apostille guide 2009 · a side-note: apostille is a french word meaning “certification.” the...

An FSBB, LLC Guide, © Copyright 2008-2011, All Rights Reserved.

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The Do-It-Yourself Fast & Frugal

U.S. Apostille &

Certification Guide

Your easy step-by-step guide to getting all your documents authenticated fast, securely and for

hundreds less than a service!

By Melanie Viego


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Introduction Not too long ago I found myself in the same situation as you are in right now. My family and I were applying for visas in a foreign country and we needed a huge stack of documents apostilled from several states. Like most people, I had never even heard of the word “apostille” let alone knew how to get one. To make matters worse, we had some strict time deadlines set; and having waited weeks (and in one case, months) for some birth certificates and a marriage certificate to arrive, I knew I couldn’t just mail in a request to some over-burdened state agency office and cross my fingers they would make it back in time. So I looked online for some help, and I certainly found it – for a steep price. The good news is that there were plenty of companies willing to do all the work for me and get my documents back in a reasonable timeframe. The bad news? They make you pay dearly for it. Most charged around $200 per document, and some upwards of $400. I noticed that a few companies were even based overseas and I wondered how they were able to guarantee a U.S. apostille within 48 hours. They certainly didn’t have offices in every state. It was either “pay through the nose” to get it done fast or take a huge risk and mail my precious original documents to land in a knee-deep pile somewhere at the secretary of state’s office. I suspected there had to be a better way. Since I didn’t have a few thousand dollars to spend on getting this official-sounding mysterious seal, I decided to investigate the matter further. A conversation with a friendly and helpful state agency clerk sent me in the right direction, and after some thorough research, I ended up getting all my apostilles for comparatively dirt cheap prices and returned even faster than most of the online services offered. And I did this knowing – and not just hoping – that they would be done quickly and returned to me the same or next day, even though I lived across the country. So that’s how this report was born. I wanted to share my knowledge and insider tips with you so you can save money and get your legalized documents back safely, securely and timely. With this report you will be able to start the process within minutes, and the day after tomorrow you could be holding your apostilled documents in your hand! Happy “apostilling,” Melanie Viego


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P.S. Don’t Forget That I’m Here To Help

Before we begin, I want to emphasize that I’m available to your personally if you have any questions or concerns that aren’t answered in the pages below. My personal service is part of the purchase price of this guide. I’ve helped dozens of people navigate through special circumstances successfully, so don’t hesitate to contact me at: [email protected]

What Is An Apostille Or Embassy Legalization? An apostille or embassy legalization is simply a seal on a piece of paper which is attached to your document that certifies where the document originated from. This legalizes the documents for use in foreign countries. An important distinction: An apostille or certification does not validate the content of the document. For example, if you apostille a fraudulent transcript from a college or false corporate documents, this will not make the transcript or document true in the eyes of the foreign authorities who receive them; it simply verifies to them that the document came from the U.S. and the person who signed it really signed it. That’s it. In theory, you can apostille anything as long as you are able to notarize it first. A side-note: Apostille is a French word meaning “certification.” The pronunciation can be tricky, but most apostille offices in the U.S. pronounce it “ă pŏs tēēl”. The apostille as we know it today was born in 1961 when several countries agreed to use a common system for certifying documents so they could be recognized as authentic by foreign nations. This is called the Hague Convention and there are currently dozens of nations who are members and therefore accept the apostille as a symbol of authenticity of origin. So in essence, with an apostille your document is then “legalized” for use in that country. If you’ve been told that you need your paperwork “legalized ,” then the country or countries you’re working with are most likely members of the Hague Convention (as is the U.S.A.). If the country you’re applying to isn’t part of the Hague Convention, then you will need to get an embassy legalization, which is how all documents were legalized before the advent of the apostille, and usually requires an extra step. Many times you will have to work with the same state office but will instead get a “certification” from them as opposed to an apostille, and then you will bring the “certified” document to the foreign embassy where they will finish the legalization process. Just make sure you know what kind of seal you need.


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Apostille or Embassy Legalization: Which Do You Need?

This is your first step to legalizing your documents. Below is a recent list and also a link to the Hague Convention website with the most updated information. If your country is on that list, then you will need to get an apostille. If not, you will need to get your documents legalized via their embassy or consulate, which would include a state certification. The list is always changing, so for the most updated status, check the Hague Convention website here: http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=conventions.status&cid=41 Current Members of the Hague Convention: Albania Argentina Australia Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina China, People’s Republic of Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Ecuador Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland India Ireland Israel Italy Japan Korea, Republic of Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Mexico Monaco


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Montenegro Netherlands New Zealand Norway Panama Peru Poland Portugal Romania Russian Federation Serbia Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Suriname Sweden Switzerland The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland United States of America Venezuela Each country has its own authorities which are authorized to process apostilles, but in the U.S., unless it is a federal document, the individual states have that responsibility, and that office is typically a duty of the secretary of state. Each state has its own requirements, methods and fees for giving an apostille. I’ve collected the details for each state for your own reference under “state guides”.

What Can Be Apostilled or Certified? Common documents which need apostilles are birth certificates, marriage certificates, school diplomas and transcripts. But usually any document that bears a notary seal, state agency seal or a state officer’s signature can be legalized in the United States for use abroad. (Again, I stress that each state has its own guidelines as to what qualifies.)

Here is text from the Hague Convention on what can be apostilled:

The Convention applies only to public documents. These are documents emanating from an authority or official connected with a court or tribunal of the State (including documents issued by an administrative, constitutional or ecclesiastical court or tribunal, a public prosecutor, a clerk or a process-server); administrative documents; notarial acts; and official certificates which are placed on documents signed by persons in their private capacity, such as official certificates recording the registration


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of a document or the fact that it was in existence on a certain date and official and notarial authentications of signatures. The main examples of public documents for which Apostilles are issued in practice include birth, marriage and death certificates; extracts from commercial registers and other registers; patents; court rulings; notarial acts and notarial attestations of signatures; academic diplomas issued by public institutions. Diplomas issued by private institutions may not be legalized directly; a "private" diploma may, however, bear an official certificate issued by a notary, Solicitor, Agency or any other person or authority competent under the law of the State of origin of the diploma to authenticate the signature on the diploma. This official certificate is a public document under the Convention and thus may be legalized. In such a case the Apostille does not relate to the diploma itself; instead it certifies the authenticity of the certificate on or accompanying the diploma. Finally, the Convention neither applies to documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents nor to administrative documents dealing directly with commercial or customs operations (e.g., certificates of origin or import or export licenses).

The provisions of the Convention do not specify whether Apostilles should only be issued for original public documents or whether they may also be affixed to certified copies of public documents. However, in light of its practical importance, this question was expressly addressed by the 2003 Special Commission (SC). The Conclusion / Recommendation N° 11 of the meeting reads as follows: "Regarding the application of an Apostille to a certified copy of a public document, the SC concluded that Article 1 of the Convention applies. Individual States, however, may decline to issue an Apostille to the certified copy of a document on the grounds of public policy." (The full text of the Conclusions and Recommendations of the 2003 SC is available under "Documents related to 2003 Special Commission"). The last part of the Conclusion as regards a possible refusal to issue Apostilles on certified copies was mainly intended to address the specific issue of passports copies.

Documents issued directly from state agencies, like birth and marriage certificates, and so on, usually qualify for an apostille automatically since they are certified copies. The only loop-hole to look out for is the age of the document, since some states will want a recently issued document. Documents issued by private institutions, such as banks, schools, and corporations, can be apostilled or certified if they bear a notary stamp. Some schools offer notary services for their transcripts and diplomas, but not all of them. Ideally you want the notary stamp to verify the original officer’s signature on the original document, but if that’s hard to come by, there is a way around it using an affidavit, which I’ll explain below.

Affidavits: A Convenient Loophole

Sometimes you cannot apostille a document because it does not meet the secretary of state’s requirements, either because you do not have the proper seal, signature or age. Maybe you have only an unofficial copy of a document. It could be a medical document, bank statement, or school transcript, which originated from non-official entities. Or maybe you have a birth certificate but it’s from another state and you don’t have the time to mail it off long-distance for an


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apostille. If any of these scenarios apply to you, you could consider using an affidavit in order to obtain an apostille. A word of caution: Before considering this option you should check with your lawyer or the foreign authorities receiving your documents if they will allow an attached affidavit or accept an apostilled copy of the original. You will also need to double-check with your Secretary of State Apostille office if they will apostille copies of certain official state documents, like a copy of birth certificate, with an attached affidavit. Though it is generally fine, some states will not accept a copy of a certificate or diploma originating from their own state, though they will accept a copy from another state. Every state is different, so definitely check before considering this as an option. What is an affidavit? As it applies to a notary, it is:

A written statement, signed before a notary, in which the person swears to the notary that the statement is true.

Basically, an affidavit is your testimony that the document attached to it is authentic. It’s your word or the word of whoever signs it. The notary is simply testifying that you are the person who is signing the affidavit whereas you are testifying to the actual document itself. So, in theory, you can attach an affidavit to pretty much any document and swear to its authenticity – even a copy. For that matter, so can anyone else, but you or a friend may be the only option if a bank, university, etc. will not attest to the authenticity of their documents. It does make sense to try and get the relevant official to be the one to sign an affidavit in the presence of a notary, but failing that, you can always sign it for yourself. Some universities and banks have notaries on staff and will prepare affidavits for your diploma or statements. It’s worth checking the registrar’s office or asking the bank’s notary to see if this is an option for you. The whole purpose in preparing an affidavit is to obtain the notary, which then can be apostilled by the Secretary of State in the same state since a notary stamp fulfills the apostille requirements. Remember that the notary must be in the same state as the apostille office you plan to use, even if the actual document originated from elsewhere. For example, you could have a copy of a birth certificate from Missouri and attach a notarized affidavit to it from California, and that will then go to the California apostille office and not to the Missouri authorities.


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Here are some examples when you might want to use an affidavit:

• You have a school transcript or diploma • You have many different documents from different states and don’t have

the time to send each document to each Secretary of State • For bank statements, corporate documents or any other private document • You possess only a copy of a document and not an original seal or stamp • You don’t want to use your original document but a copy instead

As you can see, an affidavit opens up many options for you if you are certain that the foreign recipient of your documents will allow this. On the next two pages I’ve included two examples of affidavits that you can print and use for yourself. Just enter the state and applicable information before printing and remember that you need to sign it in the presence of a notary – not beforehand. Additionally, the date and notary section is to be filled out by the notary only. Note that one affidavit form is to use with the original and the other is to use with a copy of a document.


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AFFIDAVIT

State of ____________________________ ______________________________ County ___________________________, appearing before the undersigned notary and being duly sworn, says that: 1. I am ________________________________________________

2. The attached is an original

_______________________________________________________.

_____________________________________ Signature Sworn to and subscribed before me this the _____________ day of _______________, year_________

___________________________________

(Official Signature of Notary)

(Notary Seal)

_______________________, Notary Public (Notary’s Printed or Typed Name)

My Commission Expires : __________________________________


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AFFIDAVIT

State of _________________________ ______________________________ County ___________________________, appearing before the undersigned notary and being duly sworn, says that: 3. I am ________________________________________________

4. The attached is a copy of the

_______________________________________________________ and this copy contains no alterations from the original.

_____________________________________ Signature Sworn to and subscribed before me this the _____________ day of _______________, year_________

___________________________________

(Official Signature of Notary)

(Notary Seal)

_______________________, Notary Public (Notary’s Printed or Typed Name)

My Commission Expires : __________________________________


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What Does An Apostille Look Like?

Usually the actual apostille is a separate page which contains state information, signature and a seal. It is attached to your document with a staple or eyelet and should never be removed or it will be invalidated. See the next page for a sample apostille, courtesy of the West Virginia Secretary of State website.


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Getting An Apostille: Step-By-Step So now that you know what an apostille is (and how to pronounce it!), you’re ready to get the process started. The first step is to recognize which states you need to work with. For example, if your birth certificate comes from California, then you need to reference the state-specific information listed under California below. But if your marriage certificate comes from Wyoming, then you need to send it to the Wyoming apostille, and so on. If you opt to use copies or originals with notarized affidavits attached, then you can send all your documents (originating from different states) to the same state where the notary originates. This can save considerable time and confusion especially if you’re in a hurry or out of the country. If your documents are federal, then you will need a federal apostille, which I write about further down. Next, you need to check that your documents qualify for an apostille from that specific state. Some states won’t apostille documents that are more than a few years old. Some states want the documents to have signatures from currently active notaries or public officials. Few will require an additional stamp from your county. They all use different guidelines. Check the links below to see what each applicable state’s requirements are for your paperwork and make sure you can send it in for an apostille. Always follow-up with a phone call and verify that your documents will satisfy their requirements. Otherwise you need to go back and either re-order newer documents, or find out from your lawyer or foreign recipient if it is acceptable if you can use an attached affidavit which is then legalized. Note: If you need any help determining whether your document qualifies for an apostille or tips on how to make it qualify as it is, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions: [email protected] So, to recap: 1. Check your state document requirements for receiving and apostille or embassy legalization. You can do this either by clicking on the links below or calling the apostille office with the phone numbers given. Tell them exactly what kind of documents you have, the age, and what type of notaries they have.

2. If your documents do not qualify for an apostille, confirm if you can have a notarized affidavit attached to the document legalized instead. (If not, you need to get qualified documents.) Or contact me for help. Please Remember:


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It is important that you send the entire document, and not just the page that bears the notary or seal. If the pages of one document are not stapled together, then paperclip them so it is obvious it is one, complete document. Also, make sure that if you are sending more than one document they are distinguishable from one another (with a paperclip, sticky note or blank paper). Each document will need a separate apostille which is permanently attached (usually with a staple) to the document. Remember that if you remove the apostille page you will invalidate it. Once you’ve determined this, you need to decide how fast you need your document returned to you. There are three ways you can get an apostille:

1. Personally walk in yourself; 2. Mail your documents directly to the apostille office and wait for them to

mail them back to you; 3. Mail your documents to a trusted local courier and have them walk your

paperwork personally to the apostille office, have it legalized and then mailed it back to you the same day.

I’m going to go over each of these options in more detail.

1. Walk in yourself:

If you live within driving distance of your state capitol, you’re in luck. Apostille offices keep walk-in hours, so you can very easily drive downtown, walk into the office, pay your fees, get your paperwork back within minutes and go home. Most offices are not crowded with lines and cater to walk-ins. They usual want a personal check made out to the Secretary of State and will ask you for which country the document is intended. Check below for links to your state’s hours of operation and all the information you will need to stop in yourself.

2. Mail your documents directly to the apostille office:

This is absolutely a viable option, but it requires a little bit of foreknowledge. There are many apostille offices that don’t get a lot of work. Some are confident that they can apostille documents they receive and mail them out the same day, though they don’t offer a specific expedited processing option. Instead, they will also work with you and send the documents expedited shipping if you include a pre-addressed, pre-paid air bill with your documents. Bear in mind, though, that many of the offices do offer expedited processing for an additional fee, so carefully examine their information. If you go this route, make sure your information is correct on your forms and you include contact names and numbers. All of this is below under state information. If your state doesn’t


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have a standard apostille order form, use the general form under “Forms section”. There were several offices I spoke with who were confident they would move the apostilles out fast. (And you have the option of sending your documents to them via overnight mail so they arrive there faster – just make sure you look for a separate “courier” address if they offer one.)

3. Hire a local courier to walk into the apostille office, have the documents

legalized , and then mail them back to you:

Honestly, this is exactly what the high-priced apostille services do. They just charge you an arm and leg for the same results. If you need your apostille back fast and don’t want to take any risks, this is best route for you. What you need to do is locate a reliable, local courier near your state apostille office. As part of this report, I’ve already done most of the leg-work for you and included at least one or two couriers in each state who will walk your paperwork over to the apostille personally and then mail the completed documents back to overnight delivery, or however fast you would like them mailed. If this is what you want to do, look at the information I’ve provided for the couriers and contact them to ensure they are available for the job. Double check their fee (it’s usually around $40 plus shipping) and make sure you both understand the details of the arrangement, including how and when you are to pay them for their services and for your shipping. (Usually they will call you for a credit card number before shipping your legalized documents back.) You will want to mail them your documents, plus a check made out to the apostille authorities (usually the Secretary of State) for the total amount your documents will cost, a completed courier information form provided below, and either a state specific apostille order form. If none are available, my general form will suffice.

4. If you are out of the country and need your documents notarized before

obtaining an apostille, a friend or family member living in the U.S. could help by receiving your paperwork, signing the affidavits in front of a notary in their home-state, and then sending them to their state apostille office.


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Please note: Some offices prefer certain overnight mail carriers, such as FedEx or DHL. Make sure to ask. Some offices have separate addresses for overnight shipping versus regular mail versus walk-in service. Ask if it’s not explicitly noted on their websites.

Forms

For your convenience, I’ve created two general forms you should include with your documents to avoid any miscommunication. Keep in mind that some states offer their own forms, which I’ve included links to under state information. Simply print out these forms, fill them out and send them in with your documents. Click to the next page or scroll down for the forms.


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General Apostille/Authentication Order Form

Name:___________________________________________________________ Company:________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Daytime Phone Number: ___________________________________ Email: _____________________________________________ Foreign country in which the document (s) will be used:____________________ Number of documents:_________________ Total amount due:_____________________ Return Mailer Enclosed (indicate carrier, account number or postage enclosed): _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Additional Notes:__________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________


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Courier Order Form

To: _____________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ From: ___________________________________________________________ Address:_________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Daytime phone number (s): __________________________________________ Email: ________________________________________________________ Service Requested: ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Number of documents enclosed: ____________________________ Foreign country in which document will be used: _________________________ Preferred method of returning documents: ______________________________ Special instructions:________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________


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Obtaining A Federal Apostille

If you have a document that was not issued by a state authority, but by a Federal authority, you will need to send your documents to a Federal Apostille office. If your document is from a Federal agency, then you will need to contact the following:

Federal Executive and Administrative Agencies: Authentications Office, Department of State, 518 23rd St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20520, (202) 647-5002

http://www.state.gov/m/a/auth//

Fee: $8.00

For additional information, call the Federal Information Center: 1-800-688-9889, and choose option 6 after you press 1 for touch tone phones. Walk-in service is available from the Authentications Office from 8 a.m. to 12 noon Monday-Friday, except holidays. Walk-in service is limited to 15 documents per person per day (documents can be multiple pages). Processing time for authentication requests sent by mail is 5 working days or less. See also in general, 22 C.F.R. 131.

Please note that if you mail in your documents to Federal Authentications office, please consider using a mail courier, like FedEx or DHL. Regular mail sent via USPS will be delayed in processing since it will have to go through additional screening.

If you need your documents right away, here are local couriers who will walk them in for you and FedEx them back:

Washington Courier, Tel: 1-703-683-3333, Toll-Free: 1-800-827-4500, Fax: 1-703-518-8869, www.washingtoncourier.com E-mail: [email protected]

Washington Express, 1-800-DELIVER, 301-210-3500, http://www.washingtonexpress.com/

E-mail: [email protected]


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If your document was issued by a Federal court, then you will need to contact the following:

U.S. Courts: Clerks and Deputy Clerks of the Federal Court System.

Fee: $5.00.

For the purposes of the Convention, clerks and deputy clerks of the U.S. Courts shall include the clerks and deputy clerks of the following: The Supreme Court of the United States, the Courts of Appeals for the First through the Eleventh Circuits and the District of Columbia Circuit, the United States District Courts, the United States Court of Claims, the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals, the United States Court of International Trade, the United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone, the District Court of Guam, the District Court of the Virgin Islands, and the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.

To find your court contact, use this link to the US Courts: http://www.uscourts.gov/districtcourts.html

A special note about Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240): When you have a child born outside of the United States, you are issued an FS-240. You cannot have this document apostilled; you must order a copy of a different document, a Certification of Report of Birth (DS-1350), and this can be legalized by the Federal Government.

Embassy Legalization

If the foreign country where you’re sending your documents is not a member of the Hague Convention, then you will need a different form of authentication. The first step is to contact the local embassy of the foreign country and find out what they require. It is important to contact the embassy that is closest to you since they usually cannot handle documents from outside their vicinity. You can look up your country’s embassy and consulate offices in the U.S. at this link: http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/dpl/32122.htm Typically you will need to follow the same steps as for an apostille. You will have your documents notarized or make sure they are already certified copies and then have the state apostille office certify them (not an apostille). Then you will take them to the foreign embassy and have an additional certification. *Note that U.S. embassies in foreign countries do not offer apostille services for U.S. documents and will usually refer you back to the state authorities.


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State-By-State Information Below you will find state-specific information and links to important details like document requirements, fees, hours of operation, etc. You will also find some recommendations of local couriers who can help you get your paperwork completed and sent back to you fast. Since information can change frequently, remember to call first to confirm the details given before sending out your documents. Alabama Secretary of State Document Authentication 11 S. Union St. Ste. 200 Montgomery, AL 36104 334-242-5325 Further details & form: http://www.sos.state.al.us/AdminServices/Authentications.aspx Fee: $5.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier : Macs Inc Courier Services 1701 Ridgeway W., P.O. Box 482 Montgomery, AL 36110 334-396-1496 http://www.macsarmored.com/serv04.htm Alaska Office of the Lt. Governor Authentications Department 240 Main Street, Room 301 Juneau, Alaska 99801 907-465-3509 Further details and form: http://ltgov.state.ak.us/notary/authentications.php Fee: $2.00 Designated Authority: Lieutenant Governor Local Courier: Juneau Courier 10155 Jensine St. Juneau, Alaska 99801 907-780-6447 Wolverine Courier Services Juneau, Alaska 99802 907-723-0745


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Arizona Arizona Secretary of State Notary Department 1700 W. Washington, 7th Fl. Phoenix, AZ 85007 602 542-4086/ 602 542-4758 Further details (scroll to bottom of page): http://www.azsos.gov/business_services/notary/notaryqanda.htm Fee: $3.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: AAA Hot Shot Delivery 236 E Pima St. #106 Phoenix, AZ 85004 602-277-4747 www.hotshotaz.com V & S Courier Services Inc 316 W. Mcdowell Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85003 602-266-5437 Arkansas Office of Secretary of State Corporations Division State Capitol Little Rock, AR 72201-1094 For Marriage Licenses, Single-Status Cert., Judgments, Education Documents, contact the Elections Division: 1-800-482-1127 For Cert. of Good Standing, Articles of Incorp., Birth Cert., Notaries, contact the Corporations Divisions: 1-800-233-0325 Further details: http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/corp_ucc_authentication_docs.html Fee: $5/$10 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: ASAP Courier Services Inc. P.O. Box 25877 Little Rock, AR 72221 501-377-1090 CEA Services 5805 Hutsell Rd. Little Rock, AR 72209 501-247-0626


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California Office of the Secretary of State Notary Public Section Further details, plus several walk-in locations and separate mailing address listed at: http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/notary/notary_authentication.htm 916-653-3595 Fee: $20.00 Designated authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Capitol Couriers 3000 T Street, Suite 200 Sacramento, CA 95816 916-451-3697 http://capitolcouriers.com/ Capitol Mall Courier Services 400 Capitol Mall, Suite 1100 Sacramento, CA 95814 916-441-2108 Colorado Office of the Secretary of State Licensing Division 1700 Broadway, Suite 300 Denver, CO 80290 Further details including directions for walk-ins: http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/notary/apostille.htm 303-894-2200, # 6409 Fee: $2.00; For expedited service in person: $15 Designated authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Denver Boulder Couriers

1701 Wynkoop St #246 Denver, CO 80202 303-571-5719 http://www.dbcouriers.com/ Speedy Messenger 2045 Curtis St. Denver, CO 80205 303-292-6000 http://www.speedymessenger.com/


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Connecticut Commercial Recording Division Secretary of State 30 Trinity Street Hartford, CT 06106 Further details and form: http://www.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3177&q=392130&SOTSNav_GID=1844 860-509-6135 Fee: $20.00; Additional $25.00 per document for 24-hour response Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Hartford Courier Service, Inc 57 Pratt St. #809 Hartford, CT 06103 860-724-5121 Adcom Express 92 Weston St. #3 Hartford, CT 06120 860-549-1222 Delaware Division of Corporations John G. Townsend Bldg. 401 Federal Street, Suite 4 Dover, DE 19901 302-739-3073 Further details: http://corp.delaware.gov/faqs.shtml#adoption Fee: $20 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Brooks Courier Services Inc 343 Cowgill St. Dover, Delaware 19901 302-736-6490 Errands By Karen Dover, Delaware 302-734-3399 District of Columbia Office of the Secretary Executive Office of the Mayor John A. Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Suite 419


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Washington, DC 20004 202-727-3117 Further details: http://os.dc.gov/os/cwp/view,a,1207,q,522462.asp#document Fee: $10 Designated Authority: Executive Secretary; Assistant Executive Secretary; Mayor's Special Assistant and Assistant to the Executive Secretary; Secretary of the District of Columbia Local Courier: Personalized Courier Services 901 15th St. NW Washington, DC 20005 202-408-8337 Washington Express Washington D.C. 301-210-3500 Florida Department of State Division of Corporations Apostille Certification P.O. Box 6800 Tallahassee, FL 32314-6800 (Different address for couriers. See website.) 850-245-6945 Further details: http://notaries.dos.state.fl.us/notproc7.html Fee: $10/$20 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Capitol Connection Courier 417 E Virginia St. #1 Tallahassee, FL 32301 850-224-8872 http://www.capitalconn.com/ Capital Courier Services 236 E 6th Ave Tallahassee, FL 32303 850-224-3254 Georgia Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority Notary Division 1875 Century Boulevard, Suite 100 Atlanta, GA 30345 404-327-6023 or 800-304-5175


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Further details: http://www.gsccca.org/projects/apost.asp Fee: $3 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Executive Courier 120 Ottley Dr Ne Atlanta, GA 30324 404-249-9000 404-685-1299 http://www.executivecourier.com/

Rod-Air Courier Atlanta, GA 30301 678-570-4945 Hawaii Office of the Lieutenant Governor State Capitol, 5th Floor, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 808-586-0255 Further details: http://hawaii.gov/ltgov/office/apostilles Fee: $1.00 Designated Authority: Lieutenant Governor Local Courier: Island Wide Courier Services 2146 Mahalo St. Honolulu, HI 96817 808-550-4843 Pacific Courier 1004 Makepono St. Honolulu, HI 96819 808-832-1832 Idaho Secretary of State's Office Attn: Notary Department PO Box 83720 Boise ID 83720-0080 For requests sent overnight: 450 N 4th Street Boise ID 83702 208- 332-2810 Further details: http://www.idsos.state.id.us/notary/apostill.htm Fee: $10.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State


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Local Courier: Metro Couriers Inc 3635 Rickenbacker St. Boise, ID 83705 208-331-7005 http://www.metrocouriers.com/ A Team Couriers 1994 Leadville Ave Boise, ID 83706 208-384-9005 Illinois Office of the Secretary of State Index Department, Notaries Public Division 111 E. Monroe St. Springfield, IL 62756 217- 217-782-7017 Further details (scroll down at website): http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/index/division.html Fee: $2.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Snap Your Fingers Courier 1400 S. Glenwood Ave. Springfield, IL 62704 217-725-6387 Lanter Courier Corp. 2048 Keystone Dr. Springfield, IL 62702 217-525-1198 http://www.lanterdeliverysystems.com/ Indiana Indiana Secretary of State Authentication Department 302 W. Washington Street, Room E-018 Indianapolis, IN 46204 (317) 232-2677 Further details: http://www.in.gov/sos/business/apostille/ Fee: No charge Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Now Courier & Messenger Inc 111 E Mccarty St.


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Indianapolis, IN 46225 317-638-6066 http://www.nowcourier.com/ Gotta Have It Courier 2027 Shelby St. Indianapolis, IN 46203 317-783-4892 http://www.gottahaveitcourier.com/index.asp Iowa Lucas Building First Floor, Public Service Des Moines, IA 50319 515-281-5204 Further details: http://www.sos.state.ia.us Fee: $5.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Waterloo Courier Des Moines, IA 50307 515-244-0587 King Delivery Services 1406 E Grand Ave Des Moines, IA 50316 515-243-5269 http://www.kingdelivery.com/ Kansas Office of the Secretary of State State Capitol Second Floor Topeka, KS 66612 913-296-2744 Further details: http://www.kssos.org Fee: $5.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Amfast Delivery & Mail Services 3900 SW 40th Ter Topeka, KS 66610 785-249-2358


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Kentucky Office of the Secretary of State Apostilles Branch 700 Capital Avenue, Suite 156 Frankfort, KY 40601 502-564-7330 Further details: http://sos.ky.gov/adminservices/apostilles.htm Fee: $5.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: KC Courier Services 73 Michael Davenport St #C Frankfurt, KY 40601 502-875-5625 Louisiana Office of the Secretary of State P.O. Box 94125 Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125 504-342-4981 Further details: http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/tabid/134/Default.aspx Fee: $5.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Express Courier Services Inc.

9151 Interline Ave. #6A Baton Rouge, LA 70809 225-924-9990 Pinnacle Courier Services 2900 Westfork Dr. Baton Rouge, LA 70827 225-295-5619 Maine Secretary of State 101 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0101 207-624-7650 Further details and form (note separate address for courier delivery): http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/notary/apostilles.html Fee: $10.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Special note about local courier service: I could not locate a local courier in the area. A phone call to the apostille department confirmed that they will expedite


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your apostille if you include pre-paid, pre-addressed overnight packaging for them to use. Maryland Office of the Secretary of State 16 Francis Street, Jefferey Building Annapolis, MD 21401 410-974-5521 Further details: http://www.sos.state.md.us/Certifications/faq.htm#steps Fee: $5.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: BWA Courier 108 Old Solomons Island Rd #U3 Annapolis, MD 21401

410-224-4292 Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Commissions Section McCormack Building, Room 1719 One Ashburton Place Boston, MA 02108 617-727-2832 Further details: http://www.state.ma.us/sec/pre/precom/comidx.htm Fee: $6.00 Local Courier: Performance Courier 138 Arlington St. Boston, MA 02116 617-482-1500 http://performancecourier.com/ Boston Courier Boston, MA 1-800-698-9800 http://www.bostoncourier.com/index.shtml Michigan Department of State Office of the Great Seal 7064 Crowner Blvd. Lansing, MI 48918 517-373-2531 Further details (note there are several walk-in locations):


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http://www.michigan.gov/sos/1,1607,7-127-1638_8734---,00.html Fee: $1.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: SOS Express 601 Lentz Ct. #A Lansing, MI 48917 517-484-1337 http://www.sosexpress.com/ United Courier Service Inc. 2116 Hampden Dr. Lansing, MI 48911 517-482-5375 Minnesota Retirement Systems of Minnesota Building Minnesota Secretary of State - Certification 60 Empire Drive, Suite 100 Saint Paul, MN 55103-2141 651-296-2803 Further details: http://www.sos.state.mn.us/home/index.asp?page=97 Fee: $5.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Quicksilver Express Courier 203 Little Canada Rd E Little Canada, MN 651-484-1111

Street Fleet Courier Saint Paul, MN 55101 651-227-1149 http://www.streetfleet.com/ Mississippi Office of Secretary of State PO Box 136 Jackson, MS 39205-0136 601-359-1615 Further details: http://www.sos.state.ms.us/busserv/notaries/notaries%20and%20apostilles.asp Fee: $2.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Douglas Express Delivery


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4225 Industrial Dr. Jackson, MS 39209 601-355-8995 A-Taxi Ride & Courier 2422 Meadow St. Jackson, MS 39213 601-720-2971 Missouri Commissions Secretary of State's Office 600 West Main, Room 322 Jefferson City, MO 65101 573-751-2783 Further details: http://www.sos.mo.gov/business/commissions/certify.asp Fee: $10.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Jefferson City Express Services 226 Brookdale Dr. Jefferson City, MO 65101 573-636-7785 Montana Notary/Certification Section Room 225 Box 202801 State Capitol Helena, MT 59602 406-444-5379 Further details (note different address for priority courier service): http://sos.mt.gov/Notary/Certifications.asp Fee: $10.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Café Courier 25 Ewing St. #217 Helena, MT 59601 406-442-3700 http://www.cafecourier.com/ Capitol Taxi Courier Service 1025 Phoenix Ave Helena, MT 59601 406-449-5525


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Nebraska Nebraska Secretary of State Notary Division Box 95104 State Capitol Lincoln, NE 68509 402-471-2558 Further details: http://www.sos.state.ne.us/business/notary/not_auth.html Fee: $10.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Run4-You 3035 Bonacum Drive Lincoln, NE 68502 402-430-5075 402-423-6747 Capital Express Lincoln, NE 68501 800-895-3583 http://www.capitalxpress.com/ Nevada Secretary of State 101 N. Carson Street, #3 Carson City, NV 89701-4786 775-684-5708 Further details and form: http://sos.state.nv.us/business/apostille/index.asp Fee: $20.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Reno Carson Messenger Service Inc 1802 N Carson St. Ste. 160 Carson City, NV 89701 775-322-2424 http://www.renocarson.com/Pages/Page.aspx?PageID=1 New Hampshire Secretary of State's Office 107 North Main Street Concord, NH 03301 603-271-3242 Further details (note expedited service offered): http://www.sos.nh.gov/certific.htm Fee: $10.00/$25.00 expedited fee


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Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Alpha Courier Co Concord, NH 03301 603-225-0110 http://www.alphacourier.com/ S&S Delivery 70 Runnells Rd. Concord, NH 03303 603-753-4300 New Jersey NJ Division of Revenue Notary Unit PO Box 452 Trenton, NJ 08646 609-530-6421 Further details (note separate address for expedited requests): http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/revenue/dcr/programs/apostilles.htm Fee: $25.00/$35.00 for expedited service. Designated Authority: NJ Department of Treasury Local Courier: Central Jersey Courier 2115 Hamilton Ave #201 Trenton, NJ 08619 609-695-0050

Omni Tech Courier 164 Review Ave Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 (609) 896-4111 http://www.otcourier.com/

New Mexico Office of the Secretary of State State Capitol North Annex 325 Don Gaspar, Suite 300 Santa Fe, NM 87503 800-477-3632 Further details (note separate walk-in location): http://www.sos.state.nm.us/displaycontent.asp?id=38 Fee: $3.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Thunderbird Express


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369 Montezuma Ave Pmb 262 Santa Fe, NM 87505 505-983-6522 http://www.t-birdcourier.com/ New York Department of State Miscellaneous/State Records Bureau One Commerce Plaza 99 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12231 518-474-8642 Further details (note two separate office locations): http://www.dos.state.ny.us/corp/apostile.htm Fee: $10.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Purolator Courier 5 Apollo Dr Albany, NY 12205 518-456-8019 Barbara Reynolds Courier Services PO Box 8945 Albany, NY 12208 518-330-8814 North Carolina Authentication Office NC Secretary of State PO Box 29622 Raleigh, NC 27626-0622 919-807-2140 Further details: http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/authen/ Fee: $10.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Safety Express Courier Services Inc 709 Pershing Rd #B Raleigh, NC 27608 919-832-8800 ABC Express Courier Inc 1401 Diggs Dr #A Raleigh, NC 27603 919-828-0303


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North Dakota Office of the Secretary of State Capitol Building 600 E Boulevard Ave., Dept 108 Bismarck, ND 58505 701-328-2900 Further details: http://www.state.nd.us/ Fee: $10.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Millenium Express 2507 Railroad Ave Bismarck, ND 58501 701-255-3617 Ohio Ohio Secretary of State 180 East Broad St. 15th Fl. Columbus, OH 43215 614-466-2585 Further details (note separate walk-in address): http://www.sos.state.oh.us/FAQsDA.aspx#Question2 Fee: $5.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: 1200 Technology Dr

Columbus, OH 43230 614-475-8900 614-501-9800 http://www.best-courier.com/ Archive Couriers 175 S 3rd St. #170 Columbus, OH 43215 614-358-9660

Oklahoma Office of the Secretary of State 2300 N. Lincoln Room 101 Oklahoma City, OK 73105 405-522-8604 Further details: http://www.sos.state.ok.us Fee: $25 (cashier’s check or money order) Designated Authority: Secretary of State


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Local Courier: Business Courier Services 1141 SE Grand Blvd. #118 Oklahoma City, OK 73129 405-619-9331 Ala Carte Courier Services 524 NE 38th Ter Oklahoma City, OK 73105 405-670-2000 Oregon Corporation Division Notary Public section 255 Capitol St. NE Suite 151 Salem, OR 97310 503-986-2593 Further details and form: http://www.filinginoregon.com/notary/howtoauth.htm Fee: $10.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Dash Delivery Services PO Box 3872 Salem, OR 503-391-1906 Mid-Valley Delivery Services 1930 Howard St SE Salem, OR 97302 503-932-9105 Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Department of State Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation Room 210 North Office Building Harrisburg, PA 17120 717-787-5280 Further details and form: http://www.dos.state.pa.us/notaries/cwp/view.asp?a=1250&Q=446155 Fee: $15.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of the Commonwealth Local Courier: Sollenberger’s Messenger Services 213 State St. Harrisburg, PA 17101 717-236-6720


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http://www.sollenbergers.com/ Collins Courier Service 4250 Chambers Hill Rd Harrisburg, PA 17111 717-561-1843 Rhode Island Office of Secretary of State Notary Division 100 N. Main St. Providence, RI 02903 401-277-1487 Further details: http://www.sec.state.ri.us/corps/apostille/authen.html/document_view Fee: $5.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: AAA Courier & Messenger Services 97 Dexterdale Rd Providence, RI 02906 401-751-2500 Arrow Messenger Services 25 Acorn St #A Providence, RI 02903 401-831-5252 800-286-5252 South Carolina Office of the Secretary of State P.O. Box 11350 Columbia, SC 29211 803-734-2119 Further details: http://www.scsos.com/forms/Miscellaneous/06AuthenticationInstructions.pdf Fee: $2.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Errands Galore Professional Courier Services 1332 Main St. Columbia, SC 29201 803-318-4549 Integrity Plus Courier Services 2640 Gervais St. #D


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Columbia, SC 29204 803-772-2895

803-256-8790 803-779-2866

South Dakota Office of Secretary of State 500 East Capitol Pierre, SD 57501-5077 605-773-3537 Further details: http://www.sdsos.gov/adminservices/apostilles.shtm Fee: $5.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: No local couriers advertised. Call the office and ask about

expedited service. Tennessee State of Tennessee Department of State Division of Business Services NTS Unit 312 Eighth Avenue North 6th Floor, Wm. R. Snodgrass Tower Nashville, TN 37243 615-741-3699 Further details: http://www.state.tn.us/sos/forms/apos.pdf Fee: $2.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: A Better Courier Services 121 21st Ave N #103 Nashville, TN 37203 615-320-3905 http://www.abettercourierinc.com/ Crosstown Courier Inc 410 Airpark Center Dr Nashville, TN 37217 615-261-3278 http://www.crosstowncourier.com/ Texas Office of the Secretary of State P.O. Box 12887 Austin, TX 78711 512-463-5705


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Further details (several different mailing addresses): http://www.sos.state.tx.us/authinfo.shtml Fee: $15.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Capital Courier 211 E Alpine Rd #200 Austin, TX 78704 512-444-4077 http://www.capitolcourieronline.com/ Just Dial 512-Courier 401 Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78701 512-268-7437 http://www.512deliver.com/ Utah Utah State Capitol Complex Ste 270, PO Box 142325 Salt Lake City, UT 84114 801-538-1041 Further details and forms: http://governor.utah.gov/authentications/fees.htm Fee: $10.00 Designated Authority: Lieutenant Governor Local Courier: Custom Courier 766 W 1700 S Salt Lake City, UT 84104 801-433-0228 Vermont Office of Secretary of State 109 State St. Montpelier, VT 05609-1103 802-828-2308 Further details: http://vermont-archives.org/notary/faq/notaryfaq.html#faq6 Fee: $2.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Green Mountain Messenger Waitsfield, VT 800-648-2855 Virginia Betsy Anderson Director of Authentications


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Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth 1111 East Broad Street, 4th Floor Richmond, Virginia 23219 804-786-2441 Further details: http://www.soc.state.va.us/OfficialDocuments/Authentications/authentications.cfm Fee: $10.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of the Commonwealth Local Courier: All Around Couriers 1301 Admiral Street Richmond, VA 23220 804-213-3636 http://www.criticalship.com/ Bex Couriers 1000 Holly Spring Ave Richmond, VA 23224 804-359-8806 http://www.bexcouriers.com/ Washington Office of the Secretary of State Corporations Division Apostille and Certificate Program PO Box 40228 Olympia, WA 98504-0228 360-725-0344 Further details: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/apostilles/ Fee: $15.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Capitol Courier Services 2747 Pacific Ave SE #B18 Olympia, WA 98501 360-357-3330 West Virginia Office of Secretary of State Capitol Building 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East No. 157-K Charleston, WV 25305-0770 304-558-6000 Further details: http://www.wvsos.com/execrecords/other/authentication.htm


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Fee: $10.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Pony Express Courier Corporations 900 Maccorkle Ave SW South Charleston, WV 25303 304-343-7450 Wisconsin Office of Secretary of State PO Box 7848 Madison, WI 53707-7848 608-266-5503 Further details (note separate address for expedited requests): http://www.sos.state.wi.us/apos_process_policy.htm Fee: $10.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Scram Couriers LLC 140 E. Doty Madison, WI 53703 608-441-7360 http://www.scramcouriers.com/ Bonded Messenger Solutions 2730 Progress Rd. Madison, WI 53716 608-222-7250 http://www.bondedmessenger.net/ Wyoming Office of Secretary State The Capitol Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020 307-777-5342 Further details: http://soswy.state.wy.us/authenti/authenti.htm Fee: $3.00 Designated Authority: Secretary of State Local Courier: Messenger Brothers Carriage 616 Crook Ave. Cheyenne, WY 82001 307-635-8959