How to Notarize and Apostille a Power of Attorney written in Spanish
It is very common to need an apostille for a power of attorney, an authorization to travel, and other similar legal documents written in Spanish. This is often the case for documents from Colombia, Spain, the Dominican Republic, and so on. In most cases, the original document is written in Spanish, it must be signed and notarized in the United States, and then it needs to be apostilled by the secretary of state in order to obtain an apostille of the Hague and thus have international validity. All sounds easy, right? Well, try finding a notary who is willing to stamp a power of attorney written in a language other than English. Doing so is very challenging. If you are able to notarize your power of attorney in Spanish, then step one below is unnecessary. The following three steps are essential in order to obtain an apostille for a foreign language document in the United States:
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How to Notarize and Apostille a Power of Attorney written in Spanish
- Step 1: Create or Order a Side-by-Side, Bilingual Version of the Document
Translate the document in side-by-side format with notary information at the bottom of the page, which will allow most notaries to fill confident about signing the document, considering that it is now a bilingual document. Translation must be in two equal columns with We can do this, most translators are able to do so, or, in some cases, you can create the side-by-side document on your own. Avoid a certified, notarized translation – if the translation is notarized, you will only be able to apostille the translation, not the originally signed document. Again, certified, notarized translation is not needed in this case. Summary: create or request a side-by-side, bilingual translation.
- Step 2: Notarize
Have the bilingual, side-by-side document notarized by signing in front of a local, commissioned notary public. Remember, the English translation is irrelevant to the requesting foreign government; the translation is only needed in order to have the document notarized. Most banks and your local UPS store will notarize a bilingual document without any issues. Summary: notarize the side-by-side version, not a translation.
- Step 3: Submit to the Secretary of State
Send or take your document to the secretary of state. If sending by mail or FedEx, it will take about two weeks, for most states. If taking in person, the apostille can be issued the same day, in most cases. We can order the state apostille for you, in which case, we will provide a prepaid FedEx label so you can ship the document to us. From there, we will get the apostille. Please double check all regulations as some notarized documents must have specific wording or a secondary authentication from the county where the notary was commissioned in the state. Summary: present your notarized document to the state in which it was notarized.
Very Important Notes: Specific State Considerations
Some states have more difficult procedures for requesting an apostle for notarized documents. First, no state will issue an apostille for a document that has been signed and notarized in a different state. For example, if you have a document notarized in California, it is not possible to request an apostille from Oregon, Washington, Texas or any other state, except California. Another example: the state of Virginia has several specific terms that must be included when notarizing – a simple stamp and “my commission expires” wording is not enough. If all requirements and the requisite wording are not present, the documents will be rejected and returned. At that point, you will need to start over. An additional example is the state of Tennessee, which requires the notary’s commission to be authenticated by the county clerk where the notary’s commission was granted. The process can be complicated, so if you have any doubt, get it touch with us or the secretary of state in your state; we are always glad to help.
Need a Side-by-Side Translation and State Apostille?
(877) 374-0095 (office)