International Use Of Apostilled Documents

When you need documents to be used in a foreign country, whether for business or personal reasons, you’ll want them to be recognized as valid in the target jurisdiction. The process of getting your documents authenticated is complex and depends on the destination country and the type of document.

Apostilles simplify the apostille of federal legal documents of public (including notarized) documents for use abroad. They verify that the signature and seal or stamp on a document originated in one of the signatory countries. Prior to the apostille, most countries required a multi-step legalization process that included a notary, the embassy or consulate and more to authenticate documents. The apostille replaces this with a single standardized certificate.

Federal Apostille vs. State Apostille: Key Differences

To get your document apostilled, it must be notarized by a certified notary public, then sent to the apostille office at the U.S Department of State. The apostille office will review the document and will issue a notarized certificate of authentication or an apostille. Apostilles are issued for federally-issued documents, including those of the U.S. government and state or county agencies.

Authentication certificates and apostilles verify signatures, stamps or seals on important documents such as marriage licenses, court orders and birth certificates. Whether you need an apostille or authentication certificate is determined by the destination country and the type of document. You can check the list on the Hague Convention website to see if the destination country is a member of the treaty and whether they accept apostilles. If not, you may need to go through a full legalization process.

International Use Of Apostilled Documents When you need documents to be used in a foreign country, whether for business or personal reasons, you’ll want them to be recognized as valid in the target jurisdiction. The process of getting your documents authenticated is complex and depends on the destination country and the type of document. Apostilles…