Apostille is a French word that means certification.  When legal or official documents which were issued in the state of Oklahoma are to be used in a foreign country, it may sometimes be necessary to authenticate the validity of the signatures on those Oklahoma documents.  "Authentication" is sometimes called "Verification", "Validation" or "Certification".  "Authentication" is also sometimes called an official "Stamp" or an official "Seal".

Government agencies in most countries require legal and official documents from a different country to be authenticated by a credible agency in the foreign country before they will accept any documents as valid.  An Oklahoma Apostille is a document issued by the Oklahoma Secretary of State which is used for international validation.

• An Oklahoma Apostille is like an international notary stamp.
• An Oklahoma Apostille attached to a document legally verifies the signature and the position of the official who has executed, issued or certified a copy of any document.
• An Oklahoma Apostille is a document which bears the signature and, usually, the seal of an official state agency, usually the Secretary of State.
• An Oklahoma Apostille is attached (usually stapled) to a legal or official document.

An Oklahoma Apostille does not validate the contents of the document.  An Oklahoma Apostille validates only the authenticity of the signature of the official who signed the Oklahoma document, the capacity in which that official acted, and when appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears.  This is usually an Oklahoma Notary Public; an Oklahoma Elected Official; or an Oklahoma Appointed Official.

Most, but not all, countries recognize an Apostille as a legal document.   In 1961 a number of countries got together and agreed to some conventions for conducting international business.  Representatives of the countries met in The Hague, Netherlands, and the agreements that were signed became known as the Hague Convention of 1961.

Part of the Hague Convention has to do with easing the process of using valid documents from one country in another country.  Prior to 1981 the process of validating foreign documents could be cumbersome, expensive and slow. 

Countries that signed the Hague Convention have agreed to recognize valid documents issued by other signatory countries if those documents are authenticated by the attachment of an internationally recognized form of authentication known as an Apostille. 

The Oklahoma Apostille ensures that documents issued in Oklahoma will be recognized as valid in another signatory country.

In addition to the United States, the following countries have signed the Hague Convention and will accept a document with an Oklahoma Apostille attached.  For countries not listed the Oklahoma Secretary of State will issue a which can be affixed to an official or legal Oklahoma document in the same way in which an Oklahoma Apostille is affixed to a Oklahoma document.

If a country does not legally recognize an Apostille for an Oklahoma document then that country probably will accept a Oklahoma issued by the Oklahoma Secretary of State.  The Oklahoma Secretary of State will issue a Oklahoma in lieu of an Apostille.  In the state of Oklahoma, the Apostille and Oklahoma administrative processes are virtually the same.

No.  The Oklahoma Secretary of State will not notarize any documents.  Oklahoma documents which were not issued by an Oklahoma state agency must be notarized by a registered Oklahoma Notary Public or certified by the Vital Records department in the Oklahoma city or county in which the documents were issued.

No.  The Oklahoma Secretary of State will not issue an Apostille for a document which was originally issued in a state other than Oklahoma.  The Oklahoma Secretary of State will issue an Apostille only for documents which were issued or originated in the state of Oklahoma.

No.  The Oklahoma Secretary of State will not issue an Apostille for a Oklahoma document which is in a foreign language other than English.  The Oklahoma document must be accompanied by a notarized English version of the Oklahoma document.

No.  The Oklahoma Secretary of State will not issue an Apostille for a federal US document.  Federal documents which have been issued by an agency of the US government are authenticated by the US Department of State Authentications Office.

The total cost of an Apostille depends on the number of signatures (not documents) that you want to authenticate and the time by which you want to receive your Apostilled Oklahoma documents.  When you fill out the order form below, the cost is automatically updated as you specify your options.

We can handle every step of the Oklahoma Apostille process for any certified or notarized document which was issued in the state of Oklahoma.

The time it takes to get an Oklahoma Apostille depends on the nature of the documents that you want Apostilled. We've found that it takes around 7-10 business days for the Oklahoma to complete the Apostille process.

The Oklahoma Secretary of State reserves the right to extend expedite periods in time of extreme volume, staff shortage or equipment malfunction.  We are dependent on, and have no control over, the staff and systems of the Oklahoma Secretary of State.  In our experience the time specified is the time it usually takes the Oklahoma Secretary of State to process Apostille orders.  We get your Oklahoma Apostille request to the OK Secretary of State ASAP.  Once it is at the state we have very little or no control over the Oklahoma Apostille process.

If you are ready to order an Oklahoma Apostille online now just fill in the form below and click Place Order.  As soon as we receive your order for an Oklahoma Apostille we will start processing it ASAP.  We will provide you with a shipping label if you need to send any notarized Oklahoma documents to us.