Apostille vs. Notary – What’s the Difference?
When preparing documents for international use, people often ask: Is there a difference between a notary and an apostille? The answer is yes — and it’s an important one. These are two distinct processes, and understanding the difference ensures that your documents are accepted in the country where you intend to use them.
Some people refer to the process as an “apostille notary,” but that term combines two separate steps: notarization and apostille certification. Let’s break down the difference and clarify when each is needed.
What Does a Notary Do?
A notary public is a licensed professional who verifies the identity of the person signing a document. They check a government-issued ID and ensure the person is signing willingly and understands what they’re signing. Once this is done, the notary applies a stamp or seal that confirms the document was signed in their presence.
Notarization helps prevent fraud and makes a document legally valid for use within the United States. This includes things like power of attorney forms, sworn affidavits, or real estate documents.
What Is an Apostille?
An apostille is a special certificate that verifies the authenticity of a document so that it can be accepted in another country that is part of the Hague Apostille Convention. Unlike a notary, who simply validates a signature, an apostille certifies that the document is official and legally recognized in the country of origin.
This certificate is issued either by the Secretary of State of the issuing state (for state-level documents like birth certificates or academic records), or by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. (for federal documents such as FBI background checks or Social Security letters).
Do You Ever Need Both?
Yes. In many cases, a document must be notarized first and then apostilled. For example, if you’re moving abroad for work and need to present your university diploma, that diploma will first need to be notarized by the registrar’s office, and then submitted for apostille certification by the appropriate state authority.
This dual step applies to various documents, including sworn statements, letters of consent for child travel, and single status affidavits used for marriage abroad.
How to Get a Document Notarized
The notarization process is generally quick and simple. Many banks, law firms, tax offices, and even shipping centers like FedEx or UPS offer notary services. In some cases, they may require you to be a client. If you’re unable to visit a location in person, mobile notaries can come to your home or office. In certain states, remote online notarization is also available and legally accepted.
How to Get an Apostille (And Why It’s Complicated)
Getting an apostille on your own is often time-consuming. First, you need to determine whether the document requires state-level or federal-level authentication. Then, you must comply with the specific requirements of the issuing office — which may involve certified copies, special forms, and shipping to government agencies.
Processing times can vary widely, and it’s easy to make a mistake that causes delays or rejections.
Easiest Path: Hire a professional apostille service.
Why Work with One Source Process
Here’s how we simplify everything:
- You upload your documents online, and we review them for free to ensure they’re complete and acceptable for apostille.
- We provide you with a custom quote and timeline, so there are no surprises.
Once you approve, we begin the process immediately. Each client is assigned a dedicated representative who personally monitors the progress and communicates updates — ensuring fast, reliable service without unnecessary delays.
Need Help? Contact Us Anytime
Whether you’re unsure about which certification you need or want help getting started, our team is here 7 days a week. We’ve handled thousands of apostilles across all 50 U.S. states and internationally — so you can be confident your documents are in the right hands.
Contact us today and let One Source Process take the confusion out of document authentication.
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Hello, I need to apostille my mother’s death certificate. It is from the state of Florida. Please let me know how much it would be to do so.
Hello Carolina
We can certainly assist. Please send us your request by going to https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. Your assigned specialist will review your documents to make sure they’re valid for apostille and they will let you know the process required, available processing times and costs.
Danny
We need power of attorney to be apostile and sent to Italy for citizenship purpose
It’s written in Portuguese
We are in diferente states
Please let me know how can we do this
Thank you
Hello Patrícia,
We can certainly assist. Please send us your request by going to https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. Your assigned specialist will review your documents to make sure they’re valid for apostille and they will let you know the process required, available processing times and costs.
Thank you,
Danny
Hello!
My wife and I are purchasing a home in New Mexico. I am in France right now and she is in the USA. I need to have a power of attorney form notarized such that it is recognized in New Mexico. So far I can only find this service through the US Embassy (900 kilometers away in Paris). Is that my only option or can you (or someone else) do this for me?
Thank you
Brian
Hello Brian,
We can certainly assist. Please send us your request by going to https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. Your assigned specialist will review your documents to make sure they’re valid for apostille and they will let you know the process required, available processing times and costs.
Thank you,
Danny
My marriage occurred over 60 years ago at Fort Dix New Jersey. I have a copy of the marriage certificate but not the original. What is the process to get it apostilled?
Hello James,
We will need to take a look at the document you currently have to determine if it’s valid for apostille or if you will need to obtain a new copy. Please send us your request by going to https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. Your assigned specialist will review your documents to make sure they’re valid for apostille and they will let you know the process required, available processing times and costs.
Thank you,
Danny
I’m applying for a polish passport and I need to apostile my absolute divorce certificate
Divorce was granted in the state of Massachusetts.
Can you help me in my situation, please.
Hello Irena,
We can certainly assist. In order to process your document accurately and as quickly as possible, we will ask that you upload a copy of your document for review by going to our order form https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. Once submitted, you will be assigned a specialist who will email you your review results and quote. Should you decide to proceed, they will include a payment link for payment so that we can begin processing your apostille request.
Thank you,
Danny
I am filing a court recognition of my divorce in California. My lawyer in the philippines required me to submit an authenticated divorce judgment and authentocated copy of family code section 2336. I got a certified divorce judgment from the family court. What is your advice?
Hello Dan,
We’re here to help you! To ensure that we can process your documents accurately and promptly, we kindly request that you upload a copy of your documents for review through our order form available at https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. After submitting your documents, one of our specialists will be assigned to review them and provide you with a quote and review results via email. If you choose to proceed with the service, the specialist will also send you a payment link to start the authentication process.
Thank you,
Danny
Us siblings(4 in Maryland + 1 in Victoria,Canada) and our mom is issuing a power of attorney to our lawyer in the Philippines. Please let me know what to do and the estimated cost . Thanks
Hello,
We can assist! To ensure that we can process your documents accurately and promptly, we kindly request that you upload a copy of them for review through our order form available at https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. After submitting your request, one of our specialists will be assigned to review your documents and provide you with a quote and review results via email. If you choose to proceed with the service, the specialist will also send you a payment link to start the apostille process.
Thank you,
Danny
I have a client, a permanent resident (green card holder)
that owns property in California but is currently out of the USA. Wants to sign a deed, transferring title, while out of the country. So a Notary and Apostille will be necessary??
We can assist! To ensure that we can process your documents accurately and promptly, we kindly request that you upload a copy of them for review through our order form available at https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. After submitting your request, one of our specialists will be assigned to review your documents and provide you with a quote and review results via email. If you choose to proceed with the service, the specialist will also send you a payment link to start the apostille process.
Thank you,
Danny
I have a certified US death certificate for my husband that will need to be translated into Spanish and given to my Mexican Lawyer to have the property title placed into my name to enable a sale. I believe the document may also need an apostille.
Are you able to do this and what is the approximate cost.
We can assist! To ensure that we can process your documents accurately and promptly, we kindly request that you upload a copy of them for review through our order form available at https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/. After submitting your request, one of our specialists will be assigned to review your documents and provide you with a quote and review results via email. If you choose to proceed with the service, the specialist will also send you a payment link to start the apostille and translation process.
Thank you,
Danny