In practice, they mean the same thing: authentication of California documents for international use. “CA apostille” is a shorthand for the California State apostille issued by the California Secretary of State. It applies to documents issued in California or notarized by a California notary.

Eligible documents include certified vital records, court judgments, school records, notarized powers of attorney, affidavits, corporate filings and more. The What We Apostille page lists the most common categories we handle daily.

Yes. Our team provides 24/7 apostille, notary, embassy legalization, and translation services. This includes after-hours intake, weekend appointments, and urgent workflows around holidays or travel dates when timing is critical.

Yes. Through our notary service we can notarize California documents in-office or via mobile notary. Once notarized correctly, they become eligible for CA apostille or further authentication.

The apostille must be issued by the state where the document originated. We can still coordinate the process for you, but the request will be routed to that state’s Secretary of State, not California.

CA apostille is a one-step authentication recognized by Hague Convention countries. For non-Hague countries, we use a multi-step process that includes state authentication, federal authentication and embassy legalization, as explained in more detail on our Hague / Non-Hague page.

Yes. We coordinate FBI background check apostille and related federal authentications through Washington, DC. Clients can use the online upload portal for convenient submission.

For most vital records and court documents, yes – original certified copies are required. If you do not have them, we can often obtain them for you through our vital record authorized agent and Superior Court document authorized agent services.

Absolutely. We manage apostille for articles of incorporation, certificates of status, corporate resolutions and more, drawing on the experience outlined in our California apostille services for corporations page.

Yes. We frequently process CA apostille for documents destined for Mexico, EU countries and many other jurisdictions. When needed, we also align your file with the resources shared on our Mexican document apostille and non-Hague country pages.

It depends on who issued the document. California-issued or notarized documents typically receive CA apostille. Federal documents (like FBI reports) require a federal apostille. Many complex files involve both, and we coordinate them for you.

Yes. Many clients use the Mail-In Requests process to send documents from anywhere in California, other states, or abroad. We then manage the workflow and return the completed documents via secure shipping.

Yes. Our 24/7 structure is designed for urgent timelines – including travel, school enrollment deadlines, international real estate closings and court-ordered timeframes. We build a realistic plan around agency processing times and your exact deadline.

It depends on the destination country and receiving authority. In many cases, the original English document is apostilled first and the translation is attached afterwards. Our translation service is structured to follow country-specific rules.

No. While our office locations are centered around Orange County office locations, we serve clients across California, other U.S. states and internationally through mail-in and courier workflows.

Yes. These files often involve multiple court orders, vital records and agency letters. We make sure each document is in the correct format and coordinate apostille or legalization for the full packet.

We will reevaluate the file. If both countries are Hague members, your existing CA apostille may still work. If the new country is non-Hague, we may need to add additional authentication and embassy legalization steps based on our Hague / Non-Hague guidance.

Yes. We frequently support law firms, corporate legal teams, and compliance departments with bulk apostille, multi-entity matters, and recurring international transactions as highlighted on our Most Popular Service Requests page.

Absolutely. We walk you through the specific steps that apply to your documents – whether it’s a single CA apostille, a combined state and federal process, or a full embassy legalization chain – so you know exactly what to expect.

For a deeper overview, explore our educational resources, including California State Apostille, Federal Apostille, and related guides in the Resources section of the site.