Understanding The Ins And Outs Of Apostille Requirements
An apostille is needed in order to provide authentication of signatures and seals of elected officials on their public documents. To help you have a better understanding of what is needed and the steps that need to be taken, you will want to continue reading.
The Various Documents
There are a lot of different documents that need to have the seal or signature of a public official. Some of these documents include court orders, birth certificates, and any other type of document that was certified by a foreign or U.S. consul or federal agency. It is the apostille that certifies the document in question, and this is done in a way that can be recognized as being legal in many countries.
Steps To Take
The first thing that is going to happen is that the required documents will be issued to you, generally through certified mail. You have to then take those documents and have them notarized. Depending on your situation and the documents you are working with, you might need to have the papers certified by the clerk of courts. If you are unsure about doing this on your own, you can hire a professional who offers apostille services. They will have a much better understanding of what documents need to go before the clerk of courts and which might just need a standard notary signature on them. Then, the documents can be sent off to the Secretary of State. You will need to make sure that you are double checking whether your documents will need to go before both the clerk of courts and the Secretary of State. If they do, then you will need to make sure that the the clerk of courts dates the document before it makes its way to the Secretary of State.
Documents May Need To Be Translated
If your documents are in a different language, they are going to need to be translated into English. This cannot be done by just anyone. You need to find a certified professional translator. Then, that translated document will need to be notarized as a genuine translation.
Should you find yourself a little worried about the process or if you are unsure about handling it on your own, you can seek professional assistance. Search for local or online apostille services. Once you get the process started and you have gone through it once, you may come to see that it is simple enough.
