The Process For Getting An Apostille Stamp

By Odessa Edwards


The Hague Convention has made it possible for participating countries, of which there are 80, to accept documents among them that follow a specific authentication process. The method for this is to have documents authenticated in the country of origin by an apostille stamp, also known as a certification, seal, or sticker. This is a requirement for sending notarized documents like diplomas, marriage certificates, death and birth certificates, and background checks overseas.

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.

In the United States, go to your state government website and locate the notary public service section. Within that section, find apostilling or authentication. Typically, there will be a request form to download and print to start the process. If not, follow the directions listed on the website. This process will be similar in other countries.

If there is not a request from for you to download, you will need a letter requesting document verification that includes your return information, your fees, and the address you provide for the requesting government. Get your documents that need verification assembled with the required fees, and the letter or request form and put them in an envelope. You will probably have to pay at least ten dollars, but less than forty.

If you are in a rush, you can hand-deliver your documents to the authenticating agency and wait for them to be done, and then mail them yourself. If your agency outsources the process, they will accept your documents and fees and notify you when the process has started.

When requesting verification by mail, be sure to include a stamped and addressed envelope for use in forwarding your verified documents to the requesting country. The address to send the request to is listed on the website. It is a good idea to send the document by certified mail so you get a notice when they are received.

By paying additional fees, you can get your verified documents back either by one day delivery or certified mail. Expect the actual authentication process to take at least a day if you bring them in yourself, or three days from the time they receive the documents if you mail them. If they outsource the service, it can be even longer.

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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