How to get a document Apostille
Recently I had to get an Apostilled copy of my passport. Before this I had never heard of Apostille authentication of a document. I felt hassled because Apostille is an extra step on the top of notarization of the copy of a document. This blog based on information I collected when I was trying to get the copy of my passport Apostilled. I am no expert on the subject of Apostille.
Apostille is the certification of the signature of the public service authority or a “public notary” on the copy of a document so that the document can be accepted by another country. In other words Apostille is an authentication of public notary’s signature. Apostille documents are used by several countries who are signatory of the Hague Convention. Essentially the copy of the original document is verified by the public notary for its authenticity and the public notary’s signature on the notarized document is verified by the process of Apostille. Apostille doesn’t validate correctness of content of a document, it validates signature if the authority who signed the document.
I searched around Internet but had a hard time finding exact details on how to get an document Apostilled. Google search always yielded advertisement or links to different public service notaries also offering Apostille services. At the time of this writing notaries charged anywhere for $90-$200 per Apostilled document in California. In-fact you can a get document Apostilled in about $25 in California.
Getting a document Apostilled is a two step process easy process. First get a color copy of the document , and get it notarized by a public notary or certain public service officials. The notarized document then needs to be submitted to The Secretary of State for your state for Apostille. The Secretary of State’s website usually contains information on getting an Apositlle copy of a document. An Apostille certificate as shown above is usually attached to the notarized document submitted to the Secretary of State’s office.
California has three regional offices in San Diego,Sacramento and San Francisco where the documents can be Apostilled in person. There is $20 fee per document, plus $6 handling over the counter fee. Over the counter the documents can be Apsotilled same day. People living far from the service centers can mail the notarized documents to Sacramento office along with relevant fees for Apostille.
Apostille Useful Links
California Authentications: Apostille or Certification
(3 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
Leave your response!