What is an Apostille?
An Apostille is an official certificate of authentication which legalizes various documents. This certification provides legitimacy to a variety of documents and is accepted only in countries that participate in the Hague Convention. For documents originating in the United States an apostille is not recognized for authentication within the states, as it is designed to be recognized abroad.
Other countries require an Apostille certification to help authenticate documents that originate in any of the 50 United States, and are a necessity in several different scenarios including marrying overseas, when inheriting money or property in another country, or if getting a job outside of the USA. The Apostille stamp legalizes personal and corporate documents in the countries that accept Apostille certificates under the Hague Convention Act that was formed in 1961. Marriage and Divorce Certificates are some of the most commonly requested for Apostille.
Why would a country require an Apostille of a marriage certificate?
A country may require an Apostille on your marriage certificate for many reasons, and commonly include, Having Legal Ceremonies with family in the home country to bless the marriage and:
Inheritance
Dual Citizenship
Spousal Death
Divorce Overseas
Property Ownership
Child Custody
How to obtain a Marriage Certificate Apostille
Using our trusted experts reach out to our Apostille Agent to verify your document needs. Be aware that lost, older or damaged marriage certificates, will need to be reissued prior to Apostille authentication.
Our Apostilles Agent will review your documents free of charge and provide several options for your review. We offer 24-72 hour turn around for urgent need documents, and can also provide international shipping using Fedex or UPS.
Certified Divorce Authentication
Divorce Decree Apostille Authentication is also available. To authenticate your divorce certificate you will need to provide a certified copy that is issued by the court, and must have a raised or color seal. The certified copy will also have a signature by the Clerk of the Court where issued. Decrees can only be authenticated by the State of Origin.
Divorce Decree vs Certificate
The Divorce Decree is a document issued by the court to end a marriage and is signed by the Judge to be filed with the County Clerk’s office within the same country of issuance. Divorce decrees will outline conditions including spousal or child support, child custody and visitation, property division and the like. Once the decree is filed the official copy is the Divorce Certificate issued by the court at a state level.
Need to Know
- Ask the requesting agency how old the Apostille and Marriage Certificate (or Divorcee Decree) can be. While the Apostille never expires, the country requesting the authentication may not accept older Apostille documentation or certified copies of other documents.
- When speaking about your documents with our trusted Apostille Agent, be sure to convey WHERE the document originates and WHAT country you are going to use your Apostille for.
- It is advised to have 21+ days to to arrange for the government to provide your Apostille document; however we can expedite the process when presented with urgent situations.
Getting started
Contact Houston Notary and Apostille Solutions to review your documentation and start the process of legalizing your important documents for travel abroad. We can be reached by text/calling 713-357-1924. Or, contact us via email using the form below.