Apostillle processing is additional authentication required for international acceptance of notarized documents including (but not limited to) adoption papers, affidavits, contracts, deeds, diplomas and degrees, divorce decrees, incorporation papers, patent applications, powers of attorney, and school transcripts. Instituted by the Hague Convention. Abolishing “The Requirements of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents” of 1961, its objective is obviate “the requirements of diplomatic or consular legalization” and thus replace the cumbersome chain authentication method that called for verification by multiple authorities.

The Hague Convention is where the Apostille Treaty was drafted. It specifies the modalities through which a document issued in one of the signatory countries can be certified for legal purposes in all the other signatory States. In other words, Hague Convention provides with validity and with effectiveness to foreign legal documents in other signatory Countries apart from their home legislation and sets forth the rules for such. Such a certification is called an Apostille. It is an international certification comparable to the notarization process in domestic laws. It should be significantly noted that an apostille does not give information regarding the quality of the document, but certifies the signature and the correctness of the seal/stamp on the document which is actually necessary to be certified. After the apostille process the document will enjoy the legal effect that it originally has in its origin legislation, in the receiving Country.

Authentication Certificates: Countries NOT in the Hague Convention

Are used for destination nations that are not part of the Hague Convention, instead of a single apostille, the document needs several authentication certificates, including those from your commissioning agency, the U.S. Department of State, the Consul of the destination County and potentially another government official in the destination Country.

Process and Turn Around Time

The apostille process may seem a bit confusing if you are coming into the need of this service for the very first time. So let us here at Maryland Mobile Notary Services make the process smooth and easy for you. As stated above, an Apostille is the additional authentication required for international acceptance of notarized documents. Opposed to the document just being notarized by a Notary Public. The document needs to be authenticated by the County and State as well. We here at Maryland Mobile Notary Services offer the full Apostille Processing service at your convenience. Meaning that we take care of all of the leg work so that you don’t have to. One of our knowledgeable notaries will come to your location, check your identification and notarize the given document like normal. Then we take said document to the County Court House where our name is on file as a Maryland Notary. They will authenticate the notarization of the document. After that, we travel to the Secretary of State building in Annapolis to have them authenticate the County seal and the notarization. Now your document is notarized, and certified by the County and State. We then will either drop the documents back off to you personally. Or use a shipping service like FedEx or UPS to get the documents back to you. Our turn around time ranges from same day to 3 days. Depending on what time we sign the documents and when the Court Houses close. Most of our customers usually get their documents back within a days time. So don’t hesitate to call today!