Hague Apostille Example

Are you looking for an example of a State apostille?

In the United States, there can be 52 different apostilles issued.  Each US State and the U.S. Federal Government can issue an apostille.  The difference is that the U.S. Federal Government can issue an apostille form the District of Colombia (Washington, D.C.) and the U.S. Department of State.

Documents originating from the USA can be apostilled for another country who is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention.  In order for your document to be accepted in the other country, it must be apostilled from the State the documents originate from.  (Example: If your birth certificate is from California, it must also be processed through the California Secretary of State’s office).  Beware of service providers who will “Copy Certify” your document through a State it doesn’t originate from.  Only the Secretary of State can authenticate the seal and signature of the public official who has signed your document.

Choose your State to view an example of an Apostille:

Alabama Louisiana Ohio
Alaska Maine Oklahoma
Arizona Maryland Oregon
Arkansas Massachusetts Pennsylvania
California Michigan Rhode Island
Colorado Minnesota South Carolina
Connecticut Mississippi South Dakota
Delaware Missouri Tennessee
Florida Montana Texas
Georgia Nebraska Utah
Hawaii Nevada Vermont
Idaho New Hampshire Virginia
Illinois New Jersey Washington
Indiana New Mexico West Virginia
Iowa New York Wisconsin
Kansas North Carolina Wyoming
Kentucky North Dakota

 

You can also see an example of an Apostille issued by the Federal Government:
U.S. Department of State Apostille
Washington, D.C. Apostille
FBI Apostille Example
US Department of Justice Apostille

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.

Happy Holidays from International Apostille Services, Inc.

Happy HolidaysHappy Holidays from International Apostille Services, Inc.
We wish you a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!

Our 2015 Holiday Hours
Christmas Holiday Hours: We will be closed December 24th to December 27th.
New Year Holiday Hours: We will be closed December 31st to January 3rd.

To check the status of your order, click here.

Apostille Process

Apostille ProcessThere are many steps involved in authenticating documents for other countries.  The processing time and cost in completing your documents involves several factors.

In order to provide you a good faith estimate in cost and processing time, we will need to know the type of documents you need apostilled or certified, the State your documents originated from, and the country requesting your documents.

The processing time and cost can vary greatly from one country to another.  Countries who are members of the Hague Apostille Convention only require the State apostille.  Countries who are not members require the State, the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., and the Embassy or Consulate office. Also, some Embassy and Consulate offices charge more for business documents than personal documents.  Our Schedule of State Fees provides the cost and processing time for each of the 50 States.  If your documents require Embassy or Consulate legalization, be sure to download our Schedule of Embassy and Consulate fees.

Before contacting our office, please have the following ready:

  1. The Type of documents you need apostilled.
  2. The State your documents originate from.
  3. The country requesting your documents.

Based off of the questions above, our staff can provide you the cost, time-frame to complete your documents, and the office you will need to mail your documents too.  Please note that we have eight offices throughout the United States and each office has it’s own jurisdictions.  For example, documents from New York can be apostilled through our New York City Apostille office in Manhattan.  Documents from Florida can be apostilled through our Miami, Florida office.

In some situations, your documents will need to be sent to several of our offices to complete.  For example, if you have documents from New York which require Qatar legalization, we will need to Certify your documents from the State of New York, the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., and the Qatar Consulate office in New York.  Our offices will coordinate with one-another in order to complete your documents quickly.

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

Weekly Apostille Talk by Richard M. Johnston

Apostille Frequently Asked QuestionsThe question for this week is, “Does my document require U.S. Department of State and/or Embassy Consulate Legalization?”

Countries who are members of the Hague Apostille Convention rarely require Embassy or Consulate Legalization.  The only exception to this rule is for certain documents going to India, Ecuador, Italy, and Spain.

We know from experience that a power of attorney destined for India will require Indian Embassy or Consulate legalization.  The same is true for a Social Security Income and Benefits Statement for Ecuador.  Italy and Spain require certain documents to be legalized (Apostille FBI background check w/translation) to be submitted with additional paperwork to the local Consulate office.  If you are planning to move, obtain dual citizenship, or study in Italy or Spain, you should contact the local Consulate for assistants.

For all other documents destined for member countries, all you will need is the State apostille.  For U.S. Federal Government documents, your document will need an apostille from the Secretary of D.C. or the U.S. Department of State.

For countries who are NOT members of the Hague Apostille Convention, there are additional authentication and legalization steps that must be completed before the country requesting your documents will accept them.  For example, if you are planning to work in Dubai, the country of the United Arab Emirates will request your diploma to be authenticated by the State, U.S. Department of State, and the UAE Embassy in Washington, D.C.  There are also additional requirements that must be met at the Embassy level. You may be asked to provide a copy of your passport, power of attorney letter, diploma accreditation certification, etc…

Some countries only require the State certification and Embassy/Consulate legalization.  For example, Brazil, India, Chile, Guatemala, Indonesia, etc… do not require U.S. Department of State certification. For example, for the country of Brazil, they only require the State certification and Consulate legalization.

Before mailing in your documents, please call us for a good faith estimate and processing time.  With office spanning six states and the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) we have the experience and knowledge to process your documents quickly saving you time and money.

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 College Diploma and Transcripts

Apostille Diploma and TranscriptDo you need an apostille for your college diploma and/or transcripts?

If you are planning to continue your education in another country or an employer has requested an apostille on your school diploma and/or college transcript, you will need to mail-in a notarized original or a notarized color copy to our office for processing.

We can apostille notarized documents from middle school, high school, college, university, and trade school.  We can also apostille certificates and awards.

The first step is to contact the school’s registrar and request to have your diploma and/or transcript notarized.  This may involve having to hire a traveling notary to visit the campus and meet with the school’s official. If your school’s registrar is unavailable, you can meet with a notary and have your official documents copy certified.  A copy certification form will be filled-out and stapled to the original or color copy of your original document.  In some States, the notary cannot copy certify your diploma and/or transcripts.

Once your documents have bee notarized, the next step is to mail in your notarized diploma and/or transcript to our office for processing.  Our seven offices are strategically located in California (Los Angeles & San Francisco), Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, and in Washington, D.C. to help expedite the process of authenticating your documents. It’s important that you mail-in the original notarized document as the state will not accept copies.  Be sure to contact us before you mail-in your documents in order to avoid any delays.

Only the State office has the authority to issue an apostille on your documents.  The process is very time-consuming and can be confusing.  Every day, our staff visits several Secretary of State and Department of State offices in several states to complete documents for our clients.  This time-consuming process can take many hours to complete.  If the notarization has been completed correctly, the State will attach an apostille to your documents.  If the notary fails to follow the proper notarial laws, your documents will be rejected and you will have to start the process over.  About 20-30% of notarized documents we receive at our offices have been notarized incorrectly.  We recommend that you work with a professional notary who will follow the laws of the state.

The purpose of the apostille is to authenticate the official (notary public) who signed the diploma and/or transcript.  We recommend that you review your transcripts and/or diploma for accuracy before the apostille is attached.  In some countries, they will request that your diploma and/or transcripts be translated to their language.  Translation of documents should be done after the apostille is attached.

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.

IRS Form 6166 Apostille

How to ApostilleAre you planning to conduct business outside the United States?  IRS Form 6166 is a letter printed on U.S. Department of Treasury stationary that certifies that a person or company is a United States resident for purposes of income tax laws of the United States.  This form is used to claim income tax treaty benefits and certain other tax benefits in foreign countries.  Form 6166 is also used to claim exemption from a VAT (Value Added Tax) imposed by a foreign country.

Many business set up representation in foreign countries in order to conduct business in that country.  If the country has a tax treaty with the United States, the individual or company must provide proof to the foreign government in order to qualify for the reduced rate.  Form 6166 is also used to claim exemption from a VAT (Value Added Tax) imposed by a foreign country.

Tax treaties may allow residents of foreign countries to be taxed at a reduced rate.  This helps prevent double taxation.

In order to obtain an apostille on Form 6166, you must first obtain this document by completing form 8802.  Once you have the form printed on the Department of Treasury stationary, you can then mail-in this letter to our Washington, D.C. office for processing through the U.S. Department of State.  Our processing time is four business days.

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.

Happy 4th of July – Apostille Hours

Fourth of July American Independence DayHappy 4th of July!
Our Apostille offices will be closed today in observance of Independence Day.
We will reopen on Monday, May 6, 2015 at 8am to answer your messages.
Thank you!

State Apostille Offices

International Apostille Services, Inc.
State Jurisdiction

State Jurisdictions

The following is a list of our offices and the States they service.  If you have multiple documents from different States, please contact us.

California (Los Angeles – Burbank, CA) Apostille Office processes documents from the following States:
Alaska, Arizona, CaliforniaHawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington State, Wyoming

Florida Apostille Office processes documents from the following States:
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee

Illinois Apostille Office processes documents from the following States:
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin

New York Apostille Office processes documents from the following States:
Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia

Texas Apostille Office processes documents from the following States:
Arkansas, ColoradoKansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas

Washington, D.C. Apostille Office processes documents from the following State:
Maryland, Washington, D.C.

All U.S. Federal Governments documents (FBI background check, name change affidavit, USDA, FDA, Social Security Letters, etc..) must be mailed to our Washington, D.C. office. Documents notarized at a U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate office destined for another country must also be mailed to our Washington, D.C. office for processing.

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.

Florida Apostille

Do you need a Florida Apostille?

Our office in Miami, FL can apostille your documents in 3-5 business days. Documents receiving at our office are hand-delivered and picked-up through the Florida Department of State’s office in Tallahassee, FL.  On average, our processing time is two business days.  Completed documents are sent back by FedEx overnight shipping.  We also provide FedEx International priority shipping at an additional shipping fee.

In Florida, only State level birth and death certificates qualify to receive an apostille.  All State level certificates are signed by the acting State Registrar, while most County certificates are signed by a Chief Deputy Registrar. The current State Registrar in Florida is Ken Jones and the previous State Registrar was C. Meade Grigg.  We can also authenticate signatures from the following former Florida State Registrars: Oliver Board, Charles Mahan, and Edward Williams.

If the birth or death certificate is not signed by one of the five individuals listed above, you will need to order a new certified copy through VitalCheck.com

Documents notarized in Florida must contain the correct notarial wording in order for the State to authenticate the document.  We can email you sample certificates so you can give them to the notary as a reference.

The Florida Department of State (Secretary of State) will certify or apostille the following documents:

  • Documents notarized or certified as true copies from a Florida notary
  • Birth and death certificates issued and signed by the State Registrar
  • Vehicle titles certified by the Florida Department of motor vehicles
  • Corporate documents bearing the signature of the Secretary of State
  • Documents certified by a Clerk of the Court from the County

Our office in Miami, FL is open Monday – Friday from 8am to 5pm.  We recommend that you mail-in your documents by FedEx, UPS, or DHL in order to avoid any delays.  You can also stop by and drop-off your documents with our receptionist.  Be sure to include our Florida apostille order form and credit card authorization form.

W can process documents from all Cities and Counties located in Florida.  We can apostille documents from Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Saint Petersburg, Orland, Tallahassee, and Fort Lauderdale.

Common documents we receive at our office are:

  • Marriage certificates
  • Birth certificates
  • Death Certificates
  • Divorce decree
  • Power of Attorney
  • Affidavit
  • Travel consent

If your documents require notarization, please contact us before you meet with a notary.  We can apostille and certify documents for over 100 countries who are members of the Hague apostille convention.  Countries who are not members will receive a certification by the Florida Department of State.

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 San Francisco

In the State of California, we provide California Apostille Services in San Francisco and Los Angeles.  If you are in California and need your documents authenticated, you can either mail-in your documents to our San Francisco office or our Los Angeles office.  If you are outside of California, we recommend that you mail-in your documents to our Los Angeles office.

A California apostille can only be issued by the Secretary of State.  California commissioned notaries do not have authorization to issues apostilles or provide legal advice; unless the notary is an attorney.  Some documents do require notarization prior to receiving an apostille.  Documents issued from any of the 58 California counties, Superior Courts, California State, or notarized within it’s borders must be apostilled from the State of California.

The most common documents we receive are: birth certificates, death certificates, power of attorney documents, affidavits, marriage certificates, Superior Court divorce decrees, and corporate documents.  We can also copy certify your passport and your drivers license.  Certain countries may require your driver license to be apostilled to establish identity or driving privileges.

For some documents, you must have your signature notarized.  For example, a power of attorney will require notarization prior to receiving an apostille from the State.  When choosing a notary, it’s important to find a notary who has experience and one who will follow California state notarial laws.  Documents notarized incorrectly will be rejected by the State.

Our San Francisco office can apostille your documents in 2-3 business days.  Unfortunately, the California Secretary of State does not have an office in San Francisco.  If you are in a rush and need your documents authenticated quickly, we recommend that you mail-in your documents to our Los Angeles office.

Here is a list of our offices in California:

Apostille San Francisco

Our San Francisco Mailing Address:
International Apostille Services, Inc.
Attn: Richard M. Johnston
1 Sansome Street #3500
San Francisco, CA 94104
1-415-871-0759 or 1-888-810-4054

http://www.SanFranciscoApostille.com

 

Apostille Los Angeles

Our Los Angeles Mailing Address:
International Apostille Services, Inc.
Attn: Richard M. Johnston
2600 W. Olive Ave. Suite 500
Burbank, CA 91505
1-310-876-8489 or 1-888-810-4054

http://www.LosAngelesApostille.com

We provide FREE return shipping via FedEx/UPS Next Day service to anywhere in the United States. We can also ship your documents anywhere in the world. International shipping rates apply (Contact us for a quote).

We accept cash, money orders, certified bank checks, Paypal, credit cards, Wester Union, Money Gram, wire-transfer, and e-checks. If you make a payment with a personal or business check, there may be a 7 business day hold time for clearing of funds. If your checking account is a US based account, we have an online payment service you can use. Please contact us to discuss all payment options. For faster processing time, please pay online or fill-out our credit card authorization form.

Apostilles can be complicated. Don’t leave this process to untrained employees or non-professionals who do not fully understand the Nevada 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 PDF SmallClick to download our International Apostille Order Form. Our Apostille service is fast, convenient, and saves you time and money.