What is a Pennsylvania Apostille? |
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Apostille is a French word that means certification.
When legal or official documents which were issued in the state of Pennsylvania are to be used in a foreign country, it may sometimes be
necessary to authenticate the validity of the signatures on those Pennsylvania documents.
"Authentication" is sometimes called "Verification", "Validation" or "Certification".
"Authentication" is also sometimes called an official "Stamp" or an official "Seal".
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Apostille is a French word that means certification.
When legal or official documents which were issued in the state of Pennsylvania are to be used in a foreign country, it may sometimes be
necessary to authenticate the validity of the signatures on those Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Apostille is a document issued by the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth
which is used for international validation.
- A Pennsylvania Apostille is like an international notary stamp.
- A Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Apostille is a document which bears the signature and, usually, the seal of an official state agency,
usually the Secretary of State.
- A Pennsylvania Apostille is attached (usually stapled) to a legal or official document.
A Pennsylvania Apostille does not validate the contents of
the document.
A Pennsylvania Apostille validates only the authenticity of the signature of the official
who signed the Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Notary Public; a Pennsylvania Elected Official; or a Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Apostille ensures that documents issued in Pennsylvania will be recognized
as valid in another signatory country.
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Which countries legally recognize a Pennsylvania Apostille?
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The following countries have signed the Hague Convention and will accept a document with a Pennsylvania Apostille attached.
For countries not listed the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth will issue a which can be affixed to an official
or legal Pennsylvania document in the same way in which a Pennsylvania Apostille is affixed to a Pennsylvania document.
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The following countries have signed the Hague Convention and will accept a document with a Pennsylvania Apostille attached.
For countries not listed the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth will issue a which can be affixed to an official
or legal Pennsylvania document in the same way in which a Pennsylvania Apostille is affixed to a Pennsylvania document.
| Albania |
Andorra |
Angola |
Antigua and Barbuda |
Andorra |
| Argentina |
Armenia |
Australia |
Austria |
Bahamas |
| Barbados |
Belarus |
Belgium |
Belize |
Bermuda |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina |
Botswana |
Brunei |
Bulgaria |
Colombia |
| Comoros Islands |
Cook Islands |
Croatia |
Cyprus |
Czech Republic |
| Denmark |
Djibouti |
Dominica |
El Salvador |
Estonia |
| Fiji |
Finland |
France |
Georgia |
Germany |
| Gibraltar |
Greece |
Grenada |
Hong Kong |
Honduras |
| Hungary |
India |
Ireland |
Israel |
Italy |
| Japan |
Korea |
Kazakhstan |
Latvia |
Lesotho |
| Liberia |
Liechtenstein |
Lithuania |
Luxembourg |
Macau |
| Macedonia |
Malawi |
Malta |
Marshall Islands |
Mauritius |
| Mexico |
Moldova |
Montserrat |
Mozambique |
Namibia |
| Netherlands |
New Zealand |
Norway |
Panama |
Poland |
| Portugal |
Romania |
Russia |
St. Kitts and Nevis |
St. Lucia |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines |
Samoa |
San Marino |
Serbia |
Seychelles |
| Slovakia |
Slovenia |
Solomon Islands |
South Africa |
Spain |
| Suriname |
Swaziland |
Sweden |
Switzerland |
Tonga |
| Trinidad and Tobago |
Turkey |
Tuvalu |
Ukraine |
United Kingdom |
| United States |
Vanuatu |
Venezuela |
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What if a country does not legally recognize an Apostille for a Pennsylvania document? |
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If a country does not legally recognize an Apostille for a Pennsylvania document then that country probably will accept
a Certificate of Authentication issued by the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth.
The Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth will issue a Certificate of Authentication in lieu of an Apostille.
In the state of Pennsylvania, the Apostille and Certificate of Authentication administrative processes are virtually the same.
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Will the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Notarize my documents? |
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No.
The Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth will not notarize any documents.
Pennsylvania documents which were not issued by a Pennsylvania state agency must be notarized by a registered Pennsylvania Notary Public or certified by the Vital
Records department in the Pennsylvania city or county in which the documents were issued.
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Will the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth issue an Apostille for documents from a state other than Pennsylvania? |
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No.
The Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth will not issue an Apostille for a document which was originally issued in a state other than Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth will issue an Apostille only for documents which were issued or originated in the state of Pennsylvania.
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Will the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth issue an Apostille for Pennsylvania documents in a foreign language other than English? |
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No.
The Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth will not issue an Apostille for a Pennsylvania document which is in a foreign language other than English.
The Pennsylvania document must be accompanied by a notarized English version of the Pennsylvania document.
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Can I get a Pennsylvania Apostille for a federal US document from the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth? |
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No.
The Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth 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.
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How much does it cost to get a Pennsylvania Apostille? |
The total cost of an Apostille depends on the number of signatures (not documents) that want to authenticate and the time by which you
want to receive your Apostilled Pennsylvania documents.
You can use the Pennsylvania Apostille cost estimator in the upper right-hand corner of this screen to see the options that we
offer and the total cost getting your Pennsylvania documents Apostilled.
We can handle every step of the Pennsylvania Apostille process for any certified or notarized
document which was issued in the state of Pennsylvania.
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How long does it take to get a Pennsylvania Apostille? |
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We can get your Pennsylvania Apostille from the Secretary of the Commonwealth as quickly as 3-5 business days.
PLEASE NOTE: WE CANNOT GUARANTEE PENNSYLVANIA SECRETARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH PROCESSING TIMES.
The Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth reserves the right to extend expedite periods in time of extreme volume, staff shortage or equipment
malfunction.
We are dependent on, and have no control over, the staff and systems of the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth.
In our experience the time specified is the time it usually takes the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth to process
new Apostille orders. We get your Pennsylvania Apostille request to the Secretary of State ASAP.
Once it is at the state we have no control over the Pennsylvania Apostille process.
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How can I order a Pennsylvania Apostille online? |
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If you are ready to order a Pennsylvania Apostille online now just fill in the form below and click Place Order.
As soon as we receive your order for a Pennsylvania Apostille we will start processing it ASAP.
We will provide you with a shipping label if you need to send any notarized Pennsylvania documents to us.
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PENNSYLVANIA APOSTILLE ONLINE ORDER FORM
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| CANCELLATION POLICY |
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All Pennsylvania (PA) Apostille orders are refundable before payment is issued to the state of Pennsylvania , minus a $25 cancellation fee,
and less any expenses incurred in processing your order. After payment has been delivered to the state of Pennsylvania we cannot accept any cancellations
or any changes to your Pennsylvania (PA) Apostille order. Generally, payments are made to the state of Pennsylvania (PA) within 24 hours of receipt of your
Pennsylvania (PA) Apostille order. To check the status of your Pennsylvania (PA) Apostille order, make changes, or ask any questions, call toll free at 855-771-2477.
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