Apostille and authentication certificates certify the seals, stamps or signatures on important documents for use in a foreign country. Documents that need apostilles include court orders, contracts, birth or death certificates, marriage licenses, diplomas and other educational records, and notary public certificates. To determine if your document needs an apostille, check the list of countries that are signatories to the 1961 Hague Convention.
DOJ apostille services is not the same as legalization. Legalization occurs at the embassy or consulate of the foreign country you wish to use the document in. Authentication is a process that assures the validity of a signature, stamp or seal in the document by confirming that it has been properly executed (signed and sealed) by the notary public who signed it. It may also include a statement that the state or county official who certified the document acted in accordance with state law.
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Apostilles and authentication certificates issued by DOJ can be applied for in three ways: online, by mail or in person at our New York City, Albany or Utica customer service locations. Online and mail requests must be accompanied by a completed form DS-4194, which can be downloaded from the Department of State website.
The average time it takes for John Jay to complete a single-document apostille request is 3-4 weeks. For a full legalization, the process can take longer than this, depending on the number of documents being mailed, the processing times of external agencies and other factors beyond our control.
