Frequently Asked Questions about our apostille service
What is an apostille?
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".
Which types of documents do you apostille?
Personal documents
Academic documents
Corporate documents
What is the purpose of an apostille? Why do I need one?
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.
How does apostille.net work?
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.
How long does the apostille process take?
Our apostille service process takes 1-2 business days.
How much do you charge?
Our fee is $150 per apostille. It includes the fees paid to the government agency and our service fee.
Domestic shipping is free.
International shipping is $65 extra.
Forms of payment?
We accept PayPal and all major credit and debit cards.
Which countries are members of the Apostille Hague Convention?
A:
Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan.
B:
Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burundi.
C:
Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic.
D:
Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic.
E:
Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia.
F:
Fiji, Finland, France.
G:
Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana.
H:
Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary.
I:
Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy.
J:
Japan, Kazakhstan.
K:
Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan.
L:
Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg.
M:
Macau, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco.
N:
Namibia, Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue, North Macedonia, Norway.
O:
Oman.
P:
Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal.
R:
Romania, Russia.
S:
Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland.
T:
Tajikistan, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine.
U:
United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan.
V:
Vanuatu, Venezuela.
Updated January 2021 Source: Wikipedia
Can I check on the status of my apostille?
Yes, please contact us with your apostille order number.
Can you tell me more about your company before I place my order?
We at Apostille.net have been offering apostilles services for over 20 years. We have apostilled thousands of documents.
You can learn more about us here.
I have a question not answered above, can you help me?
Yes, of course we can.
You have multiple ways to contact us:
- WhatsApp us and we will help you as soon as possible.
- Chat with us through LiveChat, a live chat window will pop up when you surf through our website.
- Send us an email to luis@apostille.net and we will be happy to help you with any need or doubt you have!