Same Day Apostille & Notary Services in Southern California
Nothing on the certificate says it expires, and the Convention sets no validity period.
In practice the receiving authority decides. Three, six, or twelve months are common limits, and background checks and single status affidavits are the ones most often rejected for age. Ask what they require and work backwards from that date.
Apostille questions?
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Popular questions
A certificate that authenticates the seal and signature on a public document so it can be used in another Hague Convention country without embassy involvement.
Read the full answer →An apostille is one step and is final. Embassy legalization is for non-Hague countries and adds a consulate step after the state authentication.
Read the full answer →No. It must be a certified copy from the issuing office, or a document notarized in front of a California notary.
Read the full answer →Whoever issued it. California records go to the California Secretary of State, federal records to the U.S. Department of State, out-of-state records to that state.
Read the full answer →Yes, through our out-of-state service. The document goes to the state that issued it, not to California.
Read the full answer →Yes. It is a federal document, so it goes to the U.S. Department of State in Washington — we handle that through our federal service.
Read the full answer →Yes. It must be a certified copy from the county recorder or CDPH — not a hospital souvenir certificate.
Read the full answer →A sworn statement that you are free to marry, required by most countries before a foreign wedding. We prepare, notarize, and apostille it.
Read the full answer →Sign it in front of a California notary — do not sign beforehand — then we apostille the notary's signature.
Read the full answer →Check our country lookup. Membership changes several times a year, so use a dated source rather than an old list.
Read the full answer →No. Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention on 11 January 2024, so an apostille is now sufficient.
Read the full answer →Among common destinations: the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Thailand.
Read the full answer →From $75 per document. Embassy legalization, translation, and record retrieval are quoted separately.
Read the full answer →Same-day and next-day service is available for California documents. Federal and embassy work takes longer.
Read the full answer →Anaheim/Orange, Irvine, and San Juan Capistrano, plus mail-in service from anywhere.
Read the full answer →$25 per signature, in office or mobile.
Read the full answer →Call rather than ordering online. Tell us the real deadline and we will tell you honestly whether it is achievable.
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