Frequently Asked Questions

A certificate issued by a government office that verifies the signature and seal on a U.S. public document, so it's recognized in other Hague Convention countries.

If the country belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention, it accepts apostilles. See our Hague Countries page for the current list.

No. Apostilles are issued only by government offices: the Secretary of State (in Virginia, the Secretary of the Commonwealth) or the U.S. Department of State. We prepare, submit and track your request on your behalf.

Yes. We serve clients nationwide and work with every state's apostille office.

Usually not. Most documents must be originals, certified copies, or properly notarized documents. If your copy won't qualify, we'll let you know during your review.

It depends on the document. Certified copies of vital records and court records usually don't need notarization. Many private documents, such as powers of attorney, affidavits and school letters, must be properly notarized first. Federal documents should never be notarized. We'll tell you which applies during your review.

Each government office sets its own processing times, and they change throughout the year. We don't control those timelines, but we keep you informed at every step.

Cost depends on the issuing state or agency, the number of documents, government fees and your shipping destination. Every order is quoted individually. Request a free quote and you'll know the full cost before you send anything.

Yes. International return shipping is available as an add-on. Just select it on your quote request.

At this time, we handle apostilles for Hague Convention countries only, so we're unable to assist with embassy legalization orders.

The receiving organization decides which documents it requires. Please confirm with them first. Once you know what you need, we'll make sure it's apostilled correctly.

Some countries require a translation in addition to the apostille. Please check with the receiving agency, including whether the translation must be notarized or apostilled. Translation is available as an add-on, so your documents can be apostilled and translated in one order.

Yes. Documents are handled only for your order, and digital copies are deleted after your order is complete.

Rejections are usually caused by an incomplete notarial certificate, the wrong type of copy, or sending the document to the wrong office. Our review is designed to catch those issues first. If a government office still rejects a document, we'll explain why and what's needed to correct it.