How Long Does It Take to Get an Apostille?
Are you traveling to another country and need to apostille your documents? You may have several questions if this is your first time acquiring an apostille. Many ask us, ‘How long does it take to get an apostille?’ And our answer usually is: ‘it depends on what you need’. But don’t worry; we are here to help you – from before you start the apostille process to the very end.
What is an Apostille?
When traveling to or working with other countries, we all want to ensure the paperwork being passed back and forth is reliable. One way to do this is to include an apostille or embassy legalization of that document. Members of the Hague Convention of 1961 agree upon the apostille as a form of authentication. Non-member countries still require embassy legalization.
An apostille or embassy legalization is a seal that confirms the authenticity of a document. It verifies that the seals and signatures are true (not necessarily that the information in the paperwork is accurate).
If you are doing business with a company in another country, you may need to provide business documents such as Articles of Incorporation or a Certificate of Good Standing. Or maybe you are getting married in another country and must produce a birth certificate and your passport. No matter the document or reason, each paper requires an apostille or embassy legalization.
How Long Does It Take to Get an Apostille?
It seems like a simple question, but the answer varies, depending if you need an apostille or embassy legalization and whether it is a state-issued or federally-issued document. Let’s look at each of these.
Some State-Issued Documents:
- Birth certificate
- Marriage certificate
- Wills
- School transcripts
Some Federally-Issued Documents
- Passport
- Social security letter
- Federal taxes
- FBI background check
You can visit the Hague link to verify if your destination country requires an apostille or embassy legalization for authentication.
So how long does it take?
For state-issued documents – you can assume the apostille process is 4-14 days.
For federally-issued documents – you can assume the apostille process is 6-8 weeks.
For state-issued documents requiring embassy legalization – you can assume 3-8 weeks.
For federally-issued documents requiring embassy legalization – you can assume 3-8 weeks.
We do offer rush service when available.
Letting One Source Process Get an Apostille
We know the authentication process can be confusing. Do you need an apostille or embassy legalization? Is it a state or federal document? How long will it take?
We know the answers to all these questions and any others you may have. We have worked with every state and just about every country to obtain apostilles and embassy legalizations. We know it can be a complicated process… that’s why we made our steps easy.
To start, simply fill out the Order Form here. We will review all documents for FREE and let you know of any information that needs to be corrected. When ready, we will send you a payment invoice and timeline for completion.
That’s all you have to do! We will take it from here and obtain each document’s apostille or embassy legalization.
We are available 7 days a week, so please Contact Us here if you have any questions before or during the authentication process.
Can you get me an apostiled Pennsylvania Birth Certificate in 6 weeks? What will it cost?
I have a copy of the birth certificate in-hand but it is not apostiled and I am in Guatemala. I return to the US in 6 weeks which is why I ask how long this takes.
Ben
We can get it apostilled much faster than that! 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
Greetings
What is the current processing time to apostille a FBI criminal background check?
Thank you
Hello Zac,
At the moment, it is taking us 1-3 weeks to obtain federal apostilles and ship them back to you. 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 our service, your specialist will also send you a payment link to start the apostille process.
Thank you,
Danny
I need to give a power of attorney to someone in Mexico to sell real property. Is an apostille enough to certify it or does it need to be done by the Mexican consulate?
Hello Bill,
That completely depends on the Mexican authorities requesting your document. Most of our clients simply need the apostille to submit their requests but given the importance of the matter, we highly recommend you check with the Mexican side. If an apostille is all you need, please feel free to fill out our online order form to begin your free consultation!
Danny