Federal Apostille For Birth Certificates
ResourcesFederal Apostille For Birth Certificates
If you are planning to travel or do business in a foreign country, an apostille on your birth certificate can make the process much easier. This is because it verifies that the signatures, stamps or seals on your official document are authentic and legal in a foreign jurisdiction. The apostille process was established in 1961 under the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents and allows a single authenticated document to be recognized in any member country without further authentication by their local embassy or consulate.
The first step in apostille government records an apostille on your birth certificate is to obtain a certified copy from the county clerk or state registrar of the document. Then, submit it to the U.S. Department of State Authentication Office for the apostille certification. You may do this in-person at a pop up shop, by mail or online. The fee for the service varies depending on the destination country or countries.
True Copy Apostille for Federal and Legal Documents
In some cases, your authenticated document will need embassy legalization, which involves submitting it to the embassy or consulate of the destination country. The embassy or consulate will determine the exact requirements, fees and processing time for your specific case. If you are unsure of the specific steps needed for your destination country, or you don’t want to deal with the hassle of doing it yourself, consider using a professional apostille service. They can help you navigate the tricky and often confusing apostille process, saving you time and money in the long run.
