For documents that will be used outside of the United States, an apostille or authentication process is required. The apostille process is for countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention, while the authentication process is for countries that are not members of the Hague Apostille Convention.
Usually, most offices of the Secretary of State will issue an apostille or authentication for your document which is signed by a local notary in your state.
However, in the following states, if the document is signed by a notary, additional verification or certification is needed before sending it to the Secretary of State Office for apostille or authentication.
Alabama:
Each notarized document must have an additional county authentication of the notary commission. County authentications are issued by the office of the probate judge in the county of the notary's commission.
Georgia:
The notarized document must be taken to the clerk of superior court in which the notary is commissioned to complete a notary certification.
Hawaii:
The notary’s signature and commission must be verified by the Circuit Court in the circuit in which the Notary Public resides.
Kentucky:
For documents signed by a notary, the notary's signature must be certified by the county clerk in the county where the notary took the oath of office.
For documents signed by a circuit clerk or circuit judge, must be signed by a judge and/or circuit clerk, certified by the county clerk in the county where the circuit court is located.
Maryland:
The notary’s signature is then authenticated by the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the notary was commissioned.
New York:
Notarized documents must be certified by the County Clerk of the County where the notary is certified to notarize.
Birth, Death, and Marriage certificates and Certificate of Divorce issued by a local or county official or county Department of Health must first be certified by the County Clerk of the county where the document was issued.
Birth, Death, and Marriage certificates issued by the New York State Department of Health and bearing the signature of the Director of Vital Statistics or NYS Registrar do not require a County Clerk certification.
Tennessee:
Take the notarized document to the County Clerk of the County where the Notary Public was commissioned and have the Notary Public’s signature certified by the County Clerk.
For the notarized document from the above states, please order both services below.
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