Apostille

What is it?

An Apostille is a Seal placed by the Secretary of State’s Notary Public of the state from which the document originally is from.  An APOSTILLE is simply the seal of the Secretary of State Notary Public of the State in accordance with the Hague Convention, which means that the documents can be used officially in a foreign country.  For US Citizens wanting to marry civilly in Europe. 

It is NOT a regular Notary Public stamp

How to:

The process of obtaining and Apostille is done via mail, you simply call your Secretary of State’s Notary Public to find out the mailing address and forward your certificates to them with if applicable a small fee for processing and it will be returned to you with the seal.  You do not have to do anything in person.

Example: 

Jane Smith was born in Miami, Florida.  She therefore sends her Birth Certificate to the Secretary of State’s Notary Public office in Tallahassee requesting an Apostille.  It is returned to her with the Apostille/Seal.