Apostille can be used to authenticate your documents and make them official. A lot of people are confused about the difference between an apostille and a notary public.
What Is A Notary Public?
A notary public is a person who has been authorized by the secretary of state to perform notarial acts, including taking an acknowledgment and administering oaths. The notary must be licensed in the state where he or she practices.
What is Apostille?
An apostille is an international certification that proves that the signature and seal on a document are authentic and have not been altered since they were signed by a government official in their country of origin. This process was developed by the Hague Conference on Private International Law in 1961 and ratified by member of the United Nations Convention on the Use of Legal Documents Abroad (1961). The process involves placing an embossed seal or stamp on a document, certifying its authenticity. The United States ratified the convention in 1970, and it became effective for the United States on July 1, 1972.
The apostille does not certify that the contents of a document are true or legal. The process simply verifies that the signature on a document is authentic and has not been altered since it was signed by an official from their country of origin.
The process of obtaining an apostille is similar to getting a notary public seal. The document must be signed by a notary public, who will then attach their seal to the document. The notary will also certify that the person signing the document is competent and has legal authority to do so. The document is then sent to the Secretary of State in the United States, who attests that it has been authenticated by a U.S.-based notary public and that the signature on the document is genuine.
Getting An Apostille in Dallas
The process of getting an apostille in Dallas is not much different than it is in any other state. The first step is to determine whether or not the document you want to have authenticated requires an apostille. If it does, then you need to make sure that your document has the correct signatures and seals on it. Once this has been confirmed, you can take it to a notary public who will authenticate the signature and stamp their seal onto the document. If all this sound complicated, you can always hire Dallas apostille services to help you with the process. They will provide you with an apostille that is completely authenticated and ready for use in any foreign country.
Conclusion
The process of getting an apostille can be time consuming, but it is a necessary step in any international move. Without it, your documents will not be accepted by the government agencies in your new country.