Do You Need an Apostille Service?

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Admin

Living in a global economy, it’s no surprise that many Americans choose to relocate to other countries for employment opportunities. There are also many families that choose to adopt children from foreign countries. In both cases, the message is clear: the world is fast becoming a nation of global citizens.

Whether traveling overseas to adopt a child, seeking new employment opportunities, or taking an extended vacation, there is a lot of paperwork involved to make sure everything is legitimate prior to your departure. This can be difficult to accomplish because most countries have strict requirements in terms of what paperwork and documentation is accepted as valid and genuine.

This is why an apostille service is essential.

In case you aren’t familiar with the term, apostille is actually a French word that means certification. The idea of the modern apostille was born in 1961 at The Hague Convention where multiple countries came together and established a universal system for certifying documents as valid. If you are moving to or visiting a country that is a member of The Hague Convention, obtaining an apostille for your documents guarantees that this paperwork will be recognized as valid in the foreign country.

If you are looking for a company offering document authentication services in the USA, look no further than US Authentication Services. Our apostille service in Washington, DC ensures that your important documents are properly certified in the least amount of time possible. Rather than mailing your documents to the US State Department Office of Authentications, we hand deliver the documents for the fastest apostille and authentication service available.

If you would like to learn more about our authentication and document attestation services, give us a call at 1-800-893-5807 or Contact Us today for a FREE quote. Our professional and courteous staff can help guide you through the certification process from start to finish so you can focus on more important things – like packing for your trip.

Getting the Apostille You Need for Adoption

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Admin

Adopting a child is one of the most beautiful and rewarding experiences you can go through. With all of the paperwork and red tape, however, it can also be one of the most stressful and overwhelming. This is especially true if you are planning on adopting a child from a foreign country. In this situation, you need to not only fill out all of the necessary paperwork and get them approved within this country, but also get those papers legalized for the country of origin of your future child.

Apostille and legalization can seem incredibly confusing and even discouraging, but we are here to tell you that it is not only possible to get this paperwork handled within the timeframe the agency gives you, but that we are here to make sure it is done as smoothly and quickly as possible. As soon as you start thinking about adopting a child from a foreign country you should determine the documents which need to be presented and if that country is an Apostille country. Not all countries require or accept this form of legalization for documents. It is only countries that participated in the Hague Convention that use this form of legalization to verify the legitimacy of the documents and their preparation. No matter what country the documents need to be presented in, we will handle the certification for you.

As an Apostille service in Washington, D.C. makes the Apostille process simpler and faster so you can focus on other aspects of the adoption process. Some of the documents we can help you get and authenticate include:

Apostille background check
Birth certificate
Marriage certificate
Home study
Reference letters

With our help you do not need to take the time to not only get all of the paperwork and fill it out, but to go from agency to agency trying to find the appropriate Apostille. Instead, let us handle your Federal or State Department Apostille from start to finish, ensuring your documents are properly handled, get the Apostille stamp they need, and are returned to you well within the time frame necessary to keep your adoption moving forward.

If you are in the midst of adopting a child from a foreign country or are even considering this beautiful and rewarding way of growing your family, do not hesitate to call us 1-800-893-5807 to assist in the preparation of required documents. Let our knowledgeable and friendly staff help you determine if the country you are considering as the country of origin for your future child is part of the Hague Convention, thereby requiring Apostille to legitimize the documentation, or if you need other forms of legalization in order for them to accept them. We can walk you through the entire process so you can feel more confident heading into this experience and ready to take on each step.

Apostille Service FAQs

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Admin

Whether you are relocating to another country, or traveling abroad for vacation, going on an official business trip, you will need a variety of documents to verify personal and professional details about yourself. While in the United States department-issued documents and notarized copies are automatically considered official, the same does not apply for when you present the documents outside of the country. In these situations you need to further verify the authenticity of the documents in order for them to be considered authentic and acceptable, which is where Apostille service in Washington DC comes in.

Use these frequently asked questions to help you better understand the purpose of Apostille, documents that require this form of authentication, and the countries where Apostille is accepted as a form of verification.

What is Apostille?
The word “Aspostille” comes from a French word that means “certification”. This term is used to mean the process by which documents are legalized for international use. This process came under use after the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. During this convention countries agreed to accept documents using the Apostille.

What is the purpose of an Apostille?
An Apostille Certificate is a seal of authenticity that verifies the document was properly drawn up and obtained. This legalization makes it so that the documents will automatically be accepted in any of the other countries included in the agreement without the need for you to go through other processes to verify your documents. The purpose of the Apostille is to demonstrate authenticity in one simple way in order to make legal and business transactions in foreign countries smoother and easier.

When is an Apostille needed?
Apostille certificates are not needed in all situations. Generally this form of legalization is only needed in circumstances involving business dealings, real estate transactions, settling of the estate of a deceased person, or academic purposes. Documents requiring this type of legalization are often the same types of documents that require notarization in the United States.

What types of documents require an Apostille?
The documents requiring an Apostille vary depending on the country and the situation, but some of the most common documents include birth certificates, marriage certificates, Powers of Attorney, death certificates, passports, transcripts, and wills.

Do all countries accept an Apostille?
Not all countries accept Apostille Certificates as a form of official certification. Countries that were not members of the Hague Convention or who did not agree to the terms of the convention are not party to the Apostille and therefore require other forms of legalization. For example, when attempting to obtain Apostille, Philippines is not a country you could use this type of verification in for your documents. Instead, you would need to obtain Embassy Legalization.

Are all Apostilles the same?
There are different types of Apostille and these must be obtained in different ways to ensure their authenticity. For example, a State Department Apostille is required for documents issued by U.S. Federal agencies such as naturalization documents, Certificates of Free Sale, background checks, and IRS documents. Trust us to not only help you determine which type of Apostille is appropriate for your needs, but also to go through all of the steps of the process for you so that you get your Apostille as quickly and easily as possible.

Get in touch with us to discuss your travel and let us help you organize your documentation so you do not encounter stressful and frustrating delays.

Simplify the Process of Obtaining an Apostille

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Admin

Just like getting a document notarized in the United States verifies authenticity and provides witness that the document is legal and properly signed, obtaining an Apostille provides this verification for documents begin used in foreign countries. Specifications for this type of verification process were established during the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, also referred to as the Apostille Convention.

Prior to the issuance of this treaty, any documents needed for establishment of identity, marriage, Power of Attorney, birth, and education had to be legalized both in the country of issuance and the country being visited. This represented a time-consuming and often frustrating process that sometimes resulted in the rejection of the legal documents by the foreign country. To avoid this, the Apostille Convention created an agreement among a list of signatory states that agreed documents legalized in those states and featuring an authentic Apostille were legal in the other states. In some situations, specific signatory states do not accept Apostille from some others.

Some of these signatory states include:

The United States
Albania
Belize
Bulgaria
Costa Rica
Dominica
Finland
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
India
Israel
Italy
Japan
Liberia
Mexico

Different types of Apostille are available for different types of documents. Using a licensed, experienced Apostille services ensures you get the proper Apostille stamp for your document. Getting authentication for a personal document such as an Apostille on a diploma is obtained by submitting the official document to the Secretary of State. Authentication for a document issued by a Federal agency, such as an Apostille for an FBI background check, must be obtained by submitting to the document to the US Department of State.

Particularly in the case of a Department of State Apostille, using our service expedites the entire process. Rather than you having to mail your documents to the Department office and wait for the Apostille, we submit the request in person, hastening the submission and acceptance process.

If you have questions regarding your particular documents and whether they need an Apostille stamp or other form of legalization, do not hesitate to get in touch with us so we can describe the process and get your request underway.

How to Get an Apostille FBI Background Check the Easy Way

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Admin

Whether you are moving out of the United States, or are an expat living ab department of State Apostille road and need to move to a different country, you’ll have to undergo a series of legal procedures to get your documents authenticated. This is done by the entities which issued the documents initially; in your case, the United States Government. Thought of as a lengthy, painful procedure by most, the authentication of documents is generally easier if your destination country is part of the Hague Legalization Convention. Since the treaty, all that is needed is a department of State Apostille on your documents and you are good to go.

What is an Apostille?

The Hague Legalization Convention is in force in 87 countries currently, and through the treaty, the requirement of legalization of documents for foreign public documents has been abolished for countries which are part of the Hague Convention. The authentication process is trimmed down to getting a department of state authentication through the issuance of an Apostille for the documents in question.

The Need for Criminal Background Checks

When heading to a different country for professional reasons, a Criminal Background Check is generally required by foreign governments. The check is basically a ‘rap sheet’ that is issued by the FBI if you have United States citizenship. Of course, whether you are an expat or leaving the United States, all necessary documents must be authenticated, including the FBI-issued Criminal Background Check. Teachers who are looking for ESL teaching opportunities abroad, in particular, often are required to get a department of state Apostille for their Criminal Background Check.

Assuming your destination country is part of the Hague Convention, an Apostille for FBI Background Check will be a requirement. Doing so can be a complicated process, involving various forms and the right fingerprint card, and then finally sending it all to the US Department of State to get an Apostille.

Making it Easy

Nobody would willingly want to endure the whole process of getting their criminal check authenticated. So how can you obtain an Apostille FBI background check the easy way? Simple, employ a reputed document authentication service to do all the grunt work for you! At US Authentication Services, we specialize in a variety of documents verification, authentication, and certification services, including getting an Apostille for FBI background checks in an efficient and reliable manner. All you need to do is send us the documents, and we will wait in all the required lines, obtain the necessary information, and finally deliver your documents, including the Apostille for FBI background checks; all for a nominal fee.

Besides making the process a breeze for you, you also save a ton of time. Normally, the process can take up to several weeks if you go through all the proper channels yourself; but since our offices are based right in Washington DC, we hand-carry your original FBI background check and get an Apostille for Department of State authentication. No matter which part of the world you live in, mail us the necessary documents for expedient authentication and Apostille, and we will send them back to your doorstep as soon as possible.