Apostille Services

All foreign countries that are not part of the Hague Convention (Hague or Non-Hague) will not accept a valid document from another country, especially a legal one, unless it bears the legalization of the apostille or other specified authentications. As Apostille Agents serving California and the entire country, we are trained and certified to assist you in the necessary legalization and document authentication process required for the complexity of handling official documents to be accepted by foreign countries without further process. Birth certificates, school transcripts, adoption dossiers, powers of attorney, and death certificates are examples of official documents that may need to be recognized in a foreign country. An Apostille Authentication ensures that these documents are ready to be of use in the country in which they are to serve their purpose.

Contact Ezra Apostille & Notary today for peace of mind when it comes to the authentication of your legal documents! Our team in Ventura County, California provides document notarization authentication services you can depend on. Whether you’re dealing with a birth, death, or marriage certificate our Apostille & Notary services based in California are ready to help!

In 1961, countries around the globe entered into an agreement known as the Hague Convention. This agreement created a process of establishing apostilles, a method of certifying documents for universal recognition. The United States joined the Hague Convention in 1981, simplifying the required legalization process of foreign documents that are destined for Hague Convention countries. Nonetheless, the process for each country is still diverse and is always subject to change. This is why our Apostille and document Authentication services in California stay on top of the latest policy changes to the legalization process of foreign documents.

Documents designed for public use in a foreign country generally need to be authenticated by a Designated Competent Authority of the jurisdiction in which the documents originated will serve their purpose. All apostilles will receive a seal from the Designated Competent Authority including various mandatory references, and When a document is apostilled, the Designated Competent Authority authenticates the official seals and signatures of the public officer who signed and stamped the document in an official capacity.

For instance, the Secretary of State will verify a notarized document, verifying the signature and stamp of the Notary Public, and attach the Apostille Certificate to the Notarial Certificate that the Notary Public notarized. In other words, the apostille is authenticating the notarial act of the Notary Public, to be recognized as valid for foreign use. That is why every document, whether it be a personal, business, court, or government document must be either certified by the proper government agency or notarized before the document can be apostilled. Nonetheless, the process and certification requirements for each type of document can vary by county, state, and federal agency. The Apostille Agents at Ezra Apostille & Notary in California are the local and national experts in this document legalization process. Let our California-based experts Apostille your documents in a timely manner, no matter where you are in the U.S.

This process simplifies the international verification of legal documents and streamlines the process to have the documents recognized. An Apostille is the only requirement for documents being used in the current countries that participate in the Hague Convention (always subject to change).

The Hague Convention that is referenced to the Apostille Process is the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents of the Hague Conference on Private International Law. This particular convention basically outlined the necessary process and certifications required for a document generated and Authenticated in one member country (sometimes referred to as states) to be accepted by another member country (state) without further process.

This process is usually referred to as Legalization. The Apostille (sometimes referred to as Authentication) simplifies and speeds up the process for the acceptance of a qualifying document from one member country (state) to another.

To reiterate, the Hague Convention of 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization of Foreign Public Documents is an international agreement which simplified the Authentication process of public documents to be used in nations that are members of the 1961 Hague Convention. The United States signed this agreement on October 15, 1981. Only those nations who are party to the Hague Apostille Convention recognize Apostille Certifications.

Listed below are the current countries, members of the Hague Apostille Convention. All non-federal documents destined for these countries only require an Apostille from the Secretary of the State.

Documents from the United States that are intended for use in countries not party to the Hague Convention typically require a more extensive authentication process. This may include:

• Secretary of State Apostille*
• U.S. Department of State Apostille**
• Embassy Legalization

Please note:
All documents written in a foreign language and requiring U.S. Department of State authentication must be accompanied by a certified translation when submitted. We can only assist with documents that originate from the United States.

* In some states, apostilles are issued by the Lieutenant Governor or Secretary of the Commonwealth instead of the Secretary of State.
** Certain federal documents may be apostilled by the Clerk of the Court, an authorized Competent Authority.