Law

Any document that is going to be used in a foreign country needs an apostille. This can be a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or a death certificate. It can also be a power of attorney and many other documents used in international settings. Documents that are not signed by someone with authority do not need an apostille.

The Apostille Convention allows participating countries to accept each other’s documents for use in their own country without further authentication or legalization procedures. Many countries require foreign documents to be authenticated before they can be used in their own courts or government agencies.

This process varies depending on which country you’re sending your document to, but generally involves an application fee, a waiting period, and sometimes even needing multiple people involved in the authentication process.

Depending on where you are in the United States, you can obtain an apostille in-person, by mail or by courier service.

In-person: In this option, you’ll go to the nearest USCIS office that issues apostilles. This is a good option if you’re traveling to a different state and need an apostille for your document. The USCIS will confirm that everything is in order before stamping their seal on it.

By mail: If possible, this is probably the easiest way to get an apostille.

If you need an document apostilled in Dallas, Texas, you should find a professional Dallas apostille service and explain them what you need to get done.