Are you planning to travel outside of the U.S. for a destination wedding, work, to set up a business, or for travel consent for a child? Or, do you need to send documents for use in a foreign country such as a Special Power of Attorney to sell family property?
If so, you may be required to have your documents certified by the Office of the Secretary of State. Depending on the country requesting the required certificate, that certification may be called an “Apostille” or a “Certificate of Authentication”.
Under the Hague Convention Treaty of 1961, signatory countries have agreed to recognize public documents issued by other signatory countries if they are authenticated by an internationally recognized form of authentication known as an Apostille. For non-Hague Convention countries, documents go through a similar process to certify the authenticity of the document before being presented in the country of use but with an additional step of Embassy Legalization by the Embassy of the country in which the document will be presented.
These certification processes appear to be straightforward, yet simple mistakes can result in costly delays. This is why Success Signings offers full Apostille services in Tempe, AZ to facilitate the process from start to finish. Our services include research on country-specific requirements, communication, and submission and tracking of requests; notarizations; required filing fees; travel and/or courier expenses; printing; and mailing costs.