Apostille Services and Authentications 101 | Comprehensive Apostille Guide
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Dan H., Ph.D., Professional Translator
(877) 374-0095 | info@sespanish.com
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- What is a Notarial and Authentication (Apostille Service)? According to the US Department of State, an Apostille is a certificate issued by a designated authority in a country where the Hague Convention Abolish the Requirement for Legalization of Foreign Public Documents, the Apostille Convention, is in force. Apostilles authenticate the seals and signatures of officials on public documents such as birth certificates, notarized documents, court orders, or any other document issued by a public authority, so that they can be recognized in foreign countries that are parties to the Convention. In the United States, there are multiple designated Competent Authorities to issue Apostilles, the authority to issue an Apostille for a particular document depends on the origin of the document in question. Federal executive branch documents, such as FBI background checks, are authenticated by the federal Competent Authority, the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office.
- State documents such as notarized documents or vital records are authenticated by designated state competent authorities, usually the state Secretary of State. The Hague Conference on Private International Law, the international organization that created the Apostille Convention, maintains an Apostille Section on its website with helpful information such as a user brochure The ABCs of Apostilles, and links to competent authorities for every country, including the United States, where the Convention is in force. If you have a document that needs to be authenticated for use in a country where the Apostille Convention is not in force, the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office has useful information on its website about the process.
- Do I need an apostille service or authentication for my translation? It really depends on the nature of your translation project and where it is going. If you’re getting married in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Colombia, or a variety of other countries, you probably need an apostille. Every case is unique, so please tell us about your situation, and we can help.
- Can Southeast Spanish order an apostille for my FBI Background Check? Yes, we are able to complete the apostille process for federal documents for $149. Order your FBI Background Check Authentication or Apostille today.
- Which countries require apostilles and which require authentications? You can find a complete list of countries; however, we always ask and double check before processing an apostille or authentication.
- Does the translation, the source documents or both need an apostille and/or authentication? Both options are fine, in most cases. Option one: we translate all of your documents and send the translated material to the Tennessee Secretary of State (where we complete most written translations). This is what is called a translator’s apostille. The translator’s signature is notarized, authenticated and then the apostille is issued. Option two: the original document can be notarized (by the holder) and an apostille issued for each individual document. From that point, we translate both the source document along with the apostille. Again, every case is different; some customers prefer to have the entire translation package bound with an apostille, others prefer to obtain an apostille on their own and then have it translated. Call any time to chat about options. More information can be found on our apostille page.
- How much does an apostille service cost for a translation?
- $70 for six to eight day service (includes FedEx 2 Day Shipping to the Secretary of State, and then to you)
- $100 for three to four day service (includes FedEx Priority Overnight to the Secretary of State, and then to you)
- $35 for each additional apostille in the same order
- How long does it take? We always translate documents in 24 hours or less, in most cases. From that point, we have the document notarized by a third-party notary, authenticated by the county clerk, and then mailed to the Secretary of State. From that point, it is usually processed in 24 hours and mailed directly to you. Our $70 service (for translation apostilles) takes about a week and our $100 service take about four days. (Federal apostilles take 3-8 weeks, depending on the time of year.) The process is the same; the only difference is the speed of delivery provided by FedEx.
Call or email today to get started!
Dan H., Ph.D., Professional Translator
(877) 374-0095 | info@sespanish.com