Apostille Process in Houston, TX

The US Department of State Protocol Office is responsible for issuing Apostille Certification of Documents issued in the United States. This includes documents issued by state and local governments, courts and public notaries.

This office also provides translations of foreign documents into English (concurrently with the actual certification) as well as authentication services for international mail sent from within the United States. The US Department of State does not provide authentication services for documents issued outside of the United States or for foreign language documents translated into English.

Apostille – What Is It?

Apostilles are internationally recognized certificates that authenticate a document’s signature, seal or stamp so that it may be accepted abroad as genuine. They are available from any country that has signed the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, which was established in 1961 and became effective in 1967.

The convention is an international agreement that provides a legal framework for authenticating public documents so that they may be accepted abroad as genuine. Under this treaty, signatories agree to use an apostille instead of their own national authentication system.

What is a Certificate of Authentication?

A Certificate of Authentication is the official document that verifies your document’s authenticity and seals. The certificate must be signed by an authorized official at the agency that issued your document.

Houston, Texas Apostille Process

In order to get an apostille in Houston for your document, you will need to take it to a notary public. The notary will provide you with the official certificate of authentication and seal it. You can then send the original document, along with the certificate of authentication, to the Texas Secretary of State’s office in Austin or mail them together at your own risk. You can also hire the apostille document Houston services to get your documents apostilled much faster and more efficiently.