visaservices

Do you need an apostille? This can be a very tricky question! It is not always straightforward and based on different requirements in different countries, whether or not you need an apostille will vary. One important thing to remember is even if you do not need an apostille based on your documents, if you request one from the regulatory agency, they will give you one! They do not check whether it’s required based on your request that’s why it’s important to understand the guidelines as well as engage a service like Washington Express Visas to make sure you have everything you need and are not wasting time, money or energy. 

 It is important to understand the definition of apostille and the 1961 Hague Convention to know whether or not you need an apostille for your document. An apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document. And all countries that signed on to the 1961 Hague Convention agreed to accept an “apostilled” document from other countries part of the Hague Convention. Therefore, if you need to use a non-federal document in a Hague Country, you are able to use the apostille certification process. 

 As part of the apostille  process you will need to work with your state’s Secretary of State if they are non-federal documents and if they are federal documents you will work with the U.S. Department of State. This process can be made easy by Washington Express Visas. Contact us directly for more information!

 So now back to our original question…do you need an apostille? Well the answer to that goes back to the Hague Convention of 1961. If you are sending documents to a country part of the Hague Convention, then the answer is yes! You will need to apostille your document. However, if you are sending documents to a country that is NOT part of the Hague Convention…then you do NOT need an apostille. Instead you need to authenticate your document(s). The process of authentication looks very similar to apostille but is not actually the same. For authenticated documents for countries not part of the Hague Convention, you must first send your document to the Secretary of State before it gets authenticated by the U.S. State Department. Again, keep in mind that if you are not aware of the difference in this process and you send your documents to the Secretary of State and ask for an apostille, they will give that to you! Regardless of if your documents are for a country not part of the Hague Convention of 1961. 

 Washington Express is more than happy to help with the process of apostille or authentication. Contact us today for a consultation! 

There are many different types of documents out there that have parameters around certifications and apostilles. It is important you do your research to understand what type of documentation you will need and what the apostille process looks like based on the documents you needs.

Marriage Certificates: These documents will need to be apostilled to be accepted overseas. Washington Express Visas can help you with that service. We are able to support you in apostille service for marriage certificates in all 50 states of the United States. It is important that you have a certified copy from the state you were married in before trying to get this apostilled. There are many reasons why someone may need to have their marriage certificate apostilled, including applying for dual citizenship, divorce or death of a spouse, or requirements of a new employer.

International Student Documents: It is important that international students have all their documents organized and apostilled when planning to go to a school internationally. We recognize there is a lot going on when students are making this transition to a new country for school, however, the paperwork cannot be overlooked. When going through the admission process as well as the graduation process, international students need to get documents such as transcripts and diplomas certified through the apostille process. This is important to make sure these documents are recognized in the country they are returning to or moving to. The great news is that getting these documents apostilled will ensure they are recognized internationally. Washington Express Visas can help with this process that is often difficult for students who don’t speak the language of the country they are applying to. It is also important to remember that different countries have different processes for this.

Corporate Documents for doing Business Abroad: While this process may seem simple for companies, it is actually incredibly complicated. Companies that are doing business in other countries will often need to get many documents apostilled to authenticate the documents they are using. This will ensure their documents are accepted overseas. It is important for companies to do their research or partner with a service like Washington Express Visas to know which documents need to be apostilled. These types of documents are often items like powers of attorney, contracts, letters of incorporation, etc. It is also important companies are checking with which country they are doing business in to ensure they know that process for that particular country as it can vary country by country.

Washington Express Visas is here for all your apostille service needs. We would love to help you through this process! Reach out to us today at 202-393-3030.

We often receive questions about whether apostilles expire after a certain amount of time. We thought it would be beneficial to first explain what an apostille means before defining expiration requirements. Apostille means to certify or authenticate a document. It aims to simplify the legalization of documents to verify their authenticity in order to be valid internationally.

If you have questions around what type of apostille you need, please check out our blog.

The short answer to the question “does an apostille expire?” is no. An apostille does not have an expiration date. However, there are some additional details you must know about this question. Please keep in mind, in order to follow these guidelines, the countries you are using your apostille for must be part of the Hague Apostille Convention. The countries part of the Hague Apostille Convention may request your documents be recently issued with an apostille. For example, they may request it was issued in the past 30 to 90 days which is why you need more detail even though technically an apostille does not expire.

Our best advice is to make sure you are always checking with the country that is requesting these documents and their apostille process. It is important you know exactly how recent that country requires the apostille to have been issued. Make sure to do this before you mail your documents in to be processed. We often hear that background checks have the most restrictions when it comes to how recent the apostille service has been completed.

Also, please keep in mind that some states also have restrictions around this in addition to countries having guidelines around this. It is important that you recognize all these limitations when thinking through the apostille service.

Washington Express Visas is here for all your apostille service needs. We would love to help you through this process! Reach out to us today at 202-393-3030.

Ever wonder if that document you have needs to be legalized? Well, our first recommendation is to check if you need a “legalized document” and if the answer is yes, our second recommendation is to come to Washington Express Visas! The document legalization process can be confusing and frustrating and we’re here to make that process easier and faster as well. Washington Express Visas will save you time and provide peace of mind by staying in contact with you to let you know the status of any item you have in process with us and will notify you of any issues or delays.

Washington Express Visas provides prompt and reliable document legalization, authentication and certification services.  We will have one of our specially trained document legalization agents hand-carry your legal documents to the DC Notary & Authentication office (if required), the State Department Authentication office and then to the appropriate Embassy. We will have your documents processed accurately, quickly and for a price far less than other visa or document services. We also offer same day pick-up and delivery to and from your DC office.

Here is a basic overview of the Document Legalization process:

Washington Express Visas offers same day pick-up and expedited service for your document legalization and authentication needs.  We ensure that your documents are processed properly and efficiently, and for an affordable price.  Click here to see our rate schedule for prices.

If you are interested in legalizing your document(s), please complete the attached request form and credit card authorization form (if paying by credit card) and send along with your document to Washington Express Visas and Document Legalization.

In order to obtain legalization, we will need the original document. This needs to be a signed-and-notarized or a State-issued Document.

The Legalization processing time at the Embassies varies, but usually takes about 3 – 5 business days.

Documents requiring legalization will be processed through the appropriate Embassy consular office. In order for the document to be recognized by the Embassy, it first needs to be certified by the U.S. State Department. As part of our service, we can take your documents to the U.S. State Department and also advise you on their exact requirements before they will place their seal.