlying documents. An Apostille should never be used to have a public document recognized in the country where that document was issued – Apostilles are strictly for the use of public documents abroad. It is up to the country where the Apostille is to be used to decide what value to give to the underlying public document.