Letter of Authorization Apostille and Authentication Service

According to LegalZoom, a letter of authorization is “a very broad term that refers to any letter in which one person or business grants another person or business the authority to act on their behalf.”

A letter of authorization, also called a letter of authority, is different from a power of attorney mainly in formality and enforceability. “A power of attorney is usually a multiple-page, formal document that must comply with state laws. A letter of authorization, in contrast, is typically less than a page long and relatively informal, and while it may be honored by the person receiving it, it’s not state law to accept it.”

How do I get my letter of authorization apostilled or authenticated?

This process can be confusing, so if you’d like to talk to us live, please give us a call at +1 (415) 655-9455.

1. Email us for a price quote.

Pricing varies depending on what country it’s going to, your location, the turnaround time needed, and the shipping destination. For 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 document is already notarized or needs to be notarized

We will respond with a price quote ASAP.

If the destination country has signed the Hague Apostille Convention, then we will just need to obtain an apostille from the California Secretary of State. If the destination country has not signed the Hague Convention, we will need to obtain an additional legalization from the destination country’s consulate or embassy (and possibly an apostille from the US State Department).

2. Get the letter of authorization notarized.

The principal must sign the document in front of a notary public. If this individual is in San Francisco, we can meet them and notarize the letter of authrorization at no extra charge.

3. Get the letter of authorization to us.

If we notarize the document, we’ll simply take it with us. If someone else notarizes it, you can send it to our office:

SF Notary + Apostille
315 Montgomery Street, 10th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104

Please include a check or money order made out to “AMN SF” or call us at +1 (415) 655-9455 to arrange credit-card payment.

4. We’ll take it from there.

We will obtain an apostille from the Secretary of State in Sacramento. For non-Hague countries, we can also obtain legalization from the relevant consulate or embassy (and US State Department, if needed). We’ll let you know what’s required when we send you the price quote.

We will ship the apostilled letter of authorization to you or directly to a party in the receiving country via FedEx Priority.

That’s the whole process of apostilling a letter of authorization. Questions? Please email [email protected] or call +1 (415) 655-9455.