Do You Need an Apostille Service?

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Admin

Living in a global economy, it’s no surprise that many Americans choose to relocate to other countries for employment opportunities. There are also many families that choose to adopt children from foreign countries. In both cases, the message is clear: the world is fast becoming a nation of global citizens.

Whether traveling overseas to adopt a child, seeking new employment opportunities, or taking an extended vacation, there is a lot of paperwork involved to make sure everything is legitimate prior to your departure. This can be difficult to accomplish because most countries have strict requirements in terms of what paperwork and documentation is accepted as valid and genuine.

This is why an apostille service is essential.

In case you aren’t familiar with the term, apostille is actually a French word that means certification. The idea of the modern apostille was born in 1961 at The Hague Convention where multiple countries came together and established a universal system for certifying documents as valid. If you are moving to or visiting a country that is a member of The Hague Convention, obtaining an apostille for your documents guarantees that this paperwork will be recognized as valid in the foreign country.

If you are looking for a company offering document authentication services in the USA, look no further than US Authentication Services. Our apostille service in Washington, DC ensures that your important documents are properly certified in the least amount of time possible. Rather than mailing your documents to the US State Department Office of Authentications, we hand deliver the documents for the fastest apostille and authentication service available.

If you would like to learn more about our authentication and document attestation services, give us a call at 1-800-893-5807 or Contact Us today for a FREE quote. Our professional and courteous staff can help guide you through the certification process from start to finish so you can focus on more important things – like packing for your trip.

Attesting Documents 101

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Admin

There is a lot of misinformation about what attestation is and how the process works but the reality is that document attestation is quite simple. Attestation is another word for the legalization or authentication of a document so that another country accepts that document to be genuine.

Why is attestation so important?

Consider this example:

You are a US citizen you has just been offered the job of a lifetime. It could be as an English teacher in China or it could be a prestigious executive position with a corporation in the UAE. You have a college degree and plenty of professional certifications to back up your experience in these fields but how does the other country know that? These documents could be faked in order to make you appear like a more qualified candidate for the position than you actually are. The documents could also be altered in some way. The only way for a foreign government to be 100% sure that the documents you are presenting as part of your employment are genuine is through the process of attestation.

Do you need an apostille service or an authentication service?

An apostille is a special authentication procedure that is recognized by countries that participated in the Hague Convention. If living or working in a country that is a member of The Hague Convention, US Authentication Services offers apostille services to make this process easier.

Some countries, such as China, are not members of The Hague Convention. In this case, documents must go through a process of attestation instead. This process is slightly more complicated and requires that documents first be authenticated by the appropriate US authorities including the US Department of State Office of Authentications before ultimately being certified for use in the foreign country by that country’s embassy or consulate.

In either case, US Authentication Services can help you make sure your important legal documents are properly authenticated prior to beginning employment overseas. For more information about our apostille and authentication services or to receive a free quote, give us a call at 1-800-893-5807.

China Bound? Don’t Forget to Authenticate Your Legal Documents

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Admin

Any legal documents that originated in the US must be properly legalized, or authenticated, prior to being used in China. Examples of documents that might need to be authenticated include (but are not limited to) birth certificates, marriage certificates, higher education diplomas, and professional qualifications or certifications.

Since China is not a member of the Hague Convention, apostille is not considered an acceptable way to authenticate documents for use in the country. Instead, the documents must go through a three part process that is referred to as authentication. These steps are outlined below:

Notarization. Non-government issued documents such as professional certifications, power of attorney, and bank letters must first be notarized. Government-issued documents such as birth certificates do not require notarization assuming you possess a certified copy that was obtained from the state in which you reside (or did reside).
State Certification. With notarized or certified copies in hand, the Secretary of State Office must then certify the notary seal or certified copy by adding a statement page. Some states require that a county clerk first certify the notary seal as well. Some states also require certification at the federal level for additional authentication. This is referred to as requesting authentication from the US Department of State.
Consulate Authentication. The next step is to bring or send the certified documents to the Chinese Embassy or Consulate. The signatures and seal of the Secretary of State Office are verified and then the document is authenticated for use in China.

These are the basic steps required to authenticate official documents for recognition in China. From finding employment to securing housing, these documents must be authenticated prior to being accepted as legal documentation in China.

This process requires multiple trips to various government entities at both the state and federal level. You can mail these items but it takes a lot longer than hand delivering the documents at each step along the journey. One of the easiest ways to obtain legalization of documents for China is to hire a professional authentication services company. US Authentication Services offers document legalization services in Washington, DC and can deliver your important documents to every appropriate entity in the authentication process. This ensures that everything is done right the first time and it saves you a lot of time too.

If you want to learn more about how US Authentication Services can streamline the authentication of your documents for use in China, give us a call at 1-800-890-5807 or contact us for a FREE QUOTE today.

Apostille Documents for Teachers in South Korea

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Admin

Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to Korean students is a lucrative opportunity that also provides you with the chance to learn about a culture that is very different from your own. Every year, hundreds of American teachers travel to South Korea to become ESL teachers and the South Korean government is happy to have them – as long as all the proper documentation is in order before they go.

To prevent hiring criminals and sexual predators as well as to ensure that ESL teachers have been properly licensed prior to beginning work in South Korea, the Korean government requires that all teachers coming into the country for work possess a copy of their FBI Criminal Background History Record and a copy of their MFA college diploma. Both of these documents need to be certified before obtaining an apostille. The apostille (which means certification in French) proves to the South Korean government that the documents being presented are legitimate and unaltered.

Although the steps to obtaining an apostille for your ESL teaching application may seem overwhelming, enlisting the help of an authentication services company, such as US Authentication Services, ensures that everything is done right and in a timely manner.

The process of obtaining apostille prior to teaching ESL in Korea isn’t difficult, but it can be extremely time consuming. From certification at the state level before going to the federal level, there are a lot of stops along the way. The process is further delayed if you choose to send your documents via mail for review by the appropriate government offices. US Authentication Services offers apostille service in Washington, DC so all documents we handle are physically brought to the proper location to avoid the inconvenient delays associated with mailing in your documents for review.