Are you planning on working, living, traveling to, buying or selling a home in, doing business in, or getting married in another country outside of the United States? If so, and you live in San Diego, you’ve probably been told that you’re going to need an Apostille. If you’ve never heard the term “Apostille” before, you’re probably scratching you’re head and wondering what the heck that means! If so, you’ve come to the right place, as below, you’ll find an overview of Apostille San Diego, including what it means, how to find an Apostille San Diego, and other valuable information.
What is an Apostille?
An Apostille is a special kind of certificate that is usually attached to legally binding documents that allow those documents to be accepted in a foreign country; a country other than the one the document was issued in. A power of attorney Apostille, also known as an international notary public, is the individual that verifies that a notary commission was held at the time that the document was notarized. Apostilles are utilized when public documents are transferred between countries that are a part of the Hague Apostille Convention, the Apostille Convention, or the Apostille Treaty. This international treaty was drafted by the Hague Conference on Private International Law in 1961 and it details the modalities via which documents that are issued in one of the countries that are party to the convention can be certified for legally binding purposes in all of the countries that have contracted with the Apostille Treaty. In other words, the treaty provides the simplified certification of public and notarized documents that can be used in all nations that are part of the convention.
How to Secure an Apostille San Diego?
If you have been told that you need an Apostille San Diego, you’re probably wondering how to get one. Notary publics are not able to issue apostilles on their own; rather, an apostille must be issued by the office of the Secretary of State or by a Notary commissioning agency. The only certification that you will need is a single apostille, and once it is prepared and verified, it will be attached to and sent with the notarized documents. If you currently reside in or have had a document issued in a country that is part of the Hague Apostille Convention and you are traveling, moving to, working in, buying or selling property in, getting married in, or traveling to a country that is also part of the convention, you will need to authenticate your legally binding documents before they can be sent. If the document(s) does not have an apostille before it is sent to a destination nation, it will not be accepted by the nation.
What Type of Documents Require an Apostille?
As per the US Department of State, there are several documents that may need to be authenticated in order to be considered valid abroad. The majority of these documents are legally binding, examples of which include:
- Affidavits
- Agreements
- Articles of incorporation
- Deeds of assignment
- Company bylaws
- College or university diplomas
- Income verification
- Powers of attorney
- Educational transcripts
- Extraditions
- Trademarks
- Certificates of good standing
- Warrants
- Birth certificates
- Death certificates
- Certifications of Naturalization
- Divorce Decrees
- Power of Attorney
- Single Status Affidavits
- Last wills and testimonies
- Estate plans
- Powers of attorney
- IRS documents
- Diplomas
- Passports
- Background checks from the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)
- Driver’s licenses
- Transcripts
- Social security letters
- Name change documents
- Police reports
Additionally, if you are planning on adopting a child that resides in another country that is part of the Hague Convention, you will need a birth certificate apostille for the child. You will also need to have the adoption dossier authenticated.
It is important to note that if you do require an apostille, the signer must request the authentication, not you. Typically, any requested for apostilles or authentication certificates will be submitted in writing to the office of the US Secretary of State. The request should include the following information:
- An explanation that indicates thy the apostille is needed
- The original document, complete with the completed notarial certificate from the notary
- The destination where the document will be sent
- A return envelope that is addressed to the custodian of the document or to the document’s final destination. The postage should be paid for on the return envelope.
- The full fee that the country requires (varies from country to country)
The final destination of the document will indicate whether it requires an apostille or an authentication certificate. The commissioning office will determine this.
The Role of the Notary Public
The document must be notarized by the clerk of a county court where a notary public is commissioned before an apostille can be issued. Documents that are certified in a county court need to be notarized by the state. Since the document’s final destination is another country, it is imperative that the notarization is done properly beforehand; otherwise, there may be issues when the document is received. For instance, a judge that is presiding over the sale of an international business may not accept associated legal documents if they are not notarized properly.
Since the documents that will be sent through the Notary regulator’s office will be scrutinized very closely, any errors with the authentication could end up in enforcement action being taken against the notary public.
Need an Apostille Near You?
If you have recently learned that you are in need of an Apostille San Diego – a birth certificate, divorce decree, or power of attorney apostille, for example – you’re probably wondering how to find an apostille near you. To locate these services, simply type “apostille near me” or “apostille San Diego” into Google, DuckDuckGo, or any other search engine you use and you should receive a wealth of information. However, if you would rather avoid the hassle and confusion of searching for this information online, contact Black Seal Mobile Notary today. Our certified Apostille agents are able to secure Apostilles and Embassy Legalizations on any and all United States documents that you need to use in foreign countries.