If your federal document apostille service are going abroad, they may require a process known as legalization or an apostille. The traditional method is a long and complicated chain of official authentications that can take months. Luckily, there is now a quicker, simpler way to get your documents authenticated for international use called the Apostille Certificate. An apostille is an internationally recognized form of certification that is used to authenticate public documents for use in other countries.
The country your documents are going to is the key factor in determining what type of apostille or authentication procedure is required for them. There are three main types of documents that need to be authenticated: private documents (individual or corporate); state/county-issued documents; and federally-issued documents.
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For a federal document, you will need to contact the U.S. Department of State Authentication Office to obtain an apostille. Their costs, requirements and address can be found HERE.
A document that is not a federally-issued document, but does have the seal and authorized signature of a government agency, can be certified as an original with a Certificate of Authentication issued by New York Secretary of State. The format for this document is the same as an apostille and includes a facsimile of the New York Department of State seal.
Divorce decrees can also be apostilled by using a certificate of authenticity from the Clerk of Superior Court. To see if your county participates in the eCertification program, click HERE.
