When your business expands internationally, it may be necessary to authenticate certain documents. Whether you need an apostille or a Certificate of Authentication will be determined by the country in which your document is intended to be used. Authentication is the process of verifying the signature and capacity of the public official who signed the document.

The traditional apostille certification Texas process consists of a long chain of official authentications, which can be time-consuming and expensive. To avoid this, numerous countries have agreed to simplify the process by reducing it to one authentication called an apostille. You can check if the country in which you intend to use the document is a member of this treaty by visiting the Hague Convention website.

International Document Apostille Services for Global Use

If the country you intend to use the document in is not a member of this treaty, you will need to follow the traditional legalization procedure. You will need to have the document notarized (certified by a notary public) and reviewed and certified by county or state officials. Then, you will need to take additional steps at the country’s embassy or consulate for the document to be legalized in that jurisdiction.

The cost for either an apostille or full legalization is $8 per document and can be completed in three different ways: by mail, in person at the Walk-in Counter or by scheduling a prescheduled appointment at the U.S Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington, DC. Visit the Authentication page for more information on these services.