Apostille or Embassy Legalization? Country Checker

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.

An apostille is one step and is final. Embassy legalization is for non-Hague countries and adds a consulate step after the state authentication.

No. It must be a certified copy from the issuing office, or a document notarized in front of a California notary.

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.

Yes, through our out-of-state service. The document goes to the state that issued it, not to California.

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.

Yes. It must be a certified copy from the county recorder or CDPH — not a hospital souvenir certificate.

A sworn statement that you are free to marry, required by most countries before a foreign wedding. We prepare, notarize, and apostille it.

Sign it in front of a California notary — do not sign beforehand — then we apostille the notary's signature.

Check our country lookup. Membership changes several times a year, so use a dated source rather than an old list.

No. Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention on 11 January 2024, so an apostille is now sufficient.

Among common destinations: the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Thailand.

From $75 per document. Embassy legalization, translation, and record retrieval are quoted separately.

Same-day and next-day service is available for California documents. Federal and embassy work takes longer.

Anaheim/Orange, Irvine, and San Juan Capistrano, plus mail-in service from anywhere.

$25 per signature, in office or mobile.

Call rather than ordering online. Tell us the real deadline and we will tell you honestly whether it is achievable.