Do your documents need an apostille from the Office of the Secretary of District of Columbia, or the U.S. Department of State – Office of Authentications?

In the District of Columbia, an apostille is issued by the Secretary of D.C. or the U.S. Department of State.  Depending on the type of your document and the country that requests it, the apostille on your document will be processed from one or both of these offices.

For example, if your birth certificate was issued in the District of Columbia and you intend to use it in the Republic of China, your document needs to be authenticated by the Secretary of D.C., US Department of State, and the Chinese Embassy. But if your DC issued birth certificate will be used in the country of Mexico, your certificate only needs the apostille from the Office of the Secretary of District of Columbia.

If a country requesting your document is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention and your document was issued in the District of Columbia, all you typically need is the apostille from the Secretary office of D.C.  The most common DC issued documents we process are birth and death certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, public records, notarized documents, etc.

Documents issued by the United States Federal Government are processed through the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington DC.  Here are the most common US Federal documents we obtain apostilles for:  
                                             

• FBI background checks                                                                                                    
• Certificate of Naturalization                                                                                              
• Certificate of Citizenship                                                                                                     
• Certificate to Foreign Government issued by the FDA                                                    
• Petition for Name Change                                                                                                
• USPTO documents                                                                                                       
• Social Security Income and Benefit Statements                                                                           
• US Federal Bankruptcy documents                                                                                  
• IRS form 6166                                                                                                                        
• FAA documents                                                                                                               
• US Federal Court documents                                                                                                           
• USDA, USCIS certified copies, and more!

Obtaining an apostille can be intricate. Avoid leaving this task for inexperienced staff or non-professionals who are not fully aware of the complexities of the apostille process and the unique requirements of certain countries. Your application may be rejected, and you will lose time and money. Make a better choice!

Our experts are available Monday through Friday from 10.00 AM to 6.00 PM. Please call us at 1-770-447-0360 and we will answer all your questions and offer easy to follow detailed instructions.