Well there is no “abc” answer to that one. There are several factors which must be taken into consideration when determining the proper procedure of obtaining an apostille. First, and most important you must determine the state where your document is issued.
Let’s say you were born in San Antonio, Texas and you live in Florida, and need an apostille for your birth certificate. In this case you must obtain it from San Antonio, Texas, you may not apostille such document in Florida. If you document is a notarized document then the state where the notary is commissioned will determine the jurisdiction and not the state where the document is signed.
Now that we determined where our apostille will come from it is time to educate ourselves on the procedures involved. To do so we must contact the competent authorities in the state where we will be getting the apostille. Keep in mind that it is crucial to find all the information before you will start the process in order to avoid rejections or delays.
So before you make that call think of all the steps which are involved in the process. For instance, if you will be mailing the document what is the address for regular mail or for express mail, can they mail the document back to you, or if you have to enclose additional fee for the mail. What forms of payment are accepted and so on.
Planning will ensure that you do not waste time calling the government offices over and over just to confirm little bits of information. It can take up to several hours to get a hold of the representative, depending on the state you will be calling.
Now if you are in need of a rush service, or you simply prefer someone else to handle your apostille in San Antonio, you are always free to hire a service agency which will accommodate your needs for a set fee.
