Skip to content
Same-day appointments may be available today. Call 310-773-1911
Apostille & Authentication

Apostille service in Los Angeles — notarized, authenticated, and returned to your door.

Sending documents abroad? An apostille (also called document authentication) is the California Secretary of State’s certification that lets your document be accepted in another country. I handle the whole errand: notarization where required, hand delivery to the Secretary of State’s Los Angeles office, and the apostilled document returned to you.

Powers of attorney · birth & marriage certificates · corporate documents · adoption & study-abroad paperwork · Se habla español

How it works

One flat package, start to finish

You don’t need to learn the state’s process or stand in line downtown. Send me the document details and I’ll confirm the plan on one call:

  1. Notarize — a mobile appointment at your home or office, if your document requires notarization first
  2. Authenticate — I take the document to the California Secretary of State’s Los Angeles office and obtain the apostille
  3. Return — pickup, drop-off, or overnight shipping; international courier (DHL/FedEx) quoted separately

Which countries? Apostilles work for countries in the Hague Apostille Convention. If your destination country isn’t a member, a different certification chain applies — tell me the country up front and I’ll confirm the correct route before anything is scheduled.

Prepare

What I’ll ask when you call

  • What document is it — and has it already been notarized?
  • What country is it going to? (This determines the entire process)
  • What’s your timeline — standard weekly run or rush?
  • How should the finished documents come back to you?
Plain-language note. Most people search for “authentication” or “legalization” — in Hague Convention countries it’s the same thing as an apostille. Vital records (birth/marriage certificates) are authenticated as certified county copies; I’ll explain what your specific document needs. A notary cannot provide legal advice or tell you which form to use.
Pricing

Apostille package pricing

  • Apostille package — single document
    mobile notarization (if required), delivery to the Secretary of State, apostille handling, and local return or domestic overnight
    from $175
  • Additional documents, same order
    quoted together
  • California Secretary of State fee
    state apostille fee, itemized at cost
    at cost
  • International courier (DHL / FedEx)
    quoted separately

Package pricing covers coordination, travel, and handling — statutory notarial-act fees always remain within California limits (Gov. Code §8211) and are itemized separately. Every fee is confirmed before anything is scheduled.

Common uses

Documents people apostille most

Personal & family

Powers of attorney for property abroad, birth and marriage certificates, single-status affidavits, school and adoption paperwork.

Business & corporate

Corporate formation documents, agreements, and commercial paperwork for companies operating internationally.

Education & travel

Diplomas, transcripts, and study-abroad or work-visa document packages headed to Hague Convention countries.

Questions

Apostille FAQ

What exactly is an apostille?

It’s the California Secretary of State’s certificate authenticating the notary’s or official’s signature on your document, so authorities in another Hague Convention country will accept it. Many people know it as “document authentication” or “legalization.”

How long does it take?

I make regular runs to the Secretary of State’s Los Angeles office. Standard orders are usually completed within the week; genuine rush needs can often be accommodated — call with your deadline and I’ll tell you honestly whether it’s achievable.

My document is going to a country not in the Hague Convention. Can you still help?

Non-Hague destinations use a different certification chain that typically continues beyond the Secretary of State. Tell me the country when you call — I’ll confirm what the route involves before you commit to anything.

Do you handle documents in Spanish?

Se habla español — I’m happy to walk through the process in Spanish. Note that the notarial act itself must meet California requirements, and translation is not a notarial service.

Tell me the document and the country — I’ll handle the rest.

Call Carlos Check Availability
Creative By Zuniga - 40% off everything we build through Aug 31. Websites, apps and AI automation from $2,940.