HOW IT WORKS
Online Ordering Process
Our ‘True Copy’ Apostille process
- Documents are collected in person once appointment has been made/at link.
- The client will provide the location to meet after appointment has been made
- The document must have original government seals/stamp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apostille is also a French word which means a certification. It is commonly used to refer to the legalization of a document for international use under the terms of the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents.
An Apostille is required for legal transactions where a document from one country must be presented in another as part of a legal process. Most often this will involve business transactions but is becoming more common for property dealings and to settle the estate of a deceased person with assets overseas. Some of the most common documents requiring legalization with an Apostille certificate are Power of Attorney, Passports, Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates. The requirement of an Apostille protects you, as a Notary Public will verify you as the signer, which both deters fraud and the potential risk of being defrauded.
Due to the complexity of handling varying documents Apostille Pros serves you to arrange the Apostille Certificate of your behalf. It is not just a case of supplying the original document and the Apostille Certificate gets issued but rather a document is handled dependent on what signatures or seals of authority it contains, country of intended use etc. Many documents will require additional certification prior to the issue of the Apostille Certificate. Apostille Pros can provide advice on this and deal with any additional certification required on your behalf. Utilizing our service has many benefits, one of which is speed of service; the second is to ensure your document is issued with the Apostille Certificate on the first attempt.
For documents such as Powers of Attorney require notarization; the document signer must be identified and verified by a Notary Public.
When a country is not party/member to The Hague Convention then your documents must go through the Embassy of the country of intended use for final legalization.
Almost any kind of document such as but not limited to: Birth & Death Certificates, Powers of Attorney, Business Documents, and so on.
Yes, including all U.S. territories.
Yes, please call for a review of the document to be translated. We will need to know the kind of document to be translated.
The following countries require embassy legalization: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, China – People’s Republic, Comoros, Congo – Dem. Rep., Congo – Rep. Brazzaville, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, East Timor, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea – Bissau, Guinea – Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Micronesia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar/Burma, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Chile, China (Hong Kong), China (Macao), Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niue (Cook Islands), Norway, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela.
Yes, we can help you obtain an Apostille for all 50 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin & Wyoming.
What is an Apostille?
NOUN – Origin French (ă pŏs tēēl’)
An Apostille, (a-pos-TEE, French for certification), is a certificate that authenticates the signature of a document. Apostilles are issued by the Secretary of State of the state where the document originated (Ex. A birth certificate from Texas will require an Apostille from the Secretary of State of Texas). The Apostille verifies the authenticity of a public official’s signature and seal. Depending on the destination country, a document that is intended for international use may require either Apostille or Legalization services. Without these certifications, your document may not be recognized in a foreign country.
In 1961 various countries entered the Hague Convention.
If the COUNTRY OF DESTINATION is NOT a Member of the 1961 Hague Convention, Embassy Legalization must be obtained. We refer to these as “Non-Hague Countries”.
If the COUNTRY OF DESTINATION IS a Hague Country, it will need to be notarized by the Secretary of the in which the document originated. We refer to this as a “Hague Country”.
If the document is to be used in a Non-Hague country, a more complex process for legalization is required. In those cases, after first being authenticated by the specific Department of State, the documents will require further processing at the federal level and/or may need to be presented to consulates and/or embassies.
There are also situations where translation services may be required and we have access to “certified translators” who can assist you.
As the authentication legalization process varies from country to country, the time and cost of obtaining an authentication can differ. Please contact me at 929-250-7407 or via email at fredricka@signhere.services or information and a quote.