Documents which need an Apostille Certification or Legalization must meet certain requirements to be approved by the County Clerk, Department of State, US Department of State, Embassy or Consulate.
We have created a checklist of 13 issues which should be considered before having documents apostilled. Please forward us a scan of your documents to make sure that they will be approved.
You must indicate the country in which the document will be used in. This should be clearly noticeable via paper clip or on a post it. In some cases it may be required to have destination country stamped on the document.
The Notary Stamp and Seal must be clearly visible on the Document. It cannot be blurred and must make celar recognizable impression. The Notaries signature must exactly match his/her Commission Card that which is on file at the County Clerk.
Prior to notarization, blank spaces or signature lines (other than the signature line for document signer and Notary) should be lined through and initialed by all persons so that nothing may be added to or altered on the document without the knowledge of the signers after the signing/notarization.
Another obstacle in the process is conflict of interest. In order for the notary public to ethically perform the duties of office, it is essential that the notary public be an impartial party or “disinterested”; in the act or transaction.
All documents must be signed and properly Notarized before bringing them to the Department of State for Apostille.
All Signatures must be original. Rubber stamp signatures are unacceptable.
The Notary’s signature must be legible and match the signature on file with the County Clerk.
The document must be dated.
The correct Notarial Verbiage should be present on the document or attached as a loose certificate. This includes a Venue, Affidavit, Jurat or Acknowledgement.
Documents should never be altered after having been executed by the parties involved and notarized by the Notary.
The county clerk must certify the notary public’s signature and issue an Authentication Certificate
Certain Embassies require 1 or 2 copies of the original documents which need to be Legalized.
Certified copies of vital records from unauthorized sources are not suitable for authentication or filing abroad. Certified copies of vital records (birth, marriage and death) may be obtained only from the custodian of those records. Vital Records are Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates. You must obtain certified copies of such documents from the custodian of those records as listed above. You should also be diligent in explaining that you need original signatures on such documents when requesting them from these custodians. If you find that your document was not signed properly you should return it to the custodian you received it from and explain that you need an original signature.
