Power of Attorney Apostille & Notary

Power of Attorney Apostille and Notary Service

Notarization, apostille certification, legalization, and international shipping

If you need to grant someone power of attorney to transact business on your behalf in another country, the power of attorney document may need to be notarized and apostilled, and possibly authenticated by an embassy or consulate, before it will be legally accepted overseas.

SF Notary + Apostille can assist you with the entire process. We can meet you to notarize your power of attorney, review the notarization for common errors, obtain the required California apostille or authentication, send you a scan, and ship the completed document anywhere in the United States or abroad.

Our expedited California apostille service is generally completed the next business day, and we provide notary services in Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma counties. If you are located outside these areas, you can have your power of attorney notarized locally at your bank or a UPS Store. We can then provide you with a prepaid FedEx label to ship your notarized power of attorney to our Sacramento office for expedited apostille processing.

Power of Attorney Apostille Services in San Francisco

A power of attorney allows another person—often called an agent, attorney-in-fact, representative, or proxy—to act on your behalf. Powers of attorney used internationally are commonly required for:

• Buying, selling, or managing foreign real estate

• Handling an inheritance or estate

• Opening or managing an overseas bank account

• Obtaining tax identification numbers

• Managing business or corporate transactions

• Representing someone before a court or government agency

• Signing contracts or completing financial transactions

• Handling immigration, citizenship, or residency matters

• Authorizing an attorney, accountant, family member, or other representative to act abroad

Depending on the destination country, the document may be called a power of attorney, POA, special power of attorney, general power of attorney, procura, procura speciale, procura generale, poder, poder notarial, procuración, procuração, or another country-specific term.

What Is a Power of Attorney Apostille?

A power of attorney apostille is a certificate that authenticates the signature of the notary public who notarized the signer’s signature on the power of attorney.

For a power of attorney notarized in California, the California Secretary of State generally verifies the California notary’s signature and commission before attaching the apostille certificate.

An apostille does not approve the wording of the power of attorney or verify that its contents are legally sufficient. It certifies the public official’s signature so the notarized document can be presented in another country.

The California Secretary of State requires an original notarized or certified document. An ordinary photocopy, scan, emailed copy, or photocopy of a copy cannot be apostilled.

California law does, however, permit a California notary public to certify a photocopy of a power of attorney. The notary must examine the wet-ink-signed original power of attorney and compare it carefully with the photocopy—or personally make the photocopy—to certify that it is a true and correct copy of the original. The notary-certified copy can then be submitted to the California Secretary of State for an apostille.

Does My Power of Attorney Need an Apostille or Legalization?

The destination country determines the required certification process.

Power of Attorney for a Hague Convention Country

If the power of attorney will be used in a country that participates in the Hague Apostille Convention, it will generally require an apostille from the appropriate Secretary of State.

Examples include Italy, France, Germany, Greece, India, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and many other countries.

Power of Attorney for a Non-Hague Country

Documents intended for countries outside the Hague Apostille Convention may require a longer authentication and legalization process. Depending on the country, this can include:

1. Notarization by a California notary public

2. Authentication by the California Secretary of State

3. Authentication by the U.S. Department of State

4. Legalization by the destination country’s embassy or consulate

Requirements vary by country and can change. We determine the appropriate process based on where the document will be presented and manage each required stage.

Can a Foreign-Language Power of Attorney Be Apostilled?

Yes. California notaries can notarize foreign-language documents even if the notary does not understand the language in which the document is written. The signer must confirm that they understand the document, and the notary must be able to communicate directly with the signer without using an interpreter.

The California Secretary of State can apostille a document written in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Chinese, Hindi, Tagalog, or another language, provided that the notarization meets California requirements and the notarial certificate is in English.

How to Get a Power of Attorney Apostilled in California

1. Have the Overseas Recipient Prepare or Approve the Document

Ask the attorney, notary, bank, real estate professional, government agency, or other receiving party abroad to provide or approve the power of attorney.

Because requirements differ among countries and transactions, we cannot determine whether the document grants the correct authority or draft legal provisions for you.

2. Send Us the Document for Review

Email the unsigned power of attorney to info@sfnotary.com before the appointment whenever possible so that we can review the document for practical notarization and apostille issues, such as:

• Noncompliant notarial wording

• Witness requirements

• Spaces that must be completed before notarization

• Instructions or wording that conflict with California notary law and may trigger a rejection

Our review is limited to notarization and authentication requirements and is not legal advice.

3. Sign Before a Notary Public

The signer must personally appear before the notary and present satisfactory identification.

Our mobile notaries travel to locations in Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma counties. We can meet you at your home, office, hotel, hospital, assisted-living community, attorney’s office, or another agreed location.

Bring:

• The complete unsigned power of attorney

• Acceptable government-issued identification

• Any witnesses required by the document or overseas recipient

• All attachments that must remain with the power of attorney

If another California notary has already notarized the document, email us a scan of the document and notarial certificate before sending the original. We will review it for common problems that could cause rejection.

4. We Obtain the California Apostille

After notarization, we submit the original notarized power of attorney—or a properly notary-certified photocopy of the wet-ink-signed original—to the California Secretary of State.

If you want to retain the original power of attorney, a California notary can personally make a photocopy or carefully compare a photocopy with the wet-ink-signed original and attach the required copy certification. A photocopy of a copy cannot be certified for this purpose.

Our expedited California apostille service is generally completed the next business day. We can take the document with us directly after a mobile notary appointment, arrange a local pickup or drop-off, or provide a prepaid FedEx label for notarized documents being sent to us.

5. We Scan and Ship the Completed Document

After the apostille is issued, we can email you a scan and ship the apostilled original or notary-certified copy to you, your attorney, or the recipient abroad.

We offer:

• FedEx Priority Overnight shipping within the United States

• FedEx International Priority shipping to many overseas destinations

• Shipment tracking

• Direct delivery to you or an attorney, notary, family member, business, or government office

• Consular or embassy legalization when required

Already Have a Notarized Power of Attorney?

You do not need to schedule another signature notarization if your power of attorney was properly notarized by a California notary.

Email us a scan of the entire notarized document, including the signature and notarial certificate pages. We will review it for common problems before you send us the wet-ink-signed original.

We can then arrange:

• Local pickup

• Drop-off at our San Francisco office

• A prepaid FedEx shipping label addressed to our Sacramento office

You may submit the original notarized power of attorney for an apostille. If you need to retain the original, a California notary can certify a photocopy after examining the wet-ink-signed original.

The notary must carefully compare the photocopy with the original or personally make the photocopy. The notary then attaches a copy certification stating that the notary examined the original power of attorney and the copy and that the copy is a true and correct copy of the original. That notary-certified photocopy can be apostilled.

The copy presented to the notary must be made directly from the wet-ink-signed original. A photocopy of another photocopy, scan, emailed copy, or other reproduction cannot be used as the source document for this certification.

Why Clients Choose SF Notary + Apostille

• Experienced mobile notaries serving San Francisco and the Bay Area

• Expedited next-business-day California apostille service

• Review of documents for common notarization and apostille problems

• Pickup, courier, printing, scanning, and shipping services

• U.S. Department of State authentication services

• Embassy and consulate legalization services

• Secure domestic and international FedEx shipping

• One company managing the process from signing through delivery

We have assisted thousands of individuals, families, attorneys, businesses, and international clients certify documents intended for use in countries around the world.

Information Needed for a Quote

For an accurate quote, please email the following information to info@sfnotary.com:

• Your name

• Your telephone number

• Your current city or physical location

• A complete scan of the power of attorney

• The country where the document will be used

• The number of original powers of attorney or notary-certified copies requiring apostilles

• Whether you need to retain the wet-ink-signed original power of attorney

• The number of original documents requiring apostilles

• Your deadline

• The shipping recipient’s name

• The recipient’s telephone number

• The recipient’s email address

• The recipient’s company or law firm, if applicable

• The complete delivery address

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a power of attorney apostille take?

Our expedited California apostille service is generally completed the next business day after we receive the properly notarized original power of attorney or a properly notary-certified photocopy. Additional authentication or embassy legalization may take longer.

Can you notarize and apostille my power of attorney?

Yes. We can meet you in San Francisco or elsewhere in our Bay Area service area, notarize the document, take the original with us, obtain the apostille, send you a scan, and ship the completed document according to your instructions.

Should I sign the power of attorney before meeting the notary?

Usually, no. Wait to sign until you are physically in front of the notary. If you have already signed the power of attorney, the notary can still notarize your signature at the appointment if you acknowledge that the signature is yours. The notarial certificate will reflect the date on which you appear before the notary and sign the notary’s journal; it cannot be backdated.

Can SF Notary + Apostille draft a power of attorney?

No. SF Notary + Apostille is not a law firm and does not draft powers of attorney or provide legal advice. We recommend that the POA document be prepared or approved by a qualified attorney or the party receiving it overseas.

Can you apostille a power of attorney written in another language?

Yes. California can issue an apostille for a foreign-language document when the notarization complies with California requirements and the notarial certificate is in English.

Does the apostille make my power of attorney legally valid?

An apostille authenticates the relevant public official’s signature. It does not certify the document’s contents or guarantee that an overseas recipient will accept its wording. Confirm the required format with the attorney, notary, bank, agency, or other party receiving the document.

Can you apostille a photocopy or emailed power of attorney?

An ordinary photocopy, scan, emailed copy, or photocopy of another copy cannot be apostilled.

California notaries are permitted to certify a photocopy of a power of attorney, but the photocopy must be made directly from the wet-ink-signed original. The original power of attorney must be physically presented to the notary. The notary must personally make the photocopy or carefully compare the photocopy with the original, page by page, to confirm that it is complete and accurate. We recommend having the notary make the photocopy.

The notary then attaches a copy certification stating that the notary examined the original power of attorney and the copy and that the copy is a true and correct copy of the original. That notary-certified photocopy can be submitted to the California Secretary of State for an apostille.

Can you ship the apostilled power of attorney overseas?

Yes. We can ship the completed document directly to an attorney, notary, family member, business, bank, or government office overseas using a trackable international delivery service. We automatically send you a scan of all apostilled documents shipped overseas.

Get a Power of Attorney Notarized and Apostilled

For assistance with a California power of attorney apostille, international POA notarization, Italian procura, or embassy legalization, contact SF Notary + Apostille.

Email: info@sfnotary.com
Telephone: +1 (415) 655-9455
Office: 459 Fulton Street #303, San Francisco, CA 94102

Our office is near San Francisco City Hall. Because we are primarily a mobile notary service, please schedule an appointment before visiting.

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.