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Apostille (Certification) |
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What is an apostille (pronounced ah-poh-steel)? The Hague Convention of 1954 established an international system for verifying the authenticity of official documents that might travel from one country to another. This guarantee of authenticity is called an apostille - a French word meaning "certification." It is a governmental act by which a designated public official certifies to the genuineness of the signature, seal and the position of the official who has executed, issued, or notarized a document. Typically after a document has been notarized, it is sent to a state office where the signature and seal of the notary are verified, and the apostille is issued. The apostille may be attached as an annex to the document or placed on the document itself by means of a stamp. For
many years the apostille was largely ignored, but with the rise of
international terrorism, and especially since 9/11, many countries,
including Mexico, are now requiring official documents to have an
apostille. |
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What documents need or don't need an apostille? You don't need an apostille for your passport or for your driver's license. You don't need it for your birth certificate if you are using that only for ID to get an FMT tourist card. You will need to have an apostille for your birth certificate for any other use in Mexico -- such as applying for IMSS health insurance. You don't need it for the letter of permission to bring into Mexico a car owned by someone else. Just about any other
document will need an apostille -- certificates of marriage, death,
divorce, adoption; diplomas, college grade transcripts, professional
licenses, etc. |
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Where to get an apostille When you need to have an apostille for a document, ask at your county clerk's office; they will know the procedure for your state. And your notary may be able to direct you. These websites by the US State Department gives more details about an apostille http://travel.state.gov/law/info/judicial/judicial_2545.html and state-by-state addresses of the authority responsible for issuing apostilles.http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=authorities.details&aid=353 In Canada the procedure is different. Canada is not a signatory of the Hague Convention; thus it does not issue apostilles. You will need to take your Canadian documents to a Mexican consulate in Canada where they will issue the necessary papers for you. |