Apostilles - Notary Public on International Documents

An apostille is obtained for internationally-bound documents.  It provides a chain of identity.... the notary public has confirmed you are who you say you are.  In turn, the Secretary of State confirms that notary public is who they claim to be when they notarized your document.  For instance, when we notarize your identity on a document, the Secretary of State then authenticates that we are in fact commissioned notaries in the state of California. Apostilles can be attached by the Secretary of State to notarized documents or any document signed by a County Recorder or Superior Court Judge. 

The Apostille itself is stapled to the notarized page as shown in the picture to the right. 

Depending on whether the destination nation is a member of The Hague Convention or not, will determine if the document is Apostilles or "Authenticated".  If the latter, a NON-Hague Convention nation, the document receives a certificate from the Secretary of State, then it must go to either the nation's embassy or consulate for the final stamp.  This may seem complicated, but we have the experience to make your process a breeze.