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Notary or apostille

Apostille vs notarisation

The short answer

Notarisation and apostille do different jobs. A notary confirms that you signed a document or that a copy matches the original. An apostille, issued by a government authority, confirms that the official signature on a public document – including a notary’s – is genuine, so the document is accepted in another country. For use abroad, private documents such as powers of attorney usually need both: first the notary, then the apostille on the notary’s certification.

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Step by step

    Which one do you need?

    • Only a notary: the document is used in the same country.
    • Only an apostille: the document is already a public document (birth certificate, court decree, register extract) and will be used abroad.
    • Notary + apostille: a private document (power of attorney, declaration, copy of a passport or diploma) will be used abroad.

    Can a notary issue an apostille?

    In most countries no – notaries notarise, the apostille comes from a separate authority. France is an exception: since 2025 the regional chambers of notaries are the competent apostille authority. In Spain notarial colleges apostille notarial documents.

    Questions

    Yes. Notaryzer books the notary, prepares the document (bilingual if useful) and obtains the apostille on the notary’s certification in the same request.

    It depends on the country. Remote online notarisations in many US states can be apostilled by that state’s Secretary of State; in most civil-law countries the signing must happen in person.

    Apostille by document

    EU↔EU: no apostille

    Birth certificate

    Geburtsurkunde · acte de naissance · certificado de nacimiento

    Requirements & fees

    University degree & transcript

    Hochschulzeugnis / Diplom / Urkunde · diplôme universitaire · título universitario

    Requirements & fees
    EU↔EU: no apostille

    Police clearance certificate

    Führungszeugnis · extrait de casier judiciaire · certificado de antecedentes penales

    Requirements & fees

    Power of attorney

    Vollmacht · procuration · poder notarial

    Requirements & fees
    EU↔EU: no apostille

    Marriage certificate

    Eheurkunde / Heiratsurkunde · acte de mariage · certificado de matrimonio

    Requirements & fees

    FBI background check

    FBI-Führungszeugnis · casier judiciaire FBI · antecedentes penales del FBI

    Requirements & fees

    Ready when you are

    Tell us where the document was issued and where it goes – the notary reviews your application, we handle the rest, quoted before you pay.

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