Apostille For Legal Documents

When a apostille federal approvals is used in another country, the receiving party may require that the document be authenticated. Authentication certifies the signature and capacity of the person signing the document, as well as the identity of any stamps or seals that appear on the document. The traditional process of legalizing documents for use abroad was a chain of authentications, which could be time-consuming and costly. The 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents simplified this process to a single certification known as an apostille.

Which Documents Need Apostille For Legal Documents

The type of apostille or certificate of authentication required for your documents depends on which country the document will be used in, as some countries do not accept apostilles and instead require a full legalization. Private documents (individual or corporate) or state/county-issued documents need an authentication from a designated authority, generally the secretary of state’s office. Federal documents must be mailed or personally delivered to the U.S. Department of State Authentication Office for an authentication or apostille, and costs, requirements and address can be found on the U.S. Department of State apostille page.

Apostilles and certificates of authentication verify the authenticity of signatures, seals or stamps on important documents, such as court orders, contracts, college diplomas, marriage licenses, birth and death certificates. They are issued by the New York Secretary of State in conjunction with the affixed facsimile of the NYS seal.