If you’re unfamiliar with obtaining an apostille authentication, this is a breakdown of what’s involved in the process to get you a completed apostille. This process scenario is for a single document, a passport for example, that needs to be authenticated for another country. This is common for OCI applications for India or dual passports for Europe.
First, you’ll meet with one of our notaries that will examine your actual passport to make sure the copy is a “true and accurate”.
Second, we’ll stamp your passport photocopy with a New York State approved affidavit stamp, a Department of State approved apostille raised embossment seal and finally, we’ll have you sign it so we can properly notarize it.
Third, we’ll make an appointment at the Westchester County Clerks office on Martin Luther King Blvd in White Plains, to have the document’s notarization “authenticated”. We’ll cover the fee and then we’ll attach an additional affidavit that our company stands behind the authenticity of the copy.
Fourth, we’ll fill out the New York State Department of State Apostille Application form, prepare a self-addressed-stamped envelope, and FedEx your document to Albany for processing. A copy of that form can be downloaded here
The Department of State will then process your document and “apostille” it. They will use the envelope we provided to mail it directly back to you. The process is perfect if you’re not concerned about the length of time it will take to have your document returned to you.
The “Albany process” does not give us the power to track the progress so you’ll be calling (518)474-4429, press 9, then 4, to inquire about the completion status. The process usually takes between 3 to 5 weeks.
Can you do this yourself? Yes! We assist people all the time and the help is free! We assist DIY enthusiasts and other notaries every day. There’s never a reason to feel lost because we will help anyone, anytime, with questions. As a New York State notary, we are public servants and will always fulfill the “appointment oath” to help.
If you have a completed apostille, you can verify the authenticity here:
https://appext20.dos.ny.gov/apostille_verify_public/ApostilleVerify.aspx
Ready to get started? Head over to apostilleapply.com and let’s do this together!