Why do I need an apostille?
Documents issued in the United States are valid throughout every state without additional paperwork. If that document needs to be used outside the United States, however, it will typically involve a process called an apostille. This verifies the legitimacy of the document's issuing agency (State Department of Health, Federal Department of Justice, etc.) and provides information the foreign country needs to confirm its legitimacy. Every document you give a foreign government needs an apostille to be accepted.
1. Gather Needed Documents
Get all the documents that need an apostille, it's typically best to group them based on which government entity needs to apostille them (State or Federal). I can get any government-issued document an apostille, but I specialize in Federal and Pennsylvania documents.
2. Send Documents to Me
Some documents are digital in their original form (Such as FBI Background Checks). These documents can be email to me, allowing for an instant start to the process. Other documents, like Birth Certificates, are only valid with their original seal, meaning they must be physically mailed to me.
3. Wait for Government Processing
Different government departments process at different speeds. The slowest is the Federal government, taking up to 2 weeks for walk-in and 6 weeks for mail-in. Other departments, like Pennsylvania are able to process the documents on the same day.
4. Recive Your Documents Back
As soon as the government department is done processing I will retrieve and return your documents. Typically they will arrive 2-3 days after I mail them. I will also scan the document apostille to you and deliver that the day I mail them.