Apostille is a French word that means certification.  When legal or official documents which were issued in the state of Pennsylvania are to be used in a foreign country, it may sometimes be necessary to authenticate the validity of the signatures on those Pennsylvania 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.  A Pennsylvania Apostille is a document issued by the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth which is used for international validation.

• A Pennsylvania Apostille is like an international notary stamp.
• A Pennsylvania 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.
• A Pennsylvania Apostille is a document which bears the signature and, usually, the seal of an official state agency, usually the Secretary of State.
• A Pennsylvania Apostille is attached (usually stapled) to a legal or official document.

A Pennsylvania Apostille does not validate the contents of the document.  A Pennsylvania Apostille validates only the authenticity of the signature of the official who signed the Pennsylvania 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 a Pennsylvania Notary Public; a Pennsylvania Elected Official; or a Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Apostille ensures that documents issued in Pennsylvania 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 a Pennsylvania Apostille attached.  For countries not listed the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth will issue a which can be affixed to an official or legal Pennsylvania document in the same way in which a Pennsylvania Apostille is affixed to a Pennsylvania document.

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

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

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

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

No.  The Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Apostille process for any certified or notarized document which was issued in the state of Pennsylvania.

The time it takes to get a Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania to complete the Apostille process.

The Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth 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 Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth.  In our experience the time specified is the time it usually takes the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth to process Apostille orders.  We get your Pennsylvania Apostille request to the PA Secretary of the Commonwealth ASAP.  Once it is at the state we have very little or no control over the Pennsylvania Apostille process.

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