When a document is intended for use in another country, the signatures on it must be certified by a government official to verify their authenticity. This certification process is known as an apostille or authentication. If the document is a notarized legal document, the notary will need to complete their certification process first. If the document is a state or county-issued document, the appropriate authorities will need to authenticate it. Each state determines its own apostille or authentication process, so you should check with the Secretary of State or other relevant authorities for specifics. Check this out :https://apostille-usa.com/apostille-documents/

Legal Documents and the Apostille Process Explained

Often, you will need to have documents that originate in a foreign country apostilled before you can bring them into the United States. The process of authenticating the documents is outlined in the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, which allows countries that have signed this treaty to recognize public documents from each other.

For example, if a document is certified by a notary in Georgia and is going to a country that has signed the Hague convention, the notarized document will need an apostille before it can be recognized in the other country. The apostille certifies the notary’s commission number, name and date of notary service, and seal/stamp impression. It also certifies that the notary is a registered notary in the State of Georgia.

The NDNY cannot issue apostilles. You must contact the office or government entity that originally issued the document to request an apostille. For a list of agencies and offices that can issue an apostille, visit this page on the U.S Department of State’s website.