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If you are looking to conduct legal business in a foreign country, you may be required to obtain an apostille document certification. This is a term that many people are not familiar with. If you yourself are not familiar with this term, read on to learn more about it. 

What is Apostille Document Certification? 

When you are looking to transfer legal documents within the United States, you may have to get these documents notarized. However, when need to transfer legal documents outside of the United States, you may need a different type of notarization. This is called apostille document certification. However, instead of this certification being done by a notary, it is done by the secretary of state or a notary commissioning agency. 

What Types of Documents Need Apostille Document Certification? 

The first step in determining whether you need an apostille document certification is determining if the country the documents are being transferred to participated in the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961. If the country did, you will need this type of certification. If the country did not, you will need to obtain different certifications or notaries based on the exact country. 

If the country did participate in the Hague apostille convention, you will need to have any legal documents that are going to be used in that country certified. This includes affidavits, articles of incopration, deeds, diplomas, income verification paper work, power of attorney paperwork, court transcripts, trademarks, warrants and custody agreements. Those looking to adopt in another county are also required to obtain an apostille document certification that shall be included with the adoption paperwork. 

How Do You Go About Obtaining an Apostille Document Certification? 

If you are in need of an apostille document certification, you will want to contact the notary commissioning authority or Secretary of State's Office where you live. Most require you to submit your request for a certification in writing. They typically require you to explain why the certification is needed, a copy of the original document along with a notary's certificate authenticating the document and those who signed it, information on where the document is going and why, and the fee. The amount that a state charges for this service varies from state to state, as does the state's turn around time. Always call the office to find out where your information should be mailed, how much the fees are and how long it is taking them to complete their certifications. 

Getting answers to the questions you have can help you to better understand apostille document certifcation, its importance and how it may affect you. Contact companies like Apostille Please, LLC for more information.