When working abroad, you may need to have your documents authenticated or apostilled for use in another country. These are not simple processes. If even one step is missed, it could cause your documents to be rejected, costing you time and money. Our goal is to help you navigate these complexities so that you can start your global endeavor without delay.

In some instances, you will need to have a federal court document apostilled for use in another jurisdiction. apostille for federal court documents can be complicated and requires a two-step process. The first step is to have the document certified (authenticated) by a federal office.

Apostille for Federal Court Documents: A Step-by-Step Guide

There are three primary types of documents that can require authentications: private (individual or corporate) documents; state/county-issued documents; and federally-issued documents. For more information on what kind of documents can be authenticated, please visit the U.S. Department of State Authentication website.

If the document you need to be authenticated was issued by a country that is a party to the Hague Convention on Apostille, you can use an apostille for it. However, if the document was issued by a country that is not a party to the Hague Convention, you will need a full legalization by the foreign embassy in the U.S.

Documents can be filed for certification in the NDNY in one of five locations. The NDNY can only apostille certain public documents, such as a criminal record check certificate or a notary seal. For other documents, including birth certificates, driver’s licenses, passports, marriage or divorce certificates, college transcripts and diplomas, you will need to contact the entity that originally issued them for an apostille.