Apostille vs. Notary – What is the Difference?
We are often asked if there is a difference between having a document notarized and obtaining an apostille. Yes, these are different actions and must be treated as two separate processes. Some often refer to the process as an apostille notary. They are actually two separate procedures.
One easy way to remember the difference is that notarized documents are used only within the United States. In contrast, an apostille is used as a form of authentication between different countries.
But there are times when a document must be notarized before obtaining an apostille, and we will explain all this to you.
Apostille vs. Notary
A registered notary begins by verifying the signer’s identity; then, they will witness the person signing the document. The verification ensures that the name on the form is legitimate. The notary will add a stamp or seal to the paper, showing the date they witnessed the signature.
An apostille verifies the authenticity of a document. And is issued by either the Secretary of State in which it originated (such as school records or a driver’s license) or by the US Department of State in Washington DC for federal documents (such as Social Security Income or FBI background reports).
Suppose you are starting a job outside of the US and need your college records from the University of Florida; the university’s registrar must first notarize your records, and then they must be apostilled by Florida’s Secretary of State.
How to Obtain Each
Obtaining a notary is relatively easy. Many banks, tax offices, law offices, and other businesses offer notary services but may require you to be a member or using their services before they will notarize your document. You can also contact your US Post Office, FedEx, UPS office; they often have notaries available.
If you cannot leave your home or office, traveling notaries are available to come to you.
Obtaining an apostille is quite a bit harder to do on your own. The first step is determining if you need to work with the issuing state to apostille your document or the federal office. Then there is the governmental red tape to work around.
Hiring a company such as One Source Process takes the time and confusion away.
Working with One Source Process
We have obtained apostilles from all 50 states and almost every country. We know who to contact to quickly and efficiently get your apostille.
Plus, our process is easy to follow. Fill out the Form Here and upload your documents (making sure they are notarized when necessary). We review all paperwork for FREE, then contact you with any discrepancies or needed changes. We will give you a price quote and timeline estimation once all papers are correct.
When you agree to the time and charges, we will immediately get starting on obtaining the apostille. We will assign you a representative who will follow the documents throughout the process, avoiding delays and ensuring your papers receive the apostille.
If you ever have any questions or concerns, please Contact Us; we are here 7 days a week to help.
Hello, I need to apostille my mother’s death certificate. It is from the state of Florida. Please let me know how much it would be to do so.
Hello Carolina
We can certainly assist. Please send us your request by going to https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. Your assigned specialist will review your documents to make sure they’re valid for apostille and they will let you know the process required, available processing times and costs.
Danny
We need power of attorney to be apostile and sent to Italy for citizenship purpose
It’s written in Portuguese
We are in diferente states
Please let me know how can we do this
Thank you
Hello Patrícia,
We can certainly assist. Please send us your request by going to https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. Your assigned specialist will review your documents to make sure they’re valid for apostille and they will let you know the process required, available processing times and costs.
Thank you,
Danny
Hello!
My wife and I are purchasing a home in New Mexico. I am in France right now and she is in the USA. I need to have a power of attorney form notarized such that it is recognized in New Mexico. So far I can only find this service through the US Embassy (900 kilometers away in Paris). Is that my only option or can you (or someone else) do this for me?
Thank you
Brian
Hello Brian,
We can certainly assist. Please send us your request by going to https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. Your assigned specialist will review your documents to make sure they’re valid for apostille and they will let you know the process required, available processing times and costs.
Thank you,
Danny
My marriage occurred over 60 years ago at Fort Dix New Jersey. I have a copy of the marriage certificate but not the original. What is the process to get it apostilled?
Hello James,
We will need to take a look at the document you currently have to determine if it’s valid for apostille or if you will need to obtain a new copy. Please send us your request by going to https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. Your assigned specialist will review your documents to make sure they’re valid for apostille and they will let you know the process required, available processing times and costs.
Thank you,
Danny
I’m applying for a polish passport and I need to apostile my absolute divorce certificate
Divorce was granted in the state of Massachusetts.
Can you help me in my situation, please.
Hello Irena,
We can certainly assist. In order to process your document accurately and as quickly as possible, we will ask that you upload a copy of your document for review by going to our order form https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. Once submitted, you will be assigned a specialist who will email you your review results and quote. Should you decide to proceed, they will include a payment link for payment so that we can begin processing your apostille request.
Thank you,
Danny
I am filing a court recognition of my divorce in California. My lawyer in the philippines required me to submit an authenticated divorce judgment and authentocated copy of family code section 2336. I got a certified divorce judgment from the family court. What is your advice?
Hello Dan,
We’re here to help you! To ensure that we can process your documents accurately and promptly, we kindly request that you upload a copy of your documents for review through our order form available at https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. After submitting your documents, one of our specialists will be assigned to review them and provide you with a quote and review results via email. If you choose to proceed with the service, the specialist will also send you a payment link to start the authentication process.
Thank you,
Danny
Us siblings(4 in Maryland + 1 in Victoria,Canada) and our mom is issuing a power of attorney to our lawyer in the Philippines. Please let me know what to do and the estimated cost . Thanks
Hello,
We can assist! To ensure that we can process your documents accurately and promptly, we kindly request that you upload a copy of them for review through our order form available at https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. After submitting your request, one of our specialists will be assigned to review your documents and provide you with a quote and review results via email. If you choose to proceed with the service, the specialist will also send you a payment link to start the apostille process.
Thank you,
Danny
I have a client, a permanent resident (green card holder)
that owns property in California but is currently out of the USA. Wants to sign a deed, transferring title, while out of the country. So a Notary and Apostille will be necessary??
We can assist! To ensure that we can process your documents accurately and promptly, we kindly request that you upload a copy of them for review through our order form available at https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. After submitting your request, one of our specialists will be assigned to review your documents and provide you with a quote and review results via email. If you choose to proceed with the service, the specialist will also send you a payment link to start the apostille process.
Thank you,
Danny
I have a certified US death certificate for my husband that will need to be translated into Spanish and given to my Mexican Lawyer to have the property title placed into my name to enable a sale. I believe the document may also need an apostille.
Are you able to do this and what is the approximate cost.
We can assist! To ensure that we can process your documents accurately and promptly, we kindly request that you upload a copy of them for review through our order form available at https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. After submitting your request, one of our specialists will be assigned to review your documents and provide you with a quote and review results via email. If you choose to proceed with the service, the specialist will also send you a payment link to start the apostille and translation process.
Thank you,
Danny