What is an Apostille? and How to Get an Apostille Quickly and Easily

This article will help you successfully obtain an apostille for your official notarized document quickly and easily. According to the US Department of State website, "An "apostille" is a certificate issued by a designated authority in a country where a treaty called the Hague Convention applies... The U.S. Department of State has advised U.S. state Notary Public Administrators and the State Secretaries of State that as a practical matter many foreign courts expect to see apostilles attached with a fair degree of formality...The Hague Legalization Convention is in force in more than 87 countries ."

The first step to getting an apostille for your document is to have it notarized by a notary public. If you are living in the United States simply use a notary public near you. If you are an expat living abroad you may get your document notarized by appearing in person at the closest American Embassy. Call ahead to ensure you have all of the correct documents and identification prepared before your visit.

The second step is the apostille which is issued by your Secretary of State. The apostille may be obtained by going to the Secretary of States office in person or sending your notarized document to your Secretary of States office. Be sure to check your Secretary of States website for the proper procedure to have your document apostilled as details differ from state to state. If you go in person you may have your document apostilled and returned to you in the same day. If you mail in your documents this process will take 7-30 days and cost you around $30 USD depending on the state and method of postage.

There is also the much more expensive and much faster option of using an apostille and notarization service. This is also the best option for US Citizens living overseas, expats, who need an apostille. I was living in Brazil and was in a panic to have my criminal background check apostilled for an English teaching job in South Korea. I personally had my documents apostilled using the site Apostilla.com. (Canadians can try Enterpriselegal.com, though I have no personal experience with their apostille services) For around $200 USD you can have your documents completed in usually 36 hours or less. This price includes the expedited shipping of your documents to the country of your choice. The people at Apostilla.com were very friendly and sympathetic to my situation on the telephone and completed the apostille process of my documents in less than 48 hours smoothly and efficiently.

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