California Apostille Service Near me

What is an Apostille? An Apostille is a French word meaning “certification”. An Apostille is the verification of public official signatures on documents to be used outside the United States of America.Mostinternational countries will recognize your birthcertificate or othertypes ofofficialdocument if it is verified by the California Secretary of state on which the documentwas issued.

This verification can be an Apostille or a Certification. The country of destination will determine whether they require an Apostille or Certification.  Whose signatures can be verified (apostilled)?  The California Secretary of State only verify signatures on documents issued in the State of California, signed by a notary public or the following public officials, and their deputies:

County Clerks or Recorders

Court Administrators of the Superior Court

Executive Clerks of the Superior Court

Officers whose authority is not limited to any particular country

Executive Officers of the Superior Court

Judges of the Superior Court

Notaries Public

State Officials

Apostilles do not certify the content of the public document to which it relates. They do not grant authority and they do not give any additional weight to the content of the underlying documents.

An Apostille may never be used to recognize a document in the country where that document was issued. Apostilles are strictly for the use of public documents abroad.

Apostilles will not be issued for documents intended for use within the United States.

The most common types of documents include:

  • Marriage Licenses, Divorce agreements, Divorce Decree
  • Birth Certificates*, Marriage Certificates*, Death Certificates*
  • Criminal Record – Criminal Background Check
  • Power of Attorney
  • Notarized copies of Passports, Affidavits, and other documents
  • Adoption documents
  • Education Transcripts
  • Diplomas and Degrees
  • Permission to Travel Consent for minor children
  • Corporate and business documents