Let Houston Notary Solutions assist you with your Apostille Document Needs.
What is an Apostille?
Apostille documents are recognized in other countries as authentic when they are presented with an attached Apostille Certificate. Medical Records are no exception. The Apostille Certificate is verification that the documents being presented are authentic.
What are the Requirements for Apostille?
Referencing the US Department of State-Bureau of Consular Affairs
“Apostille Requirements: Apostilles authenticate the seals and signatures of officials on public documents such as birth certificates, court orders, or any other document issued by a public authority so that they can be recognized in foreign countries that are members of the 1961 Hague Convention Treaty.”
What Countries accept Apostilled Documents?
There are 117 countries that openly accept Apostilled certification.
| A) Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan B) Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burundi Cape Verde C) Chile, China, People’s Republic of (Hong Kong & Macao Only)Colombia Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia Cyprus, Czech Republic D) Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic E) Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia F) Fiji, Finland, France |
| G) Georgia, Germany, Greece Grenada Guatemala Guyana Honduras Hungary I) Iceland India Ireland Israel Italy Japan K) Kazakhstan, Korea, Republic of Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan L) Latvia Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M) Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco N) Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue, North Macedonia, Republic of Norway |
| O)Oman P) Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal R) Romania, Russian Federation S) Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe Serbia Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland T) Tajikistan, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey U) Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Uruguay Uzbekistan V)Vanuatu, Venezuela |
What if I am traveling to another country that is not part of the Apostille Agreement?
There is an extra step for countries that do not recognize the Apostille Treaty and who are not part of the of the Hague Convention. Countries outside of the Apostille Agreement will require Embassy or Consulate Legalization.
Why my Medical Records might be Requested?
A foreign country may require your medical records if you are getting married in their country or applying for a visa or citizenship. Medical Records may be requested to work in a foreign country and are traditionally required to apply for a work permit. International adoption agencies may require medical records before allowing adoptions outside of the US.
Commonly the medical records will contain your blood type or test results, for major diseases including highly contagious or communicable diseases.
How to Get Health Records Apostilled:
Your first step in obtaining Apostille Authentication on your medical records is to talk to your doctor. You must obtain your records from your healthcare provider and those records must first be notarized. Check with your doctor to request the notarized medical records and if they do not offer a notary on-site, Houston Notary Solutions can provide a mobile notary to meet with your doctor to both legally identify the signer and also witness the signing. Then those records can be authenticated to obtain the Apostille certificate.
We suggest you verify with the foreign country what medical records are actually required before speaking to your doctor.
Finally,
Apostille transactions can be complex and time consuming; it is therefore recommended that you allow sufficient time to complete the process.
If you require an Apostille or Legalized document, reach out to our trained staff for a free evaluation of your documents needs. We are a mobile service and do not have a location for you to visit. We accept clients on an appointment only basis, and are available 7-days a week.