Apostille service: submitting documents to authorities outside your country
What is an Apostille?
It is often necessary to submit documents to various agencies overseas for specific purposes, and the authenticity of such documents is very much a necessity, so that further action can be taken, based on them. This where an apostille certificate certifies the authenticity of a document, and is given by the relevant authority in a country, after following any processes needed to verify the validity of the document.
Once an apostille service agency helps you to obtain such an apostille certificate, that document can be legally used overseas in all countries that are signatories to the Hague Convention. Even countries that have not part of the convention accept documents that have been given an Apostille stamp. These certificates are useful when birth is registered in a different country, education documents are to be submitted for international teaching institutes, where documents are required to be submitted for proving qualifications for work abroad, to authenticate affidavits, powers of attorney and other contracts to purchase property abroad, to open bank accounts abroad or for company documents needed to trade internationally, and many other areas where valid documentation is a must.
Apostille obtaining process
An office of the Department of State will attach a small certificate at the back of the document that is embossed with the stamp of the party issuing the certificate. Apostille stamp conforms that the document is authentic and has been checked by the authorities in the country of its origin by the person asking for such certification. Once such a certificate is attached to any document, it is considered as valid for use in other countries. This certificate will have the name of the country where the certificate is issued, the name and designation of the person signing the document, details of the seal and its date and place of issue, a unique apostille certification number, the stamp and signature of the issuing authority.
The process of applying for an apostille certificate is complicated and can take a fair bit of time. That is why it becomes necessary to plan it well in advance, and take advantage of agencies, which can help to do all the hard work that it can entail. Make sure that before you go in for such certification, that your own documents will stand the scrutiny that they will have to go through before any certificate is granted. If they require any minor correction by the issuing authorities complete that formality before submitting the document. These certificates have to be taken from the country where the document itself has originated.
The process is bureaucratic, but necessary if you intend to present these documents abroad, and if you are not familiar with the Apostille procedure it is wise to pass the task of obtaining an Apostille to a professional Apostille services agency in NYC or any other state. And if you decide to pass the task to professionals, Apoling Solutions will gladly help you.