Apostille certification is a form of legalization that is used to certify documents for international use. It can be an important document if you are working with people in other countries. For example, if you want to adopt a child from another country, it’s necessary to have your adoption paperwork apostilled.
The Apostille Convention was created by the Hague Conference on Private International Law in 1961 and took effect on October 5, 1967. The convention has been ratified by 101 countries, including the United States, making it an international treaty that is legally binding on those nations that have ratified it.
The purpose of the apostille is to ensure that any legal documents issued in one country can be used in another without having to go through the process of translating them or having them notarized again by someone who can attest that they are true copies of the original document.
When an official document is notarized and then sent through one of the participating countries under the Hague Convention on Private International Law, it is known as an official apostille (or sometimes “apostilization”).
In the United States, documents are notarized by a notary public or other officials who have been granted that authority by state law. Notaries have the power to verify that a person is who they say they are (identity verification), as well as to certify that an individual has signed all of the papers in front of them, witnessed by at least one other person (signature verification).
Apostille services are another option and probably the fastest. Apostilles allow documents to be used in a foreign country without being re-authenticated. If a document is notarized, it can only be used in the state where it was originally issued. However, an apostille allows for international use. In the U.S., the Secretary of State of each state is responsible for issuing apostilles on documents that have been notarized by one of their officials or lawyers licensed by the state bar association.
Austin Texas Apostille
If you need an document apostilled fast in Austin, it would be best to hire apostille Austin TX services for the job. They can make sure your document is properly notarized and then submit it for apostille service at the Texas Secretary of State’s office. This will ensure that it is processed as quickly as possible so you can get on with other matters.
