Yes, of course you can obtain apostilles yourself. You need to make sure you submit the apostille request to the correct government office (state or federal), You need to make sure that if your document requires notarization, that it’s done 100% correctly (according to the guidelines for an apostille), and that the correct type of notarial certificate is used (and includes all the correct verbiage for a notarial certificate). You need to make sure that any documents that should not be notarized are not notarized. It’s also important to know which documents must be originals, or if a photocopy of the document will be accepted. The proper submission form for the specific government office must be completed correctly and submitted with your documents. Some offices may require a return shipping label/envelope. Be sure to know the return instructions from each office. The other thing to be aware of is the turnaround time for processing for each government office. Some offices may provide expedited turnaround times, but you’ll need to inquire about that. If you’re submitting multiple documents to 1 office, be sure that your payment method and amount sent are correct. Your requests for apostilles could be denied if there are issues with the payment method and/or amount. If there are issues, all of your documents could be returned to you unprocessed. Check to make sure that the Country of Destination you need the apostille for is part of the Hague Convention Treaty so you’re not surprised if your document comes back with a Notarial Certificate instead of an actual apostille. If you’re submitting translated documents for apostille, they need to be certified and notarized correctly. As you can see from this reading, all of the details are crucial. Many of my clients have either previously tried to submit documents for apostilles in the past, but have received everything back unprocessed because there was at least 1 issue with the way the documents were submitted. It can be very frustrating especially when you have a deadline for when the Country of Destination is requiring apostilles by a certain time, and often times, apostilles are just 1 part of a process involving citizenship, weddings abroad, banking needs, real estate needs etc. Many of my clients are unfamiliar with what they’ve been asked to do, or have done extensive research online regarding requirements by the requestor, and a checklist of rules to follow, but find that there’s conflicting information provided. If you’re not experienced in the rules of submission, laws governing each state and/or USDOS, it’s been said that submitting documents for apostilles is like “trying to get a bullseye on a dart board when you throw the dart blindfolded. There’s also the possibility that if you reach out to a third party for help, they may use alternative methods to obtain apostilles, meaning that the apostilles may not have been obtained legally. Be sure that you’re using a trustworthy source to obtain only legal apostilles. Otherwise, you may face challenges in the future that will affect whatever process you’re involved with. We are available to ensure that you’re receiving legal apostilles in a timely manner and that the process is as “pain” free as possible. We know the correct questions to ask, and have the experience and knowledge to provide exceptional customer service for all of our clients, within the state of Florida, throughout the United States, and all over the world.
Mindy Strum is a Certified Apostille Agent with 10+ years as a notary public in the state of Florida. Florida Notary Public, LLC DBA Apostille FLA provides apostille services from each state and the USDOS.
