Apostille Your Documents in Order to Study Abroad

Congratulations! You have been accepted to the study abroad program with your university… Look out Europe (or whatever magical destination you chose), here you come.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of work to be done before you go. You must continuously reassure your parents that you will be safe and smart, you have to go shopping to buy a new wardrobe, you need to finish and pass your existing classes, and you must gather all of your paperwork and have it either Apostilled or Authenticated.

To Apostille or To Authenticate, That is the Question

The university in your new country will require certain paperwork and, to avoid forgery, that paperwork must be authenticated. This means the signatures and seals of your papers must be verified as true. Some documents they may ask for are your transcripts, your diploma, or even your birth certificate.

The Hague Convention of 1961 established a universal process of authenticating paperwork by recognizing an Apostille as an attachment to each document. Non-member countries require that the Embassy/Consulate Offices Authenticate your documents.

Steps to Take

The documents needed, where they originate, and your study abroad country will all determine the steps necessary to either Apostille or Authenticate your paperwork.

Let’s say you need to Apostille your university transcripts, here is what you will do:

• Request a copy of the needed documents from your school or the State Department of Education
• Have the documents notarized – this can usually be done at the university when you pick up the transcripts
• Submit this paperwork and payment to the Secretary of State

If you need your transcripts Authenticated there are a few more steps involved:

• Request a copy of the needed documents from your school or the State Department of Education
• Have the documents notarized – this can usually be done at the university when you pick up the transcripts
• Submit this paperwork and payment to the Secretary of State
• Send documents to the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C.
• Send documents to the Embassy or Consulate for Authentication

This doesn’t seem so bad, but when you need your transcripts, your high school diploma, your birth certificate, and other documents… the steps add up and can take much longer than anticipated.

Work Smarter Not Harder

We have all rolled our eyes at the old adage of ‘work smarter not harder.’ Well, here is a prime example of what that means. You can either muddle your way through each of the steps and eventually Apostille/Authenticate all the required documents – or you can call One Source Process and let us handle it all for you.

Just upload your documents and answer a few questions. From here we will perform a FREE review to ensure you have all the correct paperwork. We know what needs to be Apostilled, what needs to be Authenticated, what steps to take, and what departments to contact.

We got this for you.

Contact Us today to answer any questions or fill out the Order Form if you are ready to let us begin the authentication process.