Nationwide Apostille Services, All 50 States

If a U.S. document is going to be used in another country, a foreign government, university, employer or court will usually want proof that it’s genuine. Depending on the country, that proof is an apostille or a longer authentication and legalization process. Getting it wrong means delays, rejected documents and sometimes repeated fees. Signed and Sorted helps individuals and businesses nationwide get documents from any U.S. state ready for international use, from the first notarization through to the final certificate.

Call (248) 975-7129 to talk through your document and destination country.

What Is an Apostille?

An apostille is a certificate attached to a public document that verifies the signature, seal or stamp on it, so the document can be recognized in another country. Apostilles are used between countries that are parties to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. A document carrying an apostille generally doesn’t need any further certification from the destination country’s embassy.

For countries that are not part of the Hague Convention, documents usually go through authentication and then embassy or consular legalization. We help with both routes.

Who Issues Apostilles

• State-level documents: such as Michigan birth, marriage and death certificates, notarized documents and state court records, are authenticated by the Secretary of State of the state where the document was issued. In Michigan, that’s the Michigan Department of State, Office of the Great Seal.
• Federal documents: such as FBI background checks and documents signed by federal officials, are authenticated by the U.S. Department of State.
• Documents from other states: need to go to the issuing state’s Secretary of State. We can coordinate this for you.

Requirements, processing times and fees are set by those offices and can change, so we confirm the current process for your document when you contact us.

Documents We Help With

• Birth, marriage and death certificates
• Diplomas, transcripts and other educational records
• Powers of attorney for use abroad
• Corporate documents: articles, certificates of good standing, resolutions, commercial agreements
• Court documents, such as divorce decrees and judgments
• Affidavits and other notarized statements
• FBI background checks, which can be paired with our fingerprinting service

How Our Apostille Service Works

1. Review. Tell us the document, where it was issued and which country it’s going to. We work out whether it needs an apostille or authentication and legalization, and whether it must be a certified copy or notarized first.
2. Notarization, if needed. Many private documents, such as powers of attorney, affidavits and copies certified by their custodian, must be properly notarized before the state will authenticate them. We take care of that with our mobile notary service or by remote online notarization.
3. Submission. We prepare the request and coordinate with the correct authority: the Michigan Department of State, another state’s Secretary of State, or the U.S. Department of State.
4. Legalization, if needed. For non-Hague countries, we coordinate the embassy or consulate step.
5. Return. You receive the completed document, ready to send abroad.

Apostille, Notarization and Certified Copies: What’s the Difference?

These three are often confused. A notarization is performed by a notary: it confirms who signed a document and that they signed willingly. It doesn’t make the document valid abroad on its own. A certified copy of a vital record, such as a birth or marriage certificate, is issued by the government office that holds the original record, and that’s usually what the state will apostille, not a photocopy. An apostille is issued by a state or federal authority. It confirms that the official who signed or sealed the document (a notary, county clerk or state registrar) holds that office.

Many documents need two or even all three steps in the right order. Sorting out that order before anything is signed is one of the most useful things we do.

Common Reasons Apostille Requests Get Rejected

• The wrong kind of copy: a photocopy, or a vital record without the right certification.
• An incomplete or incorrect notarial certificate on a notarized document.
• The wrong authority: for example, sending a federal document to a state office.
• A document signed by an official whose signature isn’t on file with the authenticating office.
• Missing translations or extra requirements from the receiving country.

Our review step is designed to catch these problems before submission, not after.

Who We Help

• Families moving, marrying or studying abroad
• International students and graduates having credentials recognized
• Businesses setting up overseas entities, distributors or contracts
• Law firms handling cross-border matters
• People handling property or estate matters in another country

Founder Joshua Gardner is a UK-qualified solicitor who still practices as a consultant solicitor, so we understand how foreign authorities look at U.S. paperwork. As notaries we can’t give legal advice about your matter, but we can make sure the document side is handled carefully.

Nationwide Apostille Service

Our apostille service is nationwide: we coordinate apostilles for documents issued in any U.S. state, plus federal documents, and you can send documents to us from anywhere. See our nationwide services page.

Based in Southfield, Michigan. Local pages: Southfield, Troy, Ann Arbor and Detroit.

What It Costs and How Long It Takes

Cost and turnaround depend on the document, the issuing authority, the destination country and how quickly you need it. Government fees and processing times are set by the issuing office. Contact us with your details and we’ll give you a clear quote and a realistic timeline before any work starts. More answers are on our FAQ page.

Start Your Apostille Request

Call (248) 975-7129, email josh@signedandsorted.com or contact us online. Serving clients nationwide.