“Apostille services in the U.S.”
What is an apostille and why is it necessary?
Very often different public documents need to be used internationally outside of the country that the document was issued in. In this case, the document needs to be authenticated. Some examples of such documents are birth certificates, marriage certificates, notary acknowledgments, etc.
In order to authenticate public documents, a convenient process was agreed to by many countries (including the United States of America and Russia) during the Hague Convention on October 5th, 1961. This convention abolished the requirement of the legalization of foreign public documents. During this convention, known as the Apostille Convention, the authentication process was simplified. All the countries that signed this agreement accept public documents from each other through this unified process. The document that serves this purpose is called an apostille.
An apostille certifies:
- the signature of the public official on the document is authentic;
- the capacity in which the public official acted;
- the identity of the seal or stamp on the document when appropriate.
Please note that the apostille does not validate the contents of the document.
You can find more information by visiting the Hague Conference website apostille section.
Where to obtain an apostle for a document issued in the U.S.?
In regard to the United States, state-issued documents must be authenticated by the authorities in the same state where it was issued in.
Federally-issued documents must be authenticated with an apostille issued by the U.S. Department of State. Documents signed by the following officials require an apostille issued by the U.S. Department of State:
- U.S. federal official;
- U.S. consular officer;
- A military notary, judge advocate, or a foreign consul diplomatic official.
At Russian Agency, we offer a service of obtaining an apostille for any kind of document issued on the territory of the United States. You can apply and receive your order completely by mail or at one of our offices. The processing time is 2 to 3 business days for California and Florida and up to one month for other states.
Please CALL our TOLL FREE numbers (888) 9-RUSSIA or (888) 978-7742 about our fees because the pricing is subject to change.
PLEASE NOTE: the shipping fee for delivery within the U.S. is $40.00. Canada’s shipping fee is $50.00. If you need international delivery via DHL please let us know and we will tell you the price for your country.
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