If you’re preparing a document for use in another country, you’ve probably run into two words that sound like they might mean the same thing: notarization and apostille. They don’t. Confusing them is one of the most common – and most expensive – mistakes people make when getting documents ready for international use, because using the wrong one means your document gets rejected by a foreign government and you start over.
Here’s the short version: a notary verifies a signature. An apostille verifies the notary. Most documents headed abroad need both, in that order. The rest of this guide explains exactly what each one does, when you need which, and how they fit together.
What Is a Notary Public?
A notary public is a person authorized by a U.S. state to witness the signing of documents and verify the identity of the people signing them. When you sign a document in front of a notary, the notary checks your ID, confirms you’re signing willingly, watches you sign, and then applies their official stamp or seal and signature.
Notarization does one specific thing: it certifies that the signature on a document is genuine. It does not verify that the contents of the document are true, legal, or accurate – only that the person who signed it is who they say they are and signed it of their own free will.
Common documents that get notarized include powers of attorney, affidavits, contracts, real estate documents, parental consent letters, and sworn statements. A notary’s authority comes from the state that commissioned them, and a notarization is generally recognized throughout the United States.
What Is an Apostille?
An apostille is a certificate that authenticates a public document for international use. It’s issued under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, an international treaty that more than 120 countries have signed. An apostille is recognized by every member country, which means a document apostilled in the United States is accepted in France, Spain, Japan, Mexico, and any other Hague Convention member without further legalization.
An apostille verifies that the official who signed or sealed a document – such as a notary public, a county clerk, or a state vital records office – is legitimate and authorized. In the case of a notarized document, the apostille essentially confirms: “Yes, the notary who notarized this document is a real, commissioned notary in this state.”
Apostilles are issued by a designated authority in each country. In the United States, state-issued documents are apostilled by the Secretary of State of the issuing state (for example, the Oregon Secretary of State), while federal documents are apostilled by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.
Apostille vs Notary: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Notary Public | Apostille | |
|---|---|---|
| What it verifies | That a signature is genuine and the signer’s identity | That the official (e.g., notary) who handled the document is legitimate |
| Issued by | An individual notary public | The Secretary of State (state docs) or U.S. Dept of State (federal docs) |
| Recognized where | Throughout the United States | In all 120+ Hague Convention member countries |
| Purpose | Domestic verification of signatures | International authentication of documents |
| Comes first? | Yes – usually a prerequisite to apostille | No – applied after notarization |
| Can replace the other? | No | No |
Can a Notary Apostille a Document?
No. This is the single most common point of confusion, so let’s be clear: a notary public cannot issue an apostille. They are two different functions performed by two different authorities. A notary witnesses and certifies signatures; an apostille is issued by a state or federal government office.
Some notaries advertise “apostille services,” which can make this confusing. What they actually mean is that they offer a service that handles both steps for you – they notarize the document (or coordinate notarization) and then submit it to the Secretary of State for the apostille on your behalf. The notary themselves isn’t issuing the apostille; they’re acting as a courier and coordinator for the government office that does.
When You Need Just a Notary
You need notarization without an apostille when your document will only be used within the United States. Examples include a power of attorney for a domestic real estate transaction, an affidavit for a U.S. court, a domestic contract requiring witnessed signatures, or a consent form for a U.S. institution.
If the document never leaves the country, a notary’s seal is typically all you need.
When You Need Just an Apostille
Some documents can be apostilled without notarization – specifically, government-issued public records that already bear an official seal. Birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage certificates issued by a state vital records office fall into this category. These documents are already “official” because a government office issued them, so they go straight to the Secretary of State for apostille without needing a notary’s involvement.
The same applies to FBI background checks, which are federal documents apostilled directly by the U.S. Department of State without notarization.
When You Need Both (Most International Documents)
Most documents headed abroad need both notarization and apostille, performed in that order. This applies to any document that isn’t already a government-issued public record – which is to say, most documents an individual or business creates.
Documents that typically need both include:
- Powers of attorney – for selling property, handling estates, or granting authority abroad
- Affidavits and sworn statements – single status affidavits for marriage abroad, for example
- Travel consent letters – for a minor traveling internationally with one parent or another adult
- Diplomas and transcripts – when they need to be notarized copies for foreign universities or employers
- Business documents – certain corporate resolutions, agreements, and authorizations
The sequence matters: notarization first, then apostille. The apostille authenticates the notary’s seal, so the notary’s seal has to be there first. Trying to get an apostille on a document that should have been notarized but wasn’t will result in rejection by the Secretary of State.
How the Process Works When You Need Both
- Sign in front of a notary. The document is signed in the presence of a commissioned notary public, who verifies your identity and applies their seal.
- Submit to the Secretary of State. The notarized document goes to the Secretary of State of the state where it was notarized, which issues the apostille certifying the notary’s authority.
- Use the document abroad. With both the notary seal and the apostille attached, the document is now recognized in any Hague Convention country.
An important detail: the document must be apostilled in the same state where it was notarized. A power of attorney notarized in Oregon must be apostilled by the Oregon Secretary of State – not California’s, not Washington’s. If you notarize in the wrong state for your situation, you’ll have to start over.
What About Non-Hague Countries?
Apostilles only work for countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention. For documents going to a country that isn’t a member – such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, or China for certain document types – a different process called embassy legalization (or consular legalization) is required. This involves authentication by the U.S. Department of State followed by legalization at the destination country’s embassy or consulate. It’s more involved and takes longer than a simple apostille.
| How Oregon Apostille Hub helps We handle both steps so you don’t have to coordinate them separately. We can arrange notarization through trusted Oregon notaries (including mobile notary visits) and then submit your document to the Oregon Secretary of State for apostille – all in one process. For documents going to non-Hague countries, we coordinate embassy legalization through our D.C. partners. If you’re not sure whether your document needs a notary, an apostille, or both, contact us with the details and we’ll tell you exactly what’s required before you spend any money. |
The Bottom Line
Notarization and apostille are complementary, not interchangeable. A notary verifies your signature; an apostille verifies the notary for international use. Most documents headed abroad need both, applied in the right order and in the right state. Getting this wrong is the most common reason documents get rejected by foreign governments – and getting it right the first time is exactly what a professional apostille service is for.
Need a document notarized and apostilled for use abroad? Oregon Apostille Hub handles the entire process, with same-day service available. Call (971) 708-3000 or request a free quote online.