California Apostille Processing

 An Apostille is a Certificate issued by the State or US State Department that authenticates the signature of a public official on a document for use in another country. An Apostille certifies:

• the authenticity of the signature of the public official who signed the document,
• the capacity in which that public official acted, and
• when appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears, e.g. a notary public seal.

The Apostille does not validate the contents of the document.

Documents that can be Apostilled by the State or US State Department are:

Personal Documents: Power of Attorney, Affidavits, Copies of DL, Passport and Notarized Documents.

Corporate Documents: Certificate of Good Standing, Statement of Information, Assignment. Documents issued by the County: Birth, Marriage, or Death Certificate, Single Status Affidavit.

Court Documents: Judgment, Divorce Decree or Petition for Name Change.

Federal Documents: FBI Background Check, IRS forms, Naturalization Certificate.

There are two kinds of Apostilles State Apostille and Federal Apostille. Documents must be Apostilled in the State they were issued in. If a document is issued in California it must be Apostille in California. (For example, a New York document can not be Apostilled in California).

Federal Documents like FBI Reports and Naturalization certificates must be Apostille by the US Department of State in DC.

The destination Country determines whether a document will require an Apostille or Embassy Legalization. If the Destination country is part of the Hague Convention then it will only require an Apostille. If the destination country is not part of the Hague Convention then the Document will require Embassy Legalization. For more information on the Hague Convention please visit HCCH.net

Apostille Verification allows you to verify online whether an Authentication Certificate (Apostille) was issued within the last five years by the California Secretary of State’s office.

If you are unable to locate a record or you wish to verify an Authentication Certificate (Apostille) issued more than five years ago, please contact the Notary Public Section.

To Verify an Apostille please visit The State Apostille site.

If you need a California Apostille for a Birth, Marriage, or Death Certificate issued by the Registrar-Recorder County Clerk’s office, follow these steps:

Step 1: Obtain a Certified Copy of the Vital Records.

Request a Certified Copy: Contact the county office where the record is filed to obtain a recent certified copy of your Birth, Marriage, or Death Certificate. Most countries require the record to be issued recently.

Eligibility: Typically, only immediate family members or authorized representatives, such as lawyers, can request these vital records.

Step 2: Prepare for Apostille Request.

Once you have your certified copy, you can either mail it to us or drop it off at our office. Note: Vital records do not require notarization and can be Apostilled as is. We can not notarize copies of vital records.

Step 3: Gather Required Documents.

To request a California Apostille, please provide the following:

1. Original Birth, Marriage, or Death Certificate: The certified copy obtained from the county office.
2. Order Form: Complete the necessary order form for the Apostille. (download order form below)
3. Payment: Payment can be made via Money Order, Cashier’s Check, Online payment useing PayPal link below or we can email you the link to make the payment online once we receive your documents.

Step 4: Submission and Processing.

We will submit your vital records to the California Secretary of State for Apostille. Once your documents have been Apostilled, you have the option to:

• Pick Up: Collect the documents from our office.
• Mail: Receive them via mail for your convenience.

International Shipping Available For clients needing documents sent overseas, we offer international shipping for your Apostilled documents.

To obtain a California Apostille for your Power of Attorney, follow these essential steps:

1. Notarization: Your document must be notarized before it can be Apostilled. You have several options:

• Mail-in Service: You can have your document notarized and then mailed to us to process your Apostille.
• On-site Notary Service: We can send a notary to your home or office to notarize the Power of Attorney and then pick it up for Apostille processing with the California Secretary of State.
• In-person Notarization: Bring your document directly to us for notarization and Apostille processing.

Common Notary Mistakes: Ensure that the notary uses the correct notarial wording required by California law and includes their title after their name. These details are crucial for successful processing.

2. Apostille Process: Once the Power of Attorney is notarized, we will submit your Power of Attorney to the Secretary of State for verification of the notary’s credentials and issue the Apostille. After processing the Apostille, your document will be ready for use abroad.

3. Translation Services: If required by the requesting agency, we offer translation services for  your document.

Required Documents for California Apostille: To request a California Apostille for your Power of Attorney, please provide the following:

• A notarized Power of Attorney
• Completed order form
• Payment (via money order, cashier’s check, or online)

Once your Power of Attorney has been Apostilled in California, you can choose to have it mailed to you or pick it up from our office. We also offer international shipping for your Apostilled documents for your convenience.

Commercial documents issued by the California Secretary of State may require Apostille if it’s being submitted to a foreign authority. Common examples of commercial documents that require an Apostille include:

• Certificate of Status
• Statement of Information
• Certificate of Formation
• And more

1. Obtain Certified Copies:
   To initiate the California Apostille process for your commercial documents, you must first obtain certified copies of your documents. These copies can be acquired directly from the California Secretary of State, or our team can assist you in obtaining them.
2. Apostille Processing:
   Once we have the certified copies of the commercial documents issued by the California Secretary of State, we can submit your documents for Apostille to the Secretary of State.
3. Prepare Required Items:
   To request a California Apostille, you will need:
   • A Certified Copy of the corporate documents requiring an Apostille.
   • An Order Form: Download our order form below.
   • Payment: We accept payment via Money Order, Cashier’s Check, or online through PayPal. 
4. Choose Delivery Option: After the Apostille is complete, you can choose to have your documents mailed to you or pick them up from our office. We also offer international shipping for your convenience.

Our experienced team specializes in handling Apostille requests for California commercial documents, ensuring a smooth and efficient process. We are dedicated to making your international documentation Apostille process hassle-free.

For more information or to start your Apostille request, contact us today!