Getting an Apostille for a Certified Translation

Apostilled translations

An apostille is a standard certificate, recognized worldwide, that confirms a notary public's signature and authority are genuine. It lets a notarized document be accepted for official purposes in any country that has joined the Hague Apostille Convention.

The notarization confirms the identity of the person who signs the Certificate of Translation Accuracy.

The apostille confirms that the notary is genuine.

Put together, the two create a reliable chain of proof that follows your translated documents when you file them across borders.

When Do You Need an Apostille?

An apostille comes into play when your certified translation is headed to an institution based outside the United States. In the United States, notarization verifies the Certificate of Translation Accuracy signature; apostille recognition lets Hague Convention countries treat that notarization as legally valid.

Situations that often call for an apostille when documents cross borders include:

Academic use: credential evaluators and schools often ask for notarized, apostilled renderings of diplomas, transcripts, and other academic records.

Immigration: when you apply for residency or a visa, some countries want apostilled renderings of police records, marriage licenses, and birth certificates.

Professional licensing: licensing boards abroad may insist on apostilled translations of certifications, degrees, or credentials before they grant recognition.

Legal matters: a court in another country may ask for apostilled translations of contracts, affidavits, judgments, and similar legal papers.

Government and civil filings: embassies, consulates, and public agencies may ask for apostilled renderings on matters like work permits, citizenship, or business paperwork.

Usually the office receiving your documents will tell you whether an apostille is needed. When that is not clear, check with them before you order.

Skip the apostille and your certified translation could be turned away or held up once it reaches another country.

We Handle the Apostille Process for You

Leave the apostille steps to us.

ABC Translations can arrange the full apostille step for any certified translation our team produces. When your documents need an apostille for use abroad, add the service at checkout or ask for it when you request a quote. You do not have to file extra forms or chase anything down.

We deal with the state office directly to secure your apostille, a certificate printed, signed, and sealed by the California Secretary of State and attached to your certified translation. It holds legal standing in every country that has joined the Hague Apostille Convention, so your notarized translation is accepted once it reaches the receiving institution abroad.

California-commissioned notaries at our Sacramento fulfillment center handle the notarizations, which is why the State of California can apostille your document. We provide paper apostilles, issued and sealed by the California Secretary of State and delivered to you.

California Secretary of State apostilles usually clear within 3 to 6 weeks.

Want to run the apostille step on your own to keep costs down? You can. California charges a modest Secretary of State fee, and we can guide you on what to include.

When to Add an Apostille

The simplest way to avoid hold-ups is to ask for notarization and an apostille right when you order. ABC Translations provides paper apostilles from the California Secretary of State, printed, signed, and sealed.

Here is the sequence:

• Place your certified translation order with notarization and the apostille added.
• When your translation is finished, you look it over and approve it.
• After you approve, the accuracy certificate is notarized.
• Next, we contact that Secretary of State office to secure the apostille.
• Your finished, apostilled documents land in your hands.

Prefer to handle the apostille yourself? You can request it directly from California's Secretary of State, and we provide the notarized materials needed.

Apostilles for Source Documents

If an apostille is also required for the source document itself, say a diploma, an FBI background check, or a birth certificate, that runs on a separate track. For a source document, the apostille has to come from the office that produced the original:

• For state-issued papers, such as birth certificates, reach out to the Secretary of State in the state that issued them.
• For federally issued papers, such as FBI background checks, reach out to the U.S. Department of State.
• ABC Translations issues apostilles only for the certified translations we create, not for your underlying source documents.

How to Obtain a Physical Apostille Yourself

Prefer to obtain the apostille yourself, or need one for a source document? You can request it directly from the state's Secretary of State. The steps have to happen in the right order, and the whole thing usually runs 2 to 3 weeks.

To go this route, keep the original paper copy of your notarized Certificate of Translation Accuracy ready.

Fees apply per document, where one document means one notarized certificate.

An envelope you address to the Secretary of State

A return envelope, addressed by the Secretary of State back to you, which goes in unsealed inside the one bound for the Clerk

The notarized certified translation itself

Both request forms, filled out

Both envelopes, with one placed inside the other

Once everything is processed, the Secretary of State mails your apostilled document back in the prepaid envelope you supplied.

Summary

When your notarized certified translation is bound for another country, you may well need an apostille. ABC Translations takes the hassle out of it by handling the apostille request for you.

You can tack an apostille onto your order at checkout or ask for it with your quote. Prefer to handle it yourself? Request it directly from the Secretary of State, supported by the notarized materials we hand over.

Reach out with any questions. We are glad to keep the whole process smooth and worry-free.