International authentication
Apostille, State Department certification, and embassy legalization — handled as one chain by agents who file in person daily.
190+
Countries served
All DC
Embassies walked
5–10 days
Apostille turnaround
24–72 hrs
Rush service
Step 1 — Notarization. A commissioned notary witnesses the signature on your affidavit, power of attorney, or copy certification. Step 2 — County or state authentication. The Secretary of State (or county clerk first, in a handful of states) certifies the notary's commission. Step 3 — Apostille OR US State Department certification. Hague countries stop here. Non-Hague countries continue. Step 4 — Embassy legalization. The destination country's embassy or consulate adds the final stamp.
Federal documents — FBI background checks, IRS letters, FDA certificates, USPTO assignments, immigration paperwork — must be authenticated by the US State Department's Office of Authentications in DC. State-issued documents — birth, marriage, and death certificates, diplomas, notarized affidavits, corporate filings — go through the issuing state's Secretary of State. NotarySeal agents process both, often in parallel to compress timelines.
It's the chain of certifications that proves a US document is genuine so it will be accepted by a foreign government, court, university, or employer. Depending on the destination country, that chain is either a single apostille or full consular legalization.
If your destination country is a member of the 1961 Hague Convention, you need an apostille only. For non-member countries (UAE, China, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Qatar, and others), you need full consular legalization through the destination country's embassy.
Apostille-only countries: 5–15 business days, or 24–72 hours with rush. Consular legalization: 2–6 weeks depending on the embassy, with some embassies offering same-day windows for an extra fee.
Yes. NotarySeal agents file with every Secretary of State and with the US State Department's Office of Authentications in Washington, DC. They also walk documents through DC-area embassies for legalization.
Often yes. Many embassies require the translation to be done by a certified translator, notarized, and then authenticated alongside the original. Confirm requirements with your destination country before you start.