What Is An Apostille? How To Get An Apostille In Los Angeles?
What Is an Apostille? How to Get an Apostille in Los Angeles?
An apostille is a certificate that validates a document to be used in a foreign country. It conforms that the document is genuine and can be legally recognized. The purpose of an apostille is to simplify the process of transferring legal documents from one country to another.
The Hague Convention established the apostille process in 1961. The convention is an international treaty that standardized the authentication process for documents to be used outside their country of origin. The United States became a party to the convention in 1981, and each state has its own apostille system.
Apostilles are issued by a government authority, and they must be accepted by the receiving country. They are issued for civil documents, such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, school transcripts, and diplomas. They are also issued for legal documents, such as court orders, notarized affidavits, and powers of attorney.
In the United States, apostilles are issued by the Secretary of State in the state where the document was issued. If the document was issued by a federal agency, such as the Department of State or the FBI, then the apostille must be obtained from the US Department of State in Washington, DC.
How to Get an Apostille in Los Angeles?
If you live in Los Angeles and need an apostille, you can obtain it from the California Secretary of State’s office. They have a Los Angeles office located at 300 South Spring Street, Room 12513, Los Angeles, CA 90013. You can either visit the office in person or request the apostille by mail.
To obtain an apostille in person, you will need to bring the original document and a valid government-issued ID. You will also need to fill out the Apostille Request Form, which is available on the Secretary of State’s website. The fee for an apostille is $20 per document.
If you are unable to visit the office in person, you can request the apostille by mail. You will need to send the original document, a copy of your government-issued ID, and the Apostille Request Form. You will also need to include a pre-paid, self-addressed envelope for the return of the apostilled document. The fee for an apostille by mail is also $20 per document.
It is important to note that not all documents are eligible for an apostille. Documents that are not eligible include commercial documents, such as contracts and invoices, and documents that are not signed by an authorized official. In addition, some countries may have specific requirements for apostilles, so it is recommended to verify this with the receiving country before obtaining an apostille.
Conclusion
An apostille is a certificate that validates a document to be used in a foreign country. The purpose of an apostille is to simplify the process of transferring legal documents from one country to another. They are issued by a government authority, and they must be accepted by the receiving country.
If you live in Los Angeles and need an apostille, you can obtain it from the California Secretary of State’s office. You can either visit the office in person or request the apostille by mail. The fee for an apostille is $20 per document. It is important to note that not all documents are eligible for an apostille, and some countries may have specific requirements for apostilles.