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Answers to your Notary Questions
It’s a special certificate that makes your U.S. document valid in other countries. Most commonly used for travel, marriage, business, and study abroad.
The main difference is that an Apostille and an Authentication is that an Apostille is for use in a hague country while an authentication or legalization is use in a non-hague country. Apostille typically only need to be completed at the state level and take less time typically 1 - 15 Days. Authentication or legalization typically requires state, federal, and embassy authentication and typically takes 6 - 14 weeks to complete.
The primary difference between Hague and Non-Hague countries is that Hague Countries are countries that have signed the Hague Agreement of 1984. This country have agreed to a standard process for Apostille which typically means document only need to be authenticated at the State Level. Here is list of Hague Countries here
Non-Hague Countries are countries that have not signed to the Hague Agreement of 1984, so there is not an agreed upon streamline approach for authenticating documents. Therefore, documents typically have to be authenticated at three levels: State, Federal, and Embassy. All countries not provided on list of Hague Countries are considered non-hague.
For Apostilles (Hague), the normal timeframe for is 4 - 10 Business Days. However, in some cases this can be expedited in which case it usually takes 1 - 3 Business Days.
For Authentication or Legalization (Non-Hague), the normal timeframe is 4 - 14 weeks (varies by state and embassy). This is typically a 2 to 3 step process: State, Federal, and Embassy Authentication.
Yes. Most of our clients complete everything via upload, email, or secure video call. This generally also requires mailing or original documents. We offer both domestic and international shipping options as necessary.
Birth, marriage, and death certificates, powers of attorney, academic records, business docs, and more.
Absolutely. We comply with federal and state laws and use secure systems to protect your documents.
Yes. We offer bulk and ongoing support for legal teams, HR departments, and international firms.
We’ll review your request and confirm everything with you. We will then provide a cost, timeframe and next steps.
Reach out anytime, we’re happy to help.
Hague Apostille Member Countries
Documents issued in the U.S. can be apostilled for use in these countries.
The countries listed below are part of the Hague Apostille Convention, an international agreement that simplifies the process of legalizing documents for use abroad. If you’re sending birth certificates, powers of attorney, or other official documents to any of these countries, you’ll likely need an apostille, not embassy legalization.V