FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

An apostille is a certificate attached to an official document (for example, a birth or marriage certificate) that certifies:

  • the authenticity of the signature of the public official who signed the document,
  • the capacity in which that public official acted, and
  • the authenticity of the seal (or stamp) affixed to the document

The Apostille does not validate the contents of the document.

In order that a document issued in one country can be recognized in another country, that document must be legalized or authenticated. For countries that are members of The 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, this legalization process has been simplified. Under The Apostille Hague Convention, signatory countries have agreed to recognize each other's official documents if they have an Apostille.

For non-signatories, the legalization of documents is more complicated and requires that the document be authenticated by a consular official.

The word “Apostille” comes from the French verb “apostiller”, which derives from the old French word "postille" meaning “annotation,” and before it the Latin word "postilla".

Apostille is needed if you intend to use an official document issued in one country in another country. Moreover, both countries must be members of The Apostille Hague Convention.

The Certificate Retrieval Service provides a trusted and convenient way for you to order vital records online – quickly, affordably, and with the utmost level of security to ensure your documents are safely handled. Government agencies across the world trust us to handle your vital record orders, and you can too.

1. Place your order
3. Verify your identity online
2. Sign the application form
4. Get the certificate delivered to you

Depending on your needs, you can additionally request notarization, legalization, translation, and apostille of the certificate.

The time to get documents processed differs based on the type of certificates and the country the documents are to be used in (whether they require an apostille, notarization, and/or translation). The timelines quoted are estimates and there could be delays based on several factors which include: processing times at the Embassies and Government Departments, weather-related closings, mail or shipping delays, etc.

Our fee is 295 EUR per certificate (including governmental fee and excluding shipment).

We accept:

  • Bank Transfer (SWIFT and SEPA)
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    and Northern Ireland
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  • Vanuatu
    Venezuela

Yes, please contact our Support Team with your order number.

The Certificate Retrieval service is provided by Notary24.com™, the world’s largest notary public online platform, serving more than 10 million customers per year.

We work directly with 950+ official government agencies around the world, responsible for issuing vital records, including birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates.

As the only officially accredited and certified vital records provider, we will get the documents you need quickly, safely, and affordably.

"The ABCs of Apostilles" (PDF) brochure provides basic information about the Apostille Convention and the Convention's operation that has been prepared by the Permanent Bureau (Secretariat) of the Hague Conference on Private International Law and is provided with the Permanent Bureau's permission.