Apostille and authentication of U.S. Federal government-issued documents for use in a foreign country.
Do you plan to use documents issued by the United States government authority outside of the USA? If you do, Georgia Apostille can help you legalize your documents for use in a foreign country. If you intend to use your federal document within the United States you should not apply for an apostille. A US apostille cannot be used within the United States of America, its territories, or possessions.
To certify a US-issued document for use in the United States, you must contact the local government that issued your document.
The most popular documents requiring authentication through the US Department of State:
Personal Documents:
• Birth Certificate / Consular Report of Birth Abroad
• Marriage License and Name Change
• Marital Status Documents
• Divorce Certificate
• Death Certificate
• Academic records such as transcripts, diplomas, letters of attendance, etc.
• Job Certification and References
• Certification of Teacher Credentials
• Power of Attorney, Will, or Trust
• Naturalization Certificate, US Passport copy or driver license
• FBI Background Check
• Official U.S. District Court Documents
• Documents issued by the U.S. Department of Justice
Business and Corporate Documents:
• Articles of Incorporation for Companies
• Certificate of Origin
• Corporate Documents
• Invoices and Free Sale Agreements
• Foreign Government Certificates
• Documents issued by the Department of Health and Human Services
• Documents issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Documents
• Distributorship Agreements
• Patents
• Shipping Documents, etc.
To begin the legalization process for using your documents in a foreign country please answer the simple questions below:
1. Details about your document:
- Do you have an original or a certified copy of your document?
- If yes, proceed to question 2.
- If not, you will first need to obtain an original or a certified copy of your document to continue with the legalization process.
2. What is your document’s issuing authority?
- Was your document issued by the US federal government?
- If yes, proceed to question 3.
- If not:
- Does your corporate or personal document bear a signature, a notarial seal, or an affidavit, and is attested with an apostille or certification from the Secretary of State office from one of the US states?
- If yes, proceed to question 3.
- If not, you must first have your document signed and notarized by a notary public in your state and acquire an apostille or certification. For further instructions please proceed to the U.S. Apostille page.
- Did one of the US states or the District of Columbia issue your document and was your document endorsed with the state official stamp/seal?
- If yes, proceed to the U.S. Apostille page.
3. What is the destination country of your document?
Will your document be used in one of the countries from this list?
- If yes, your document will require an apostille and you need to proceed to question 4 for further instructions.
- If your document’s country of destination is NOT on the list, answer the questions below:
- Was your document endorsed with a U.S. Secretary of State certification?
- If yes, proceed to question 4.
- If not, follow the instructions on the Certification page.
- If you are not sure whether your document has required certification, please proceed to question 6.
4. Document review.
Our service includes complimentary document review which saves you time and money and eliminates shipping back and forth of the originals if they are not ready for authentication yet. All you have to do is to fill out a short order form online and upload copies of documents you need to authenticate. We review your order and will let you know if your documents meet apostille or certification requirements. If your documents are ready for authentication, we provide you with cost and processing time estimates. Our rates and processing options can also be found on our Rates page If your documents don’t meet authentication requirements, we will advise you on the steps you need to take to prepare your document for apostille or certification.
5. Submit an Apostille/Authentication Request Form:
- Download an Apostille/Authentication Order and print it
- Complete the Apostille/Authentication request form. For mailing instructions and payment please refer to our website.
Once we receive your documents, we will send you receipt confirmation by email.
Questions?
Feel free to contact us during business hours 9.30 AM - 5.30 PM U.S. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday:
• by phone: 770-447-0360
• by fax: 770-447-0790
• or message via our contact form.
Atlanta-based Georgia Apostille provides authentication of U.S. Federal government-issued documents for use in a foreign country.