State and Federal Apostille Services Nationwide
STC provides State and Federal Apostille Services Nationwide for Documents intended to be used abroad and Federal Apostille for Documents issued by the Federal Government.
Both State and Federal Apostille services nationwide.
- State documents issued by the County, State, Court or Notarized by a Notary public must be Apostilled in the State the documents was issued in.
- State documents that have been issued by the County, State, Court, or notarized by a Notary public must be Apostilled in the State in which the documents were issued.
- Documents intended to be used in countries that are part of the Hague convention will require only an Apostille.
- For documents intended to be used in countries that are part of the Hague convention, only an Apostille is required.
- Documents intended to be used in countries that are not part of the Hague convention will require additional authentication by the State, US State department and the Embassy of the country the document will be used in.
- For documents intended to be used in countries that are not part of the Hague convention, additional authentication is required from the State, US State Department, and the Embassy of the country in which the document will be used.
- Some of the documents that will require State authentication are Birth, Marriage, Death Certificates, State Background check, Copy of passport, Power of attorney, Commercial documents issued by the secretary of state, Corporate documents, Court documents and More.
- Some examples of documents that require State authentication include Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates, State Background checks, copies of passports, Powers of Attorney, commercial documents issued by the Secretary of State, corporate documents, court documents, and more.
- Some of the federal documents that will require Federal Apostille Includes FBI Background check , Certified copy of a US Passport, Social Security Benefit letter..
Some examples of federal documents that require Federal Apostille include FBI Background checks, certified copies of US Passports, and Social Security Benefit letters.
WHICH COUNTRIES REQUIRE AN APOSTILLE?
Following countries are members of the Hague Apostille Convention, and therefore, they will require an Apostille from the California Secretary of State.
FAQ'S
How Does The Apostille Service Work?
Obtaining a California Apostille for your documents doesn’t have to be a challenge, and we’re here to help every step of the way!
If you reside outside of Los Angeles, you can conveniently send us your original documents via FedEx, UPS, or Priority/Express Mail from the United States Postal Service. Furthermore, for security purposes, always ensure you get a tracking number.
For documents received by 10:30 a.m., we guarantee they will be completed within 1-2 business days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and major holidays). In addition, we provide FREE return shipping via FedEx Next Day service to anywhere in the United States.
For those located in Los Angeles, our apostille service goes the extra mile by coming to your home or office to pick up, notarize, and review your documents. Moreover, we process them through the Secretary of State and deliver them back to you with the California Apostille attached.
Our service takes the burden of this important, complicated, and time-consuming process off your hands. As a result, our California Apostille service saves you both time and money by promptly and efficiently handling your paperwork.
Since Apostilles can be complicated, it’s essential not to leave this process to untrained employees or non-professionals who may not fully understand the California Apostille process or the specific requirements of certain countries. Otherwise, your paperwork could be rejected, costing you valuable time and money. Don’t let this happen to you!
Which Documents are Required for an Apostille?
The California Secretary of State provides authentication of public official signatures on documents to be used outside the United States of America. The country of destination determines whether the authentication is an Apostille or Certification.
Apostilles and Certifications only certify to the authenticity of the signature of the official who signed the document, the capacity in which that official acted, and when appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears. The Apostille or Certification does not validate the contents of the document.
The California Secretary of State authenticates signatures only on documents issued in the State of California signed by a notary public or the following public officials and their deputies:
- County Clerks, Registrar-Recorder
- Court Administrators of the Superior Court
- Executive Clerks of the Superior Court
- Officers whose authority is not limited to any particular county
- Executive Officers of the Superior Court
- Judges of the Superior Court
- Notaries Public
- State Officials
The most common types of documents include
(Note: Some documents require a certified copy):
- Marriage Licenses, Divorce agreements, Divorce Decree
- Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Death Certificates
- Single Status to Marry, No record of a Marriage
- Criminal Record – Criminal Background Check
- Local Police, Sherriff’s Department, etc…
- Power of Attorney – General, Special, Finance, Real Estate etc.
- Notarized copies of Passport, Affidavits, and other documents
- Papers for Adoption purposes
- Transcripts (High School, College, University, or any other issuing agency)
- Diploma, Degree Certificates, Graduation Records
- Permission to Travel, Consent by Parent(s) to travel with Minor Children
Corporate documents, such as:
- Articles of Incorporation, Certificate of Incorporation
- Merger Agreements
- Authorization letter for Bank, Finance, Office, and related company matters
- Certificates of Amendment
- Certificate of Good Standing
- Power of Attorney
- Certificate of Incumbency
- Corporate Resolution
- Certification of Free Sale
- Certificate of Origin
- Certificate of Analysis
- Corporate Forms
- Joint Venture Agreements
- Stock Purchase Agreement in Foreign Companies
- Business Letter of Invitation
For vital records such as birth certificates, marriage certificates and death certificates, it must be a “certified” letter size pink-and-blue certificate provided by the local county clerk registrar recorder’s office where the certificate originated.
Your birth, marriage or death certificate should be a letter-size, pink-and-blue document with a blue State of California heading and signed at the bottom of the certificate by a California County Clerk registrar recorder (not a doctor, for birth certificates).
If it is a non-vital record, such as a power-of-attorney document or an affidavit attached to something like a copy of a diploma, 99% of the documents will need to be notarized first. If it was already notarized, we will need to review your document to make sure it was notarized properly for approval with the California Secretary of State and the destination country.
Apostille Service?
We provide fast same-day California Apostille service. Let us take this important, complicated, and time-consuming process off your hands.
You can spend several weeks trying to figure out how to obtain an Apostille and up to two months waiting for your documents to arrive from the Secretary of State (If you haven’t made a mistake) OR you can hire our professional service and receive your documents back in one business day with the California Apostille attached.
The cost to obtain a California Apostille for the first document is $165.00 and each additional document is $65.00. If you have six or more documents which require a California Apostille, the price drops to $55 for each Apostille. Call us now for an instant price quote!
For documents received by 10:30 a.m., we guarantee that the documents will ship or personally be delivered to your home or office within 1-2 business days (excluding Saturday, Sunday and major holidays). The first business day is the day after we receive your documents. FREE personally pick-up and delivery is only available for residents and businesses of Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
For residents and businesses of Los Angeles and surrounding areas, we offer complimentary notary service. We will notarize up to three signatures on each document at no additional cost. Each additional signature is $10. (Ten Dollars).
We also provide FREE return shipping via FedEx Next Day service to anywhere in the United States. You can mail your documents to our office or call for free pickup and delivery. We suggest you send us your documents via FedEx, UPS or Priority/Express Mail from the United States Postal Service. For security purposes, always get a tracking number.
Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. If we cannot obtain an apostille or certification for your document(s), we will refund your money 100%. Please call us before sending in your document(s). We may ask you to scan your document(s) and send us a copy for verification. We accept cash, money orders, cashier’s check, paypal, all four major credit cards, and personal/business checks. If you make payment with a personal or business check, there may be a 7 business day hold time for clearing of funds. For faster processing time please pay with a credit card.