By Odessa Edwards
An apostille stamp may also be referred to as a sticker, certification, or seal. It is required to authenticate notarized documents that are being sent overseas. Documents that may require being apostilled are birth and death certificates, marriage certificates, diplomas, or background checks. Over 80 countries, in accordance with the Hague Convention, accept documents with this authentication worldwide.
Getting documents apostilled is a straightforward, but difficult process. Each country that belongs to the Hague Convention has very specific processes. For example, in the Netherlands it can only be done through the 19 district courts, in Australia only the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade can verify documents in this way, and only the Secretary of State in each of the United States has this authority. Go to the website of the officials qualified to authenticate in your country.
Although different countries have different processes for verifying documents, they will be similar. For example, when you go to the notary public service of your state government in the United States, you just scroll to the authentication or apostilling section of the website. Download and print the request form if there is one, otherwise follow website directions.
Gather together all documents that will need to be authenticated. Put them together with the request form. If you do not have a request form, attach a letter with your name and address, the amount of fees you are including, and the name and address of where to send your verified documents. Put the documents, request form or letter, and appropriate fees in an envelope. The amounts for fees are listed on the websites and range from less than ten dollars to more than thirty.
For rush orders, it is best to hand-deliver the documents yourself. This will probably require waiting for the government agency to verify them. Once verified, you can mail them to the overseas requesting government yourself. Sometimes an agency will outsource the process, and you simply drop them off and wait for notification that they started the process.
When mailing your documents, fees, and letter or request form, do not forget to provide an addressed and stamped return envelope for the agency to send authenticated documents back to you or the requesting country. Send this packet to the address listed on the government website that does the verifications. Using certified mail is recommended to know they were accepted.
Sometimes the verification process can be done in a day, if you hand-deliver the documents. When mailed, it is usually a 3-day process from receipt of the documents. If the verifying agency outsources the service, it could be longer. After verification, if you mailed your documents, you can receive them back by certified mail or overnight delivery for additional fees.
If the process of getting an apostille stamp is still confusing to you, or seems like more work than you wan to do, you can hire a service to do it for you. Such services can be costly, but they will save you from having to spend a day at a government agency and from dealing with all of the bureaucracy involved in the process. A service will also give you peace of mind that it will be done right, because they do it every day.
Getting documents apostilled is a straightforward, but difficult process. Each country that belongs to the Hague Convention has very specific processes. For example, in the Netherlands it can only be done through the 19 district courts, in Australia only the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade can verify documents in this way, and only the Secretary of State in each of the United States has this authority. Go to the website of the officials qualified to authenticate in your country.
Although different countries have different processes for verifying documents, they will be similar. For example, when you go to the notary public service of your state government in the United States, you just scroll to the authentication or apostilling section of the website. Download and print the request form if there is one, otherwise follow website directions.
Gather together all documents that will need to be authenticated. Put them together with the request form. If you do not have a request form, attach a letter with your name and address, the amount of fees you are including, and the name and address of where to send your verified documents. Put the documents, request form or letter, and appropriate fees in an envelope. The amounts for fees are listed on the websites and range from less than ten dollars to more than thirty.
For rush orders, it is best to hand-deliver the documents yourself. This will probably require waiting for the government agency to verify them. Once verified, you can mail them to the overseas requesting government yourself. Sometimes an agency will outsource the process, and you simply drop them off and wait for notification that they started the process.
When mailing your documents, fees, and letter or request form, do not forget to provide an addressed and stamped return envelope for the agency to send authenticated documents back to you or the requesting country. Send this packet to the address listed on the government website that does the verifications. Using certified mail is recommended to know they were accepted.
Sometimes the verification process can be done in a day, if you hand-deliver the documents. When mailed, it is usually a 3-day process from receipt of the documents. If the verifying agency outsources the service, it could be longer. After verification, if you mailed your documents, you can receive them back by certified mail or overnight delivery for additional fees.
If the process of getting an apostille stamp is still confusing to you, or seems like more work than you wan to do, you can hire a service to do it for you. Such services can be costly, but they will save you from having to spend a day at a government agency and from dealing with all of the bureaucracy involved in the process. A service will also give you peace of mind that it will be done right, because they do it every day.
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