Apostille is a French word that means certification.  When legal or official documents which were issued in the state of California are to be used in a foreign country, it may sometimes be necessary to authenticate the validity of the signatures on those California documents.  "Authentication" is sometimes called "Verification", "Validation" or "Certification".  "Authentication" is also sometimes called an official "Stamp" or an official "Seal".

Government agencies in most countries require legal and official documents from a different country to be authenticated by a credible agency in the foreign country before they will accept any documents as valid.  A California Apostille is a document issued by the California Secretary of State which is used for international validation.

• A California Apostille is like an international notary stamp.
• A California Apostille attached to a document legally verifies the signature and the position of the official who has executed, issued or certified a copy of any document.
• A California Apostille is a document which bears the signature and, usually, the seal of an official state agency, usually the Secretary of State.
• A California Apostille is attached (usually stapled) to a legal or official document.

A California Apostille does not validate the contents of the document.  A California Apostille validates only the authenticity of the signature of the official who signed the California document, the capacity in which that official acted, and when appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears.  This is usually a California Notary Public; a California Elected Official; or a California Appointed Official.

Most, but not all, countries recognize an Apostille as a legal document.   In 1961 a number of countries got together and agreed to some conventions for conducting international business.  Representatives of the countries met in The Hague, Netherlands, and the agreements that were signed became known as the Hague Convention of 1961.

Part of the Hague Convention has to do with easing the process of using valid documents from one country in another country.  Prior to 1981 the process of validating foreign documents could be cumbersome, expensive and slow. 

Countries that signed the Hague Convention have agreed to recognize valid documents issued by other signatory countries if those documents are authenticated by the attachment of an internationally recognized form of authentication known as an Apostille. 

The California Apostille ensures that documents issued in California will be recognized as valid in another signatory country.

In addition to the United States, the following countries have signed the Hague Convention and will accept a document with a California Apostille attached.  For countries not listed the California Secretary of State will issue a Certification which can be affixed to an official or legal California document in the same way in which a California Apostille is affixed to a California document.

If a country does not legally recognize an Apostille for a California document then that country probably will accept a What if a country does not legally recognize an Apostille for a California document? issued by the California Secretary of State.  The California Secretary of State will issue a What if a country does not legally recognize an Apostille for a California document? in lieu of an Apostille.  In the state of California, the Apostille and What if a country does not legally recognize an Apostille for a California document? administrative processes are virtually the same.

No.  The California Secretary of State will not notarize any documents.  California documents which were not issued by a California state agency must be notarized by a registered California Notary Public or certified by the Vital Records department in the California city or county in which the documents were issued.

No.  The California Secretary of State will not issue an Apostille for a document which was originally issued in a state other than California.  The California Secretary of State will issue an Apostille only for documents which were issued or originated in the state of California.

No.  The California Secretary of State will not issue an Apostille for a California document which is in a foreign language other than English.  The California document must be accompanied by a notarized English version of the California document.

No.  The California Secretary of State will not issue an Apostille for a federal US document.  Federal documents which have been issued by an agency of the US government are authenticated by the US Department of State Authentications Office.

The total cost of an Apostille depends on the number of signatures (not documents) that you want to authenticate and the time by which you want to receive your Apostilled California documents.  When you fill out the order form below, the cost is automatically updated as you specify your options.

We can handle every step of the California Apostille process for any certified or notarized document which was issued in the state of California.