International Apostille – Blog

Will and Trust Apostille

September 28, 2021 by admin

Do you need to apostille a Will and/or a Trust?

At International Apostille, we take the guesswork out of obtaining an apostille on Will and/or Trust documents. Our trained and knowledgeable staff are available Monday-Saturday from 8am to 7pm to answer your questions and provide you easy to follow step-by-step instructions.

We can apostille documents signed and notarized in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.). For countries who are non-members of the Hague Apostille Convention, we can also process your documents through the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. and the Embassy or Consulate office.

How to apostille a Will or Trust? In order to apostille a Will or Trust, they either need to be signed and notarized, copy certified with a notary public (Example: Attorney certifies the copy is a true copy of the original), or filed with the Court whereas a Court certified copy is produced. A Court certified copy must have the name and signature of the Clerk of the Court/Deputy Clerk, and the seal/stamp of the Court. In certain situations, the seal is embossed and/or color stamped.

A Will is typically not notarized. If you need to apostille a Will and it’s not notarized, you can make a copy of the original Will and certify it with a notary public. For example, you can make a copy of the Will and write a cover letter stating that the attached Will is a true copy of the original. The cover letter which is basically a sworn statement is signed and notarized. You can also ask an attorney to certify it with a signed and notarized cover letter. The third option is to obtain a certified copy from the Court assuming the copy was filed with the Court.

Trust documents are typically signed and notarized. You can mail in the original signed and notarized documents or have the attorney certify them with a signed and notarized cover letter. You can also obtain a certified copy from the Court assuming the copy was filed with the Superior/Family Court.

Please note the information is based off of our experience obtaining an apostille on a Will or Trust documents. Please double check with the requesting country on what is required to avoid delays or additional costs.

Obtaining an apostille on a Will and/or Trust can be complicated and time-consuming. Don’t leave this process to untrained employees or non-professionals who do not fully understand the apostille process and the unique requirements of certain countries. Your paperwork could be rejected costing you time and money. Don’t let this happen to you!

Our staff is available Monday-Saturday from 8am to 7pm to answer your questions and provide you easy to follow-step-by-step instructions. Please call us at 1-888-810-4054 or email: support@internationalapostille.com

Click the PDF download image to get started. Our apostille service is fast, convenient, and saves you time and money.

Record of Good Standing Apostille

September 6, 2021 by admin

Do you need to apostille a Record of Good Standing? A record of good standing is typically referred to a background check.

At International Apostille, we take the guesswork out of obtaining an apostille on your criminal background check. We can apostille background checks issued from all 50 States, the District of Columbia (Washington DC), and the U.S. Federal Government (FBI apostille).

In order to obtain your background check, you can contact the local Police station, Sheriff’s Department, State (DOJ), and the U.S. Federal Government (FBI). For most countries, the FBI background check is sufficient.

In order to apostille your record of good standing (AKA: background check), you must mail in the original or a certified copy to our office for processing. Digital FBI background checks can be sent by email to our Washington DC apostille office. Background check issued from the local Police, Sheriff, or State office can only be authenticated from the State of issue. The Secretary of State does not have the authority to authenticate documents issued from another State. For example, if your background check is from the State of California, the State of California is the only State that can issue the apostille. Another example is if your background check is from New York, only the State of New York can issue the apostille.

Below you will find instructions on how to obtain your background check. Most countries will request a background check from the FBI (FBI apostille).

Local Police Station Background Check – If the requesting country is requesting a local Police background check, then all you need to do is have a letter drafted and notarized by the local police department. Once your background check is ready to be picked-up, you will need to contact a local traveling notary to meet with the Officer to notarize his/her signature on the document. The notary will also need to use the correct notarial wording for the State. Once complete, mail the notarized background check with our order forms to our office for processing.

Local Sheriff’s Department Background Check – If the requesting country is requesting a local Sheriff’s Department background check, then all you need to do is have a letter drafted and notarized by the local Sheriff’s department. Once your background check is ready to be picked-up, you will need to contact a local traveling notary to meet with the Deputy to notarize his/her signature on the document. The notary will also need to use the correct notarial wording for the State. . Once complete, mail the notarized background check with our order forms to our office for processing.

Department of Justice Background Check(DOJ) – Office of the Attorney General – Obtaining a background check from the State’s Department of Justice can be a little more complicated. For example, if you are in California, you’ll need to contact the California Department of Justice (DOJ). The Office of the Attorney General of your State will provide you step-by-step directions.

FBI Background check – The first step in obtaining your FBI Background Check apostille is to contact an FBI Approved Channeler. An FBI channeler will provide you step by step instructions including sending you a fingerprint card. Once you receive your background check, you can then mail-in this document to our Washington DC apostille office for processing. If you are located outside of the country and need to obtain your FBI background check, the FBI approved channeler will provide you instructions on how to obtain a digital copy of your FBI background check. Once you receive the digital copy, you can email it to our with our FBI apostille order forms for processing.

Obtaining an apostille on a record of good standing can be complicated and time-consuming. Don’t leave this process to untrained employees or non-professionals who do not fully understand the apostille process and the unique requirements of certain countries. Your paperwork could be rejected costing you time and money. Don’t let this happen to you!

Click the PDF download image to get started. Our apostille service is fast, convenient, and saves you time and money.

No Record of Marriage Apostille

August 15, 2021 by admin

Do you need to apostille a no record of marriage?

At International Apostille, we take the guesswork out of obtaining an apostille on your no record of marriage. We can apostille a no record of marriage issued from all 50 States and the District of Columbia (Washington DC).

If you are planning to get married in another country who is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, you will be asked to apostille a document called a no record of marriage. In some countries, you may also be required to provide this documentation for employment.

Some countries may also refer to this document as:

Single Status Affidavit
Certificate of Freedom to Marry
Certificate of No Impediment for Marriage
Certificate of No Record – Marriage
Affidavit of Single Status
Affidavit of Marriageability
Affidavit of Civil Status
Certificate of No Public Record
Eligibility to Marry

Here is an example of a no record of marriage (AKA: single status affidavit):

The first step is to contact the local County Clerk’s office to request a document that states you are currently not married (AKA: Single Status). Some County Clerk offices may refer to this document as a “single status” instead of a “no record of marriage”. Most all County Clerk offices can provide you this document so please be sure to speak to a supervisor if you are told otherwise. A document issued from the County Clerk’s office does not require notarization.

If the County Clerk is unable to assist you and you are in the United States, you can use the sample above to write your own no record of marriage. Basically, you are writing a sworn statement (Affidavit) stating that you are currently not married to another person in the United States. Be sure to have this document signed and notarized before you mail it in to our office. You should also check with the people requesting your no record of marriage if they will accept a sworn affidavit directly from you.

If you are outside of the United States, the local US Embassy or US Consulate office should be able to assist you in completing a no record of marriage and also having it signed and notarized. Because you will be visiting U.S. Federal Government office, this document can then only be apostilled through our Washington DC apostille office.

Here is an example of a single status document issued by the US Embassy or US Consulate office:

Obtaining an apostille can be complicated. Don’t leave this process to untrained employees or non-professionals who do not fully understand the Apostille process and the unique requirements of certain countries. Your paperwork could be rejected costing you time and money. Don’t let this happen to you!

What US State are your documents from?

Our staff is available Monday-Saturday from 8am to 7pm to answer your questions and provide you easy to follow-step-by-step instructions. Please call us at 1-888-810-4054.

Click the PDF download image to get started. Our apostille service is fast, convenient, and saves you time and money.

Passport Apostille

August 7, 2021 by admin

Do you need to apostille a Passport?

We can apostille a signed and notarized color copy of your Passport in all 50 States and the District of Columbia (Washington DC).

For most countries, they will only request the color copy of the page with your picture and information to be signed and notarized. Some countries may request for you to color copy the entire passport and only have the page with your picture and information to be signed and notarized. Be sure to double check with the requesting country in order to avoid any delays or additional costs.

Note: Please do not mail in the original passport.

In order to apostille your Passport, you must mail in the original notarized color copy to our office for processing. If you are outside of the USA, we recommend that you contact the local U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate office to schedule a time to meet with a U.S. Federal notary to notarize the color copy. Once notarized, you can then mail in the notarized color copy to our Washington DC office for processing.

If you are in the United States we recommend that you find a notary public who has at least five years of experience and one who will follow the notarial laws of their State. Please sign your document in front of the notary public. The notary will then stamp, sign, and add the proper notarial wording.

Some States require a notarized document to also be authenticated by the County Clerk. These States include: Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, and Tennessee. We can handle all the steps necessary including authenticating your document through the County (if required) and the state apostille.

Obtaining an apostille can be complicated and time-consuming. Don’t leave this process to untrained employees or non-professionals who do not fully understand the apostille process and the unique requirements of certain countries. Your paperwork could be rejected costing you time and money. Don’t let this happen to you!

Click the PDF download image to get started. Our apostille service is fast, convenient, and saves you time and money.

Proof of Residency Apostille

July 24, 2021 by admin

Do you need to apostille your Proof of Residency?

Are you attempted to obtain a long term Visa or dual citizenship in a country who is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention?

Have you been asked to apostille your Utility Bill (Water & Power), Gas Bill, Home Phone/Wireless Bill, Driver’s License, Passport, and/or signed Affidavits to prove that you reside in the United States? The countries that typically request these documents are: India, South Korea, China, Austria, Greece, and Switzerland. Please note that there are over 117 countries who are members of the Hague Apostille Convention.

In order to apostille your documents, they must be signed and notarized. If you are unsure of what type of documents you need to apostille, please ask the people/country requesting your documents. Please note that certain documents need to be apostilled in the state the document originates from. For example, a Texas driver’s license must be signed and notarized in Texas. Also, Vital Record documents (birth, marriage, death, etc…) can only be apostilled in the state of issue. Vital records documents are not notarized.

Click the PDF download image to get started. Our apostille service is fast, convenient, and saves you time and money.