What is an Apostille?

An "apostille" is a form of authentication issued to documents for use in countries that participate in the Hague Convention of 1961. A list of countries that accept apostilles is provided by the US State Department.

An apostille is a certificate issued by a designated authority such as the US Department of State or the Secretary of a State certifying/authenticating your personal and commercial documents. Official papers or certificates that may require an apostille certificate to be attached are:

Non -Hague Countries require additional steps and may be authenticated with an authentication certificate from the U.S. Department of State. List of Non- Hague Countries

What are apostille services?

The Apostille is an official government-issued certificate added to documents so they will be recognized when presented in another country. ... The authority receiving the document should then accept the seals or signatures as true and valid without requesting further evidence or proof.

So let us simplify the process for you.! We will take the guesswork out of obtaining an apostille or embassy legalization for your documents for use outside of the United States. We will work with the state and federal government offices, embassies, and consulates on your behalf to ensure your documents are authenticated correctly. 

Apostille Examples:

How long does it take to obtain an Apostille?

All Secretary of State processing times differ from one another. Processing time depends on the document type, country of use, and workflow. 

What Does Authentication Mean?

When the Secretary of State authenticates ‘a document’, it is only validating that the notary public or department head is in fact a legitimate notary. The Secretary of State is not authenticating, confirming, or authenticating the document itself. For example, they do not determine the status or legitimacy of a school, college, university, financial institution, or any other record; the country to which the document is presented retains the right to accept or deny the actual information