Frequently Asked Questions about our apostille service

An apostille is a certificate attached to a notarial certificate (which is attached to a legal document, such as a power of attorney or contract) or a public document (for example, a birth or marriage certificate) that certifies:

• The authenticity of the signature on the notarial certificate or public document.
• The capacity in which the person (the notary or public official) signing the document acted.
• The identity of any raised seal affixed to the record.

In order that a document issued in one country can be recognized in another country, that document must be legalized or authenticated. For countries that are members of The 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, this legalization process has been simplified. Under The Apostille Hague Convention, signatory countries have agreed to recognize public documents (including notarial certificates) issued by other signatory countries.

For non-signatories, the legalization of documents is more complicated and requires that the document be authenticated by a consular official.

In order to obtain an apostille in the United States, the document must be notarized and submitted to the issuing Secretary of State of the state where the notary is authorized. The Secretary of State authenticates the notary signature and the seal on the notarial certificate and signs the apostille certificate. The party seeking the apostille and notarial flag must pay the Secretary of State and county clerk their required fees. For more information on the apostille process, see Hague Conference on Private International Law: Apostille Section and US Dep’t of State: Apostille Requirements.

An apostille is a certificate issued under the Apostille Convention authenticating the origin of a public document. The word “Apostille” comes from the French verb “apostiller”, which derives from the old French word "postille" meaning “annotation,” and before it the Latin word "postilla".

The apostille's purpose is to provide additional certification of the signatures to know the documents are authentic in case a foreign country requires it.
Foreign countries require additional certification for some documents to verify authenticity. By issuing the apostille, the Secretary of State certifies the authenticity of the notary public.
You may need an apostille if you plan to use your documents in a foreign country that is a member of The Apostille Hague Convention.

Very frequently, the authorities of the country where you intend to use your apostilled documents do not require that the apostille be placed on the original document.

Our service to apostille copies of documents is a very effective solution that will save you time and money. We will ship back your document with an original apostille in 24/48 hours.
We can apostille copies of birth, marriage, divorce, or death certificates, diplomas, copies of passports, and multiple business documents.