An apostille does not have an expiration date.
Countries who are members of the Hague Apostille Convention may request your documents (Example: Birth, Marriage, Divorce Decree, Death, etc..) to be recently issued with an apostille. For example, most countries request an FBI apostille be issued within the past 90 days. Some countries may have even more stringent requirements and may request a background check issued within the past 30 days with an apostille.
Please double check with the country requesting your documents in order to find out how old your documents can be before you mail them in for processing. For example, if you need a California apostille on a California birth certificate, we recommend that you ask how old the birth certificate can be and how recent the apostille should be issued. If the answer is 30 days for both, then the birth and the apostille must be issued within the past 30 days.
From our experience, background checks have the most restrictions.
Also, some States have restrictions on how old the document can be. For example, documents issued from the States of Wisconsin and Virginia are 12 months. Texas and Illinois is five years. We recommend that you contact us so we can discuss your documents.
You can view examples of State apostilles on our website.
Here is typically what’s included in a 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]
You can see examples of US State apostilles.
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!
Click to download our International Apostille Order Form. Our Apostille service is fast, convenient, and saves you time and money.
