Apostille FAQs

Not sure what an apostille is or how the process works? Scroll down for our apostille FAQs or call +1 (415) 655-9455 to talk with us directly.

An apostille, according to the California Secretary of State, “is a certificate that authenticates the signature of a public official on a document for use in another country. An Apostille certifies:

As the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) explains, “The Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (HCCH 1961 Apostille Convention) facilitates the use of public documents abroad. The purpose of the Convention is to abolish the traditional requirement of legalisation, replacing the often long and costly legalisation process with the issuance of a single Apostille certificate by a Competent Authority in the place where the document originates.”

As of May 2023, 127 countries have joined the Hague Apostille Convention. Accordingly, any of these countries should accept the apostille on your document:

Another one of our most common apostille FAQs concerns turnaround time. In truth, the processing time for an apostille varies widely depending on what kind of document needs to be apostilled and what type of authentication it needs. Office closures and staffing shortages have significantly slowed down processing times. Of course, we will do our best to get your document authenticated as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, though, some of the process is simply out of our hands.

Notable delays:

• The diploma and transcript printing process at certain schools can have delays. Academic records are printed with a third party, and there are times when orders take longer than expected to process.
• The United States Secretary of State’s apostille processing is delayed at present, often taking up to six weeks.
  
• The Chinese Consulate in SF and the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, are both closed to the public. They are also both experiencing severe delays in processing times. Documents may take weeks or months to process, and rush service is not available.

Please call us at +1 (415) 655-9455 to learn more about delays that may affect your apostille processing time.

The California Secretary of State only authenticates signatures on documents that are issued in the State of California and are notarized by a commissioned notary public or any of the following public officials or their deputies:

• County clerks or recorders
• Court administrators of the Superior Court
• Executive clerks of the Superior Court
• Executive officers of the Superior Court
• FBI officials
• Judges of the Superior Court
• State officials

An apostille is not a guarantee of the truthfulness of document content, and it does not guarantee that the receiving country will approve the document. As a matter of fact, it is solely a certification that the official who signed and stamped the document (i.e., a notary public, county clerk, court official, etc.) is properly authorized to do so.

This is one of the top apostille FAQs we get, and the answer is: sometimes. It is true that certain documents require notarization in order to be apostilled. In this case, you will need to sign in front of a notary public. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, our mobile notaries can come to your location to notarize your document, and then take it to be apostilled.

Contrarily, other documents–such as academic records, birth certificates, marriage certificates, and death certificates–do not require your presence. We will let you know whether or not you need to be present once we know the scope of your apostille needs.

Yes! We can pick up the documents in San Francisco and select Bay Area locations for an additional fee. We will notarize them if needed. After apostille and/or legalization, we can ship them back to you or send them directly to the receiving country.

Ready to schedule or still have questions after reading these apostille FAQs? Please call +1 (415) 655-9455 or email [email protected].

Disclaimer: Information on this website is for informational purposes only. SF Notary + Apostille is not a law firm, and its agents are not attorneys. Please contact a licensed attorney or your local bar association for counsel on legal matters.