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Things you need to know about apostille services

What is an apostle?

An apostille is a form of authentication for documents to become acceptable in countries that participate in the Hague Convention of 1961.  An apostille authenticates the signature of a public official on a document for use outside of the country of its issue. An apostille certifies:

• That the signature of a public official who signed the document is authentic,
• The capacity in which that public official listed on the document, and
• The identity of the seal on the document (for example, a notary public seal), when applicable.

An apostille does not validate the contents of the document.  An apostille is issued only if your document is intended for use by a country- member of the Hague Apostille Convention. If you plan to use your document in a non-member country of the Hague Apostille Convention, then your documents need to go through a different process of authentication or legalization.  Apostilled public document cannot be used in the country where it was issued. Apostille authentication is intended exclusively for use of public documents abroad. 
Who needs an apostille?

Anyone who plans to study, work, retire, or get married in a different country will be required to obtain an apostille on their vital records and other public documents, including birth certificate, marriage certificate, diploma, etc. Below are the most common reasons when an apostille is required:

• Application for dual citizenship or permanent residency 
• Getting married abroad
• Study abroad 
• Employment
• International adoption
• Opening a business abroad
• Settling inheritance 
• Buying or selling property abroad, etc.

Which documents can get apostilled?

The three primary types of documents that require authentication are:

• Private documents (individual or corporate); 
• State/county-issued documents; 
• Federally-issued documents.

Your document may require legalization by different authorities, depending on a document and type of use. 

Private Documents:

Private documents can be of personal nature (Power of Attorney, Single Status Affidavit) or corporate (Articles of Incorporation) and may be issued an apostille by a designated authority, usually by the Secretary of State’s office.

Examples of private documents we can process an apostille for:

• Agreements 
• Affidavits 
• Articles of Incorporation 
• Bylaws 
• Commercial Invoices 
• Copy of a U.S. Passport (identification page only) 
• Deeds of Assignment
• Diplomas 
• Home Study for Adoption
• Income Verification 
• Power of Attorney 
• Single Status Affidavit
• School Transcripts 

State/County-Issued Documents:

State/county-issued documents can receive an apostille by a designated authority, usually by the Secretary of State’s office. Apostille is always processed in the state that issued your document. For example, if your marriage certificate was issued in New Jersey, your marriage certificate apostille will also be processed in New Jersey.

Examples of state/county-issued documents we obtain an apostille for:

• Birth Certificates 
• Death Certificates
• Divorce Decrees 
• Judgments in state court cases
• Marriage Certificates 

Typically, federally-issued documents are signed by:

• American Consular Officer
• Foreign Consul Diplomatic Official
• Judge Advocate
• Military Notary
• U.S. Federal Officer

US federal agency-issued documents require an apostille/authentication by the US Department of State Authentication Office. 

We can obtain authentication for these federally-issued documents:

• U.S. Department of Agriculture 
• Animal/Plant Certification
• Animal Health certification
• U.S. Department of Justice 
• FBI Background check
• U.S. Federal Court Documents
• U.S. Bankruptcy Court Documents
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
• Certificate of Foreign Governments
• Certificate of Pharmaceutical/Export 
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Immigration Certification
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 
• Trademark Office

The apostille or legalization process can be quite complex and if you are not familiar with it, it’s best to trust professionals like Multichoice Apostille to take care of it. If you need a USA apostille on your birth certificate, marriage certificate, or other documents, please choose our apostille services. Multichoice Apostille has almost 20 years of experience in processing authentication documents for use abroad. We will take care of all the complicated details for getting your documents certified while you can focus on other things. We apostille USA birth certificate, death certificate, marriage certificate, divorce decree, school transcripts, FBI background check report, Social Security letter, and other documents. Multichoice Apostille is your unmatched service provider for USA apostille!

Our experts are available Monday through Friday from 10.00 AM to 6.00 PM. Please call us with any questions at 1-770-447-0360 or toll-free 866-416-0747, for easy-to-follow detailed instructions.

Toll free in the U.S. 866-416-0747 / 770-447-0360