Apostilles and authentication certificates validate the seal and signature of a Notary on a document so that it can be accepted in a foreign country. Apostilles are used when public documents are being transferred between countries that are party to the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961. This international treaty streamlined the cumbersome, traditional procedure for authenticating documents. Documents sent to countries that are not part of the Hague Convention may require additional certification from the U.S. Department of State. 

Our role is essentially assisting you in obtaining apostilles, taking care of the paperwork, and providing courier service to deliver and return the paperwork to you.

According to the U.S. Department of State, documents that may require authentication for use abroad include:

• Documents that are subject to apostille civil registration such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce certificates, death certificates, single status affidavit, and adoption dossier.
  
  • Please note: We can only assist you with civil registration documents issued by the State of Washington and we do not process FBI Clearance letters,as these can only be processed at the U.S. Department of State.
• Notarial documents (power of attorney, copy of US Passport, or driver's license).
• Certifications of levels of study, transcripts, academic diplomas, and university degrees.
• Authorization letter, travel consent letter.
• The certifications of business registers, articles of incorporation, company bylaws, patents, court orders, and judgments.

For non-urgent/regular apostille service:

• Typical turnaround time: 15-25 business days
• Fee per document: $150
  
  • This fee includes USPS Priority Mail (2-3 business day delivery) with two-way tracking (within Washington state), an application fee to the Washington Secretary of State, and notarial stamp(s).
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For urgent/expedited apostille service:

• Typical turnaround time: 5 business days
• Fee per document: $300
  
  • This fee includes FedEx/UPS Express (next business day delivery) with two-way tracking (within Washington state), an application fee to the Washington Secretary of State, the State's expedited service fee, and notarial stamp(s).

For each additional document:

• The above fee (regular or expedited) plus $20 per document (a document can be more than one page).

A remote online notarization (RON) is an alternative option to the paper-based, in-person Notary experience. Check out the differences here. 

Starting with the remote Notary and signer meeting online to the way a signer’s identity is confirmed, every part of a remote notarization happens in an electronic environment. For clients who are fairly savvy with technology, the entire process usually takes less than 15 minutes for a single document.

Below is the standard fee as regulated by the State. 

$25.00 per electronic notarial act performed or seal (a single session)

+ $25.00 for each additional seal/notarial act/certificate

Fees might vary for multiple documents and multi-signers. 

When you are ready, give us a call and we will provide you with further instructions specific to the RON platform we are using.