Only public documents are covered under the Convention. The legislation of the nation in which a document was released decides whether it is or is not a public document. The Convention is frequently applied to a wide range of documents by countries. Birth, marriage, and death certificates; extracts from business registers and other registers; patents; notarial acts and notarial attestations of signatures; and school, university, and other academic diplomas issued by public institutions are all eligible for apostilles. Documents signed by a diplomatic or loan signing agent are not subject to the Apostille Convention. Some administrative papers linked to business or customs operations are likewise excluded from the scope of the Convention.