Adoption Dossier Apostille and Authentication Service
What is an adoption dossier?
According to Adoption.org, an adoption dossier is essentially “a collection of documents you will need to complete your international adoption. The assembly of documents is designed to show both the sending and receiving country that the prospective adoptive parents are in good standing and will provide a good forever home for the adoptive child. The specifics of the necessary documents vary slightly from country to country but for the most part, they include statements of your financial standing, your health status, job status, etc.”
What is an adoption dossier apostille?
In brief, an adoption dossier apostille is a certification process that validates your records for use abroad. Oftentimes, Americans looking to adopt from overseas will be required to provide notarized and apostilled documents demonstrating their fitness to adopt a child.
In order to give the documents legal status overseas, the notarization must be certified by the California Secretary of State’s office. Firstly, the CA SOS checks to ensure that the documents were notarized properly by a California-State-commissioned notary public and that the notary’s signature matches the signature they have on file. Afterwards, if everything is in order, the CA SOS adheres an apostille certificate and red stamp to the notarial certificate.
How do I get my adoption dossier apostilled or authenticated?
Step 1: Email us for a price quote
Our pricing varies depending on what country it’s going to, your location, the turnaround time needed, and the shipping destination. In order to get a quick price quote, send an email to [email protected] with the following information:
- Your name, address, and phone number
- The name, address, phone number, and email address of the recipient (if you’d like us to ship it to a third party)
- The destination country
- A statement about whether the documents are already notarized or need to be notarized
We will respond without delay with a price quote and payment instructions. Then we will start the apostille/
Step 2: Get the documents notarized
Generally, many of the documents must be signed in front of a notary public. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, we can meet you and notarize the documents. Adoption dossiers in particular often include documents that need to be signed by your physician. Accordingly, we generally recommend meeting at your doctor’s office to sign and notarize all of the documents at the same time.
If you are elsewhere in California, you can visit a local notary to get your affidavit notarized. For assistance outside of California, please call +1 (415) 655-9455 or email [email protected] to discuss options.
Step 3: Get the adoption dossier to us
If we notarize the documents, we’ll simply collect payment at the appointment and take the documents with us. Assuming that we notarize the document, we’ll simply collect payment at the appointment and take the notarized document with us. Otherwise, if someone else notarizes it, we will send you a FedEx Priority Overnight shipping label that you can use to ship the notarized document to us.
Step 4: We handle the rest
After notarization, we will obtain apostilles from the Secretary of State in Sacramento. Some countries require apostilles plus additional certifications, details of which we will provide in the price quote. Finally, once the document is apostilled (or apostilled and authenticated/legalized), we’ll ship it according to your instructions via FedEx Priority Overnight Service (USA destinations) or FedEx International Priority Service (overseas destinations).
Contact Us
For more information or to place your order, please email [email protected] or call +1 (415) 655-9455.
Disclaimer: Information on this website is for informational purposes only. These instructions are based on our knowledge and experience and are meant to be helpful; however, they might contain errors. Please let us know if you encounter mistakes so that we can promptly correct them. 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.