How to get an apostille
To get an apostille you (1) confirm that the destination country accepts apostilles from the issuing country, (2) obtain a recent original or certified copy of the document, (3) have private documents certified by a notary first, (4) submit the document to the competent authority of the country that issued it, and (5) add a sworn translation if the recipient needs one. Notaryzer handles all five steps online for documents from any Convention country.
Let us get this done for you
- Apostille from 8 hours
- Written quote before you pay
- Encrypted, no account needed
Step by step
- 1
Check the corridor
Make sure both countries are Convention parties and no Article 12 objection is in force between them. Inside the EU many civil-status documents need no apostille at all; for non-Convention destinations you need consular legalisation instead.
- 2
Get a suitable original
Order a fresh certified copy from the registry, court or university. Photocopies, scans and hospital certificates cannot be apostilled; many recipients also want the certificate to be less than six months old.
- 3
Notarise private documents
Powers of attorney, declarations and copies of diplomas or passports are first certified by a notary; the apostille then confirms the notary’s signature.
- 4
Pre-certification where required
Some countries need an intermediate step – a county clerk (New York), the education ministry or an agency such as CHED, HEC or NAWA for diplomas, a state department for Indian documents.
- 5
Submit to the competent authority
Send or bring the document to the designated authority of the issuing country – Secretary of State, foreign ministry, court, prefecture or FCDO. Several countries accept online e-apostille requests.
- 6
Translate and deliver
Add a sworn translation if the recipient needs one (sometimes with its own apostille) and deliver the apostilled document by courier or as a verifiable e-apostille.
The shortcut: let us do it
With Notaryzer you upload a scan, choose where the document was issued and where it will be used, and verify your identity with your phone. We confirm the route, obtain the apostille from the competent authority, arrange the translation and deliver it – with a written quote before you pay and a status page for every step.
Most common mistakes
Submitting a photocopy instead of a certified copy; apostilling in the wrong country; forgetting the notary step for private documents; ordering an apostille for a country that does not accept it (Germany ↔ India, Philippines, Pakistan, Morocco and others); and letting the certificate age beyond the recipient’s limit while waiting.
Questions
In some countries yes: Colombia, Spain, Brazil, the UK (for many documents), Türkiye (e-Devlet documents) and Ukraine (Diia) issue electronic apostilles. Elsewhere the document must be submitted physically – which Notaryzer does for you, so the whole process is online for you.
Only if that country issued it. A US birth certificate is apostilled by the Secretary of State of the issuing state, even if you live in Germany.
Some authorities (the Philippine DFA, several Latin American ministries) work by appointment, others by post. Our partners handle the appointment or the postal submission for you.
Apostille by document
Birth certificate
Geburtsurkunde · acte de naissance · certificado de nacimiento
Requirements & feesUniversity degree & transcript
Hochschulzeugnis / Diplom / Urkunde · diplôme universitaire · título universitario
Requirements & feesPolice clearance certificate
Führungszeugnis · extrait de casier judiciaire · certificado de antecedentes penales
Requirements & feesPower of attorney
Vollmacht · procuration · poder notarial
Requirements & feesMarriage certificate
Eheurkunde / Heiratsurkunde · acte de mariage · certificado de matrimonio
Requirements & feesFBI background check
FBI-Führungszeugnis · casier judiciaire FBI · antecedentes penales del FBI
Requirements & feesReady 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.
Questions? Write to [email protected]