According to the Hague Convention on Private International Law, an Apostille is “a certificate issued under the Apostille Convention authenticating the origin of a public document”.
The word “Apostille” (pronounced a-pos-TEE, not a-pos-TEAL or a-posTILL-ee) is of French origin. It comes from the French verb “apostiller”, which derives from the old French word postille meaning “annotation”, and before it the Latin word postilla, a variation of the word postea, which means “thereafter, afterwards, next”. Usage of the words “Apostille” and “apostiller” dates back to the end of the 16th century in France; Thus, an Apostille consisted of an annotation in the margin of a document or at the end of a letter. During the negotiations on the Convention, the term “Apostille” was preferred (as opposed to Attestation) because of its novelty. The meanings of the word Apostille described above are still valid today.
Only designated “Competent Authorities” are authorized to issue Apostille Certificates in countries participating in the Hague Convention. In the USA the Secretary or Department of State in each of the 50 states and the US Department of State are the designated “Competent Authorities” that are authorized to issue an Apostille Certificate.
The first step is to call us to schedule an appointment to have one of our Mobile Notaries come by to notarize and pick up your documents (you can also mail us your notarized documents). Next, we visit the County Clerk’s office in order to have the notary’s signature authenticated (in some states). Then, we take the document(s) to the Department of State to have them issue an Apostille Certificate for your document(s). Once the Apostille process for your document(s) is completed we will drop your documents off or ship them to any location you choose.
The turn-around time for Standard Service is 3-5 business days; Expedited Service is 24-48 hours; Rush/Same Day Service is 8 hours (only available in select states, documents must be picked up by 11am).
An Apostille does not certify the content of the underlying public document. An Apostille does not relate in any way to the content of the underlying public document. While the public nature of the document itself may imply that its content is true and correct, an Apostille does not enhance, or add any legal significance to, the legal effect that the signature and / or seal would produce without an Apostille. The effect of an Apostille is limited. It only authenticates the origin of the underlying public document. It does so by certifying the authenticity of the signature on the document, the capacity in which the person signing the document acted and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears.
Legalization is the process ofauthenticating foreign public documents through a country’s Embassy or Consulate. This process is still used for countries that are not members of the Hague Convention and therefore do not recognize Apostilles. Apostillisation has the same effect as Legalization but is the result of the simplified process established by the Hague Convention and recognized by countries that are members of the convention.
Only the Consulate or Embassy of the country that your document will be used in is authorized to Legalize your document. For example, if your document needs to be used in China you will need to have it Legalized through the Chinese Consulate.
The first step is to call us to schedule an appointment to have one of our Mobile Notaries come by to notarize and pick up your documents (you can also mail us your notarized documents). Next, we visit the County Clerk’s office in order to have the notary’s signature authenticated (in some states). Then, we take the document(s) to the Department of State to have them issue a Certification for your document(s). Lastly, we take your document(s) to the Embassy/Consulate to have them Legalized. Once the Legalization process for your document(s) is completed we will drop your documents off or ship them to any location you choose.
The average turn-around time for Legalization Service is 10-15 business days.
Thousands of satisfied clients have entrusted us to Apostille and Legalize their sensitive documents. We keep your documents safe, secure, and protected from the moment we receive them to the moment they are returned to you (or shipped).
We are aware that there are a lot scams and unscrupulous people/businesses both on the internet and in the real world. We assure you however that we are NOT one of them. Hague Apostille & Legalization Services is a division of Good 2 Go Mobile Notary Plus, a multi-service that has been in business for over 12 years with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). You can rest assured knowing that you are in good hands.
We translate over 75 languages including some you probably have never heard of. Some of the more popular languages we translate include: Spanish, English, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, French, German, Italian, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, and Portuguese.
The turn-around time for our Document Translation service is typically within 24-48 hours.