Passport Apostille

Do you need to apostille a Passport?

Obtaining an apostille on a notarized color copy of your passport is easy!  Please follow the three simple steps…

  • Step 1: Make a color copy of your passport and meet with a local notary public.
  • Step 2: Sign the color copy and have the notary notarize your signature on the document.  The notary will sign, stamp, and add the proper notarial wording.
  • Step 3: Mail in your original notarized document and our completed order forms for processing.  Please do not mail in the original passport.

We can apostille a color copy of any notarized passport including passports from India, UK, Mexico, Switzerland, Argentina, Netherlands, and China.  If you have a passport, we can apostille it!

For most countries, they will only request the color copy of the page with your picture and information to be signed and notarized.  Some countries may request for you to color copy the entire passport (all pages) and only have the page with your picture and information to be signed and notarized.  Please double check with the requesting country in order to avoid any delays or additional costs.

Note: Please do not mail in the original passport.  We do not provide notary services.

In order to apostille your Passport, you must mail in the original notarized color copy to our office for processing.  In California, we have offices in Los Angeles/Burbank and San Francisco.  If you are outside of the USA, we recommend that you contact the local U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate office to schedule a time to meet with a U.S. Federal notary to notarize the color copy.  If you do go to a US Embassy or US Consulate in a foreign country to notarize the color copy, you can then mail in the notarized color copy to our Washington DC apostille office for processing.

If you are in the United States and in the state of California we recommend that you find a notary public who has at least five years of experience and one who will follow the notarial laws of their State. Please sign your document in front of the notary public. The notary will then stamp, sign, and add the proper notarial wording.

In addition to our California apostille services, we can apostille documents notarized in any state.  United States Apostille

Some States require a notarized document to also be authenticated by the County Clerk.  These States include: Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, and Tennessee.  We can handle all the steps necessary including authenticating your document through the County (if required) and the state apostille.

Obtaining an apostille on your passport can be complicated. Don’t leave this process to untrained employees or non-professionals who do not fully understand the Apostille process and the unique requirements of certain countries. Your paperwork could be rejected costing you time and money. Don’t let this happen to you!

International Apostille Order Form PDFClick to download our International Apostille Order Form. Our Apostille service is fast, convenient, and saves you time and money.

Apostille My Passport

Do you need to apostille your passport?

Are you planning to open a bank account in another country and they have asked you to apostille your passport?  Have you been asked to confirm your identity in a foreign country?  Are you planning to purchase a home or deal with an inheritance?  Are you planning to do business in a foreign country?

We can apostille all international and US passports for countries who are members of the Hague Apostille Convention and for countries who are not (AKA: Legalization process).

How does my passport get an apostille?
In order to apostille your passport, the color copy must first be signed and notarized.  The notary will confirm your identity and the state will confirm the notary’s seal and signature and attach the state apostille.  Please note that we do not process online digital notarization.  We must receive the original signed and notarized color copy with our order forms.

Note: If you are in a foreign country, you will need to visit the local US Embassy or US Consulate office.  Please contact us if you are in a foreign country for instructions.

If you are physically in the U.S., please follow the three simple steps below.  If you have any questions or concerns, please call or email us Monday – Saturday from 8am to 7pm.

Step 1: Make a color copy of your passport.  Typically, this is the page with your picture and information.  Some countries may request that you color copy all of the pages.

Step 2: Meet with a local notary public.  You can find a notary public near you by searching online “Notary Near Me”.  Also, most UPS stores have a notary public on staff.

Step 3: Sign and notarize your document.  You will be attesting to the color copy of your passport. You can write the following statement, “I certify this is a true copy of my US passport #ABCD1234”.  Please sign under your statement and date it.  The notary will then sign, date, stamp and add the proper notarial wording for their state.  Please be sure your signature matches the signature on the passport.

Note: Some states allow notaries to certify a color copy of your passport but we recommend that you follow the steps outlined in #3.

Step 4: Mail in your original signed and notarized passport to our office with our order forms.  Do NOT mail in your original passport.

That’s it!  Once we receive your notarized document with our order forms, we’ll obtain the state apostille and send it back to you by FedEx.  It’s that simple.

Obtaining an apostille can be complicated. Don’t leave this process to untrained employees or non-professionals who do not fully understand the Apostille process and the unique requirements of certain countries. Your paperwork could be rejected costing you time and money. Don’t let this happen to you!

International Apostille Order Form PDFClick to download our International Apostille Order Form. Our Apostille service is fast, convenient, and saves you time and money.

USA Passport Apostille

Do you need to apostille your USA Passport?

If you are currently located in the USA, you can either make a color copy of your passport and meet with a notary or you can mail in your original passport to our Washington DC office for processing.  If you are outside of the USA, you can meet with a local US Embassy or US Consulate and have a copy of your passport notarized.

Passports notarized within a U.S. State must also receive an apostille from the same-State.  For example, if you meet with a California notary and have a color copy of your passport notarized, you will need to mail in your notarized passport to our California apostille office in order to obtain a California apostille.  Be sure to work with a notary with years of experience and one who will follow the notarial laws of their state.  Documents improperly notarized will be rejected by the State office.

An original passport mailed in to our Washington DC office does not require notarization.   Our US Federal notary will copy certify your passport (page with your picture and description) and obtain the apostille from the Secretary of DC.  Sending in your original passport to our Washington DC office is the recommend choice.  Please, be sure to mail in your documents by UPS/FedEX/DHL.

Once we receive your documents, we will begin to process them as soon as the same-day.  The processing time for some States make take longer.  For example, a passport notarized in the State of New York will require County Clerk authentication and State apostille.

Before mailing in your documents, we recommend that you contact us for instructions and order forms.

Apostilles can be complicated. Don’t leave this process to untrained employees or non-professionals who do not fully understand the Apostille process and the unique requirements of certain countries. Your paperwork could be rejected costing you time and money. Don’t let this happen to you!

International Apostille Order Form PDFClick to download our International Apostille Order Form. Our Apostille service is fast, convenient, and saves you time and money.

Passport Apostille

Passports on a map of the world with limited depth of fieldDo you need an Apostille on your Passport?

Our offices in Washington, D.C. specializes in authenticating U.S. Federal Government documents in 1-2 business days.  Documents received before noon are processed the following business morning (Except Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays) through the Secretary of D.C.  We also provide FedEx 1-2 day return shipping at no additional cost.

We recommend authenticating a Federal Government documents through our Washington, D.C. office.  This ensures that your documents will be apostilled with a Federal apostille.  Please keep in mind that in the United States, all 50 States issue apostilles and the Federal Government issues an apostille from the Secretary of D.C. and the U.S. Department of State.

If you are reluctant to part ways with your passport or drop it off at any of our seven offices, the next option is to meet with a local notary will copy certify a color copy of your passport.  For example, if you are in California and need an apostille on your passport, you would need to meet with a local notary who will make a color copy of your passport and attach a copy certification form to it.  In most all cases, the country requesting an apostille on your passport will only request the page with your information and picture.

Step 1: Mailing in Your Passport – The very first step is to mail-in your original passport to our Washington, D.C. office for processing.  It’s important that you mail in the original passport and not a copy.  We recommend that you mail-in your passport by FedEx, UPS, DHL, or USPS Priority mail and always obtain a tracking number.  Be sure to include our Washington DC Order Forms. We can email you these forms or you can print them from our website.

Step 2: Secretary of D.C. Apostille – Our trained staff with copy certify your passport and submit it to the Secretary of D.C. for processing.  The estimate processing time is 1-2 business days and we do provide FedEx 1-2 day return shipping at no additional cost.

That’s it!  Once you receive your apostille and original passport, you will need to mail your apostille to the country requesting your documents.  We recommend that you ship your documents by either FedEx, UPS, or DHL and always obtain a tracking number.

International Apostille Services, Inc. is the leader in document authentication services. We process documents from all 50 U.S. States including documents issued by the U.S. Federal Government.

International Apostille Order Form PDF SmallClick to download our International Apostille Order Form. Our Apostille service is fast, convenient, and saves you time and money.

Apostille Passport

We provide fast 1-2 day Apostille service for your Passport at our office in Washington, D.C.

Simply mail your original passport to our office in Washington, D.C.  Be sure to include our Order Form and Credit Card Authorization Form.

Click here to view our address.

Our certified notary will make a color copy of your passport (Page with picture) and obtain an Apostille from the Secretary of the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.)

Please note that the wording on the Apostille is a universal language accepted in over 100 countries.  For example, if you need your U.S. Passport Apostilled for Russia, you would simply mail your original Passport to our office in D.C.  We would obtain the Apostille for the country of Russia and overnight the documents back to you.  We also provide international shipping.

We recommend that you ship your documents by either UPS, FedEx, DHL, or USPS Priority Mail/Express and always get a tracking number.

Some countries may ask for a translation of your Passport.  Once you receive your documents back by UPS, you can find a certified translator online.  The American Translators Association will have a list of certified translators who can help you.

Here is an example of an apostille from the Secretary of DC:

Below is typically what’s included in a Washington DC Apostille:

  • Country … [country name]
  • This public document has been signed by … [name]
  • acting in the capacity of … [function]
  • bears the seal/stamp of … [authority] certified
  • at … [location]
  • the … [date]
  • by … [name]
  • No … [apostille registration number]
  • Seal/stamp … [of the authority giving the apostille]
  • Signature … [signature of authority giving the apostille]

 

International Apostille Order Form PDF SmallClick to download our International Apostille Order Form. Our Apostille service is fast, convenient, and saves you time and money.