Apostile
What is an Apostille?
Many countries are parties to the Hague Convention which abolishes the requirement of legalization for Foreign Public Documents and simplifies the procedure necessary for documents formed in one country to be used in another.
The following 64 Countries are Members of the Hague Conference on Private International Law:
A
Albania
Argentina
Australia
Austria
B
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Bulgaria
C
Canada
Chile
China (People's Republic of)
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
D
Denmark
E
Egypt
Estonia
F
Finland
France
G
Georgia
Germany
Greece
H
Hungary
I
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
J
Japan
Jordan
L
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
M
Malaysia
Malta
Mexico
Monaco
Morocco
N
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
P
Panama
Peru
Poland
Portugal
R
Republic of Korea
Romania
Russian Federation
S
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland
T
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Turkey
U
Ukraine
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United States of America
Uruguay
V
Venezuela
Documents issued in one country which need to be used in another country must be “authenticated” or “legalized” before they can be recognized as valid in the foreign country. This is a process in which various seals are placed on the document. Such documents range from powers of attorney, affidavits, birth, death and marriages records, incorporation papers, deeds, patent applications, home studies and other legal papers. The number and type of authentication certificates that you will need to obtain depend on the nature of the document.
The apostille must be affixed at the government agency in the country which issued the original document. An Embassy does not have the authority to affix an apostille to a foreign government's documents.
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The Office of American Services continues to perform notarial services for those wishing to execute documents in the presence of a U.S. Consular Officer. The fee is $30.00, or the euro equivalent per initial signature/seal; each additional signature/seal provided at the same time in connection with the same transaction will cost $20 or the euro equivalent.
Notarials are available Tuesday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., except on American and French holidays, and on the first day following a public holiday. Please bring a passport or other photo ID (passport, carte d'identité, or driver's license) as a means of verifying your identity.
Apostille for documents issued in the U.S.
If you have a document which you want legalized for use in another Convention country, the Convention certification called an apostille must be affixed to the document by a competent authority. The apostille is a pre-printed form prescribed by the Convention.
PROCEDURE:
Since the authorities designated by the U. S. to affix the apostille can only attest to the validity of certain seals, it may be necessary for you to obtain some intermediate seals on your document, depending on the origin of the document, before the apostille can be affixed. There is no single U. S. competent authority to issue the Convention apostille. There are different authorities for documents originating in state and local jurisdictions, Federal courts and Federal government agencies. Contact the competent local authority who will affix the certification (apostille) on your document. Please see appendix B for a list of the competent authorities. If it is necessary for you to obtain some intermediate seals on your document before obtaining the Convention apostille, consult the appropriate state or federal authority listed. For further information please see the U.S. Department of State webpage:
( http://travel.state.gov/family/abduction/hague_issues/hague_issues_562.html).
Hague “Apostille” Authentication Certificate:
Article 7 of the Convention provides for the use of a standardized authentication certificate called an apostille. A sample apostille certificate is provided in appendix C of this guide. The apostille consists of the following: 1) name of country from which the document emanates; 2) name of person signing the document; 3) the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted; 4) in the case of unsigned documents, the name of the authority that has affixed the seal or stamp; 5) place of certification; 6) date of certification; 7) the authority issuing the certificate; 8) number of certificate; 9) seal or stamp of authority issuing certificate; and 10) signature of authority issuing certificate.
Fees:
Fees charged by federal and state government authorities are listed below. Please note that fees vary from state to state and are subject to change.
FEDERAL COMPETENT AUTHORITIES:
If the Origin of the Document and/or Seal is a Federal Executive or Administrative Agency, Contact:
Authentication Office,
U. S. Department of State,
518 23rd St., N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20520
(202) 647-5002 Fee: $5.00
For additional information, call the Federal Information Center: 1-800-688-9889, and choose option 6 after you press 1 for touch tone phones. Walk-in service is available from the Authentication Office from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. noon Monday-Friday, except holidays. Walk-in service is limited to 15 documents per person per day (documents can be multiple pages.) Processing time for authentication requests sent by mail is 5 working days or less. See also, the State Department's Home.): www.state.gov (look under Other Services).
U.S. Courts
Clerks and Deputy Clerks of the Federal Court System.
Fee: $5.00.
For the purposes of the Convention, clerks and deputy clerks of the U.S. Courts shall include the clerks and deputy clerks of the following: The Supreme Court of the United States, the Courts of Appeals for the First through the Eleventh Circuits and the District of Columbia Circuit, the United States District Courts, the United States Court of Claims, the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals, the United States Court of International Trade, the United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone, the District Court of Guam, the District Court of the Virgin Islands, and the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.
Appendix B (Apostille in the United States)
Authentication Authorities - State, Territories and Other Jurisdictions
The following state authorities are authorized to issue the Convention apostille legalizing state documents.
State Authentication Authorities
Please refer to
( http://travel.state.gov/family/abduction/hague_issues/hague_issues_562.html)
for complete information.
Alabama
Office of the Secretary of State
Authentication Section
State Capitol, Room E-204
600 Dexter Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36104
334-242-7210
http://www.sos. state.al.us/authenticate/index.htm Fee: $5.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State
Alaska
Notary Administrator
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
P.O. Box 110015
Juneau, AK 99811- 0015
907-465-3509
http://www.gov. state.ak.us/ltgov/notary/authentications.htm
Fee: $2.00
Designated Authority: Lieutenant Governor; Attorney General; Clerk of the Supreme Court
Arizona
Office of the Secretary of State
Business Services Division, Notary Section
1700 W. Washington, 7th Floor
Phoenix, AZ 85007-2888
602 542-4086/ 602 542-4758
Fee: $3.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Assistant Secretary of State.
January 2005
Arkansas
Office of Secretary of State
Corporations Division
State Capitol
Little Rock, AR 72201-1094
501-682-3409
http://www. sosweb. state.ar.us/business.html
Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Chief Deputy Secretary of State.
California
Office of the Secretary of State
Business Programs Division
Notary Public Section
P.O. Box 942877
Sacramento, CA 94277-0001
916-653-3595
http ://www. s s. ca. gov/busine s s/notary/notary. htm
Fee: $20.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; any Assistant Secretary of State; any Deputy Secretary of State.
Colorado
Office of Secretary of State
1560 Broadway, Suite 200
Denver, CO 80202
303-894-2680
http://www.sos. state.co.us/pubs/info_center/2001 fees.htm Fee: By Mail: $2.00 While You Wait: $17.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State.
Connecticut
Office of the Secretary of State
Authentication Unit 30 Trinity St .
Hartford, CT 06106 860-509-6135
http: // www. sots. state. ct.us/recordslegislativeservices/authen.html #orders
Fee: $20.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State.
Delaware
Office of Secretary of State
Notary Division
401 Federal St., Suite 3
Dover, DE 19901
302- 302/739-4111
http: // www. state. de.us/sos/sos . htm
Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Acting Secretary of State.
District of Columbia
Office of the Secretary, D.C.
Notary Commissions & Authentications Section
441 4th St. N.W. (One Judiciary Square)
Washington, D.C.
202-727-3117
http://os. dc.gov/info/notary/notary . shtm#document
Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Executive Secretary; Assistant Executive Secretary; Mayor''s Special Assistant and Assistant to the Executive Secretary; Secretary of the District of Columbia.
Florida
Department of State
Office of International Affairs
Notary Certification/Apostille Section The Capitol Building
Suite 1902
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250
804-488-7521
http://notaries.dos. state.fl.us/notproc7.htm Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State
Georgia
Georgia Superior Court Clerks'' Cooperative Authority Notary Division
1875 Century Boulevard, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30345
404-327-6023
http://www2.gsccca.org/projects/apost.html
or
Office of Secretary of State
Administrative Procedures Unit
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Suite 820 - West Tower
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
404-656-2885
http://www.sos. state.ga.us/administration/notary.htm
Fee: $3.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Georgia Superior Court Clerks'' Cooperative Authority.
Hawaii
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
State Capitol, 5 th Floor,
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
808-586-0255
http://www. state.hi.us/ltgov/page8.html
Fee: $1.00
Designated Authority: Lieutenant Governor of the State of Hawaii .
Idaho
Office of Secretary of State
Notary Department
Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720
208- 332-2810
http://www.idsos. state. id.us/notary/apostill.htm
Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Chief Deputy Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State; Notary Public Clerk.
Illinois
Office of the Secretary of State
Index Department, Notaries Public Division
111 E. Monroe St.
Springfield, IL 62756
217- 217-782-7017
http: // www. sos. state. il.us/departments/index/division.html
Fee: $2.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Assistant Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State.
Indiana
Office of Secretary of State
Statehouse
Suite 201
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-232-6532
http://www.in. gov/sos/notary/seal.html
Fee: no charge
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State
Iowa
Office of Secretary of State
Lucas Building
First Floor, Public Service
Des Moines, IA 50319
515-281-5204
http: // www. sos. state. ia.us
Fee: $5.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State
Kansas
Office of Secretary of State
State Capitol
Second Floor
Topeka, KS 66612
913-296-2744
Fee: $5.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Assistant Secretary of State; any Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
Kentucky
Office of Secretary of State
Capitol Building
P.O. Box 718
Frankfort, KY 40602-0178
502-564-7330
Fee: $5.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Assistant Secretary of State.
Lousiana
Office of Secretary of State
P.O. Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125
504-342-4981
Fee: $5.00
http://www. sec. state.la.us/comm/comm-index.htm Designated Authority: Secretary of State.
Maine
Office of Secretary of State
Bureau of Corporations
Elections and Commissions
101 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0101
207-624-7650
http://www. state.me.us/sos/cec/rcn/notary/authapos.htm
Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State.
Maryland
Office of Secretary of State
Statehouse
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-974-5520
http://www. sos. state.md.us/sos/certif/html/certif2c.html #apos
Fee: $5.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State.
Massachusetts
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Public Records Division
Commissions Section
McCormack Building, Room 1719
One Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108
617-727-2832
http://www. state.ma.us/sec/pre/precom/comidx.htm Fee: $3.00
Michigan
Department of State
Office of the Great Seal
7064 Crowner Boulevard
Lansing, MI 48918
517-373-2531
http://www.michigan. gov/sos/1,1607,7-127-163 8_8734---,00.html Fee: $1.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State.
Minnesota
Secretary of State''s Office
180 State Office Bldg.
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-296-2803
http://www. sos. state.mn.us/uccd/authinfo.html
Fee: $5.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State.
Mississippi
Office of Secretary of State
P.O. Box 136
Jackson, MS 39205-0136
601-359-1615
http://www. sos. state.ms.us/busserv/notaries/notaries.html
Fee: $5.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; any Assistant Secretary of State.
Missouri
Office of Secretary of State
Commission Division
600 West Main, Room 367
Jefferson City, MO 65102
573-751-2783
http://www. sos. state.mo.us/business/commissions/certify.asp Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State.
Montana
Office of the Secretary of State Notary/Certification Division State Capitol Rm 260
PO Box 202801
Helena MT 59620-2801
UPS-FedEx-DHL- etc. address: 1236 E 6th Ave Helena MT 59620 406-444-1877 (Tuesdays - Thursdays only)
http://sos. state.mt.us/css/Notary/Certifications.asp
email: sosnotary@state.mt.us Fee: $10.00 per document
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Any Deputy Secretary of State.
Nebraska
Office of Secretary of State
Notary Division
Box 95104
State Capitol
Lincoln, NE 68509
402-471-2558
http://www. sos. state.ne.us/Notary/notauth.htm
Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State.
Nevada
Secretary of State
101 N. Carson Street, #3
Carson City, NV 89701-4786
775-684-5708
http://sos. state.nv.us/notary/apostille.htm
Fee: $20.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Chief Deputy Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State.
New Hampshire
Office of Secretary of State
Statehouse Room 204 Concord, NH 03301
603-271-3242
http://www. state.nh.us/sos/certific.htm
Fee: $5.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State
New Jersey
Department of State
Notary Public Unit
Division of Commercial Recording
PO Box 452
Trenton, NJ 08625
609-530-6421
http: // www. state. nj .us/treasury/revenue/dcr/programs/notary.html Fee: Regular Service: $25.00 Expedited Service: $35.00
Designated Authority: NJ Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue
New Mexico
Office of the Secretary of State
State Capitol North Annex, Suite 300 Santa Fe, NM 87503
505-827-3600
http://www. sos. state.nm.us/notary-cert.htm Fee: $3.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State
New York
• Upstate Counties
Miscellaneous Records
162 Washington Ave.
Albany, NY 12231
518-474-4770
Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Executive Deputy Secretary of State; any Deputy Secretary of State; any Special Deputy Secretary of State.
• Down State Counties
New York authorities in Albany advise that documents issued in the nine down state counties are authenticated under the Convention by the New York City office. The nine down state counties are New York, Kings, Queens, Bronx, Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland and Richmond. The address of the New York Department of State, Certification Unit is 6th Floor, 270 Broadway, New York , New York 10007 , tel: 212-417-5684. Fee: $10.00
• All birth and death records originating from the five boroughs of New York City (Bronx, Kings, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island) must be certified together with a Letter of Exemplification by the New York City Department of Health, http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doh/home.html Bureau of Vital Records, 125 Worth Street, New York, NY 10013. The original document must then be presented to the County Clerk's Office in the county where the document was obtained to verify the signature on the Letter of Exemplification. The document can then be presented to the New York State Department of State for authentication.
• All marriage records originating from the five boroughs of New York City (Bronx, Kings, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island) must be obtained from the Marriage Bureau, Municipal Center, 1 Centre Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10007. Obtain a certified copy of the marriage certificate with an original signature of the City Clerk. The document must then be presented to the County Clerk's Office in the county where the document was obtained to verify the signature of the City Clerk. The document can then be presented to the New York State Department of State for authentication.
• All birth, death, marriage and divorce records issued outside of the five counties of New York City can be obtained from the New York State Department of Health, http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/consumer/vr.htm Certification Unit, Vital Records Section, PO Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602. The document can then be presented to the New York State Department of State for authentication.
• Birth, death, marriage and divorce records issued outside of the five counties of New York City may also be obtained directly from the local registrar or town clerk of the city, town or village where the birth, death, marriage or divorce occurred. The original document must then be presented to the county clerk's office in the county where the document was obtained for certification. (It is suggested that you contact the county clerk's office prior to obtaining the records to determine if their office can certify documents obtained from a local authority.) The document can then be presented to the New York State Department of State for authentication.
• For further information please see http://www.dos.state.ny.us/corp/msrfaq.html .
11
North Carolina
Office of Secretary of State
Authentication Division
PO Box 29622
Raleigh, NC 27626-0622
919-807-2140
http: // www. secretary. state. nc.us/authen
Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State
North Dakota
Office of Secretary of State
Capitol Building
600 E Boulevard Ave., Dept 108
Bismarck, ND 58505
701-328-2900
Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State.
Ohio
Office of the Secretary of State
30 East Broad St.
15th Fl.
Columbus, OH 43266-0418
877-767-6446
http://www. state.oh.us/sos/authentication_of_documents_stat.htm Fee: $5.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Assistant Secretary of State.
Oklahoma
Office of Secretary of State
2300 N. Lincoln
Room 101
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405-521-4211
http: // www. sos. state. ok.us
Fee: $25.00 (cashiers check or money order)
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Assistant Secretary of State; Budget Officer of the Secretary of State.
Oregon
Office of Secretary of State
255 Capitol St. Suite 151
Salem OR 97310 503-986-2200.
http : // www. filinginoregon. com/notary/index . htm
Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State; Acting Secretary of State; Assistant to the Secretary of State.
Pennsylvania
Department of State Bureau of Commissions Elections and Legislation North Office Building Room 210
Harrisburg, PA 17120 717-787-5280
http://www.dos. state.pa.us/bcel/certifications/certifications.html
Fee: $15.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of the Commonwealth; Executive Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Rhode Island
Office of Secretary of State
Notary Division 100 N. Main St. Providence, RI 02903
401-277-1487
http://www.corps. state.ri.us/notaries/notaries.htm
Fee: $5.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; First Deputy Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State
South Carolina
Office of Secretary of State
P.O. Box 11350
Columbia, SC 29211
803-734-2119
http://www. scsos.com/notariesbc.htm Fee: $2.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State
South Dakota
Office of Secretary of State
500 East Capitol Pierre, SD 57501-5077
605-773-5004
http: // www. state. sd.us/sos/Notaries/apostilles_and_authentications . htm
Fee: $2.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State
Tennessee
Office of Secretary of State
James K. Polk Building
Division of Business Services
312 Eighth Avenue North
6th Floor, William R. Snodgrass Tower
Nashville, TN 37243
615-741-3699
http://www. state.tn.us/sos/service.htm #apostilles
Fee: $2.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State.
Texas
Office of Secretary of State
P.O. Box 12079
Austin, TX 78711
512-463-5705
http://txsos-7. sos.state.tx.us/authfaqs.shtml
Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Assistant Secretary of State
Utah
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
210 State Capitol
Salt Lake City, UT 84145-8414
801-538-1040
http://governor. state.ut.us/lt_gover/internationaltemplate.html
Fee: Certifying Notary''s Seal: $10.00 Apostille: $5.00
Designated Authority: Lieutenant Governor; Deputy Lieutenant Governor; Administrative Assistant.
Vermont
Office of Secretary of State
109 State St.
Montpelier, VT 05609-1103
802-828-2308
Fee: $2.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State.
Virginia
Office of Secretary of Commonwealth
Authentications Division
830 East Main Street, 14th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
804-786-2441
Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of the Commonwealth; Chief Clerk, Office of the Secretary of Commonwealth.
Washington
Office of the Secretary of State
Corporations Division
Apostille and Certificate Program
PO Box 40228
Olympia, WA 98504-0228
360-586-2268
http://www. secstate.wa.gov/apostilles
Fee: $15.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Assistant Secretary of State; Director, Department of Licensing.
West Virginia
Office of Secretary of State
Capitol Building
1900 Kanawha Blvd. East
No. 157-K
Charleston, WV 25305-0770
304-558-6000
http://www.wvsos. com/execrecords/other/authentication.htm
Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Under Secretary of State; any Deputy Secretary of State.
Wisconsin
Office of Secretary of State
P.O. Box 7848
Madison, WI 53707-7848
608-266-3159
http://badger. state.wi.us/agencies/sos/authen.htm
Fee: $10.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Assistant Secretary of State.
Wyoming
Office of Secretary of State
The Capitol
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020
307-777-5342
http://soswy. state.wy.us/authenti/authenti.htm
Fee: $3.00
Designated Authority: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State.
American Samoa
Office of the Governor
Pago Pago, AS 96799
011-684-633-4116
Designated Authority: Secretary of American Samoa ; Attorney General of American Samoa .
Guam (Territory of)
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 2950
Agana, GU 96910
011-671-472-1537
http :// www. admin. gov. gu/do a
Designated Authority: Department of Administration.
Northern Mariana Islands (Commonwealth of the)
Designated Authority: Attorney General; Acting Attorney General; Clerk of the Court, Commonwealth Trial Court; Deputy Clerk, Commonwealth Trial Court
http: // www. saipan. com/gov
Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of)
Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
Office of Notarial Inspection
P.O. Box 190860
San Juan, PR 00919-0860
787-763-8816
http://www.lexjuris. com/lexnotaria.htm
Designated Authority: Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
7 & 8 King St .
Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI 00802
340-774-2991
http://www.ltg. gov.vi/Departments/Administration/index.html
No authority designated: refer requests to the U.S. Department of State, Authentications Office, 2400 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20520. 202-647-5002
United States Embassy
Ofice of American Services 2, rue Saint-Florentin
75382 Paris, France
Telephone: 01 43 12 22 22 Website: http://www.amb-usa.fr
Appendix C:
Sample of an Apostille
(Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1981)
1. Country: United States of America
This public document
2. has been signed by John H. Smith
3. acting in the capacity of Notary Public, State of Nebraska
4. bears the seal/stamp of John H. Smith, Notary Public, State of Nebraska
CERTIFIED
5. at Lincoln Nebraska 6. the 6th of April 1982
7. by Secretary of State, State of Nebraska
8. No. H0143
9. Seal/Stamp 10. Signature Allen J. Beermann
