Common questions we receive are, “Does an apostille expire?” “How long is an apostille valid for?”
An apostille does not have an expiration date.
Countries who are members of the Hague Apostille Convention may request your documents (Example: Birth, Marriage, power of attorney, Divorce Decree, Death, etc..) to be recently issued with an apostille. For example, most countries request an FBI apostille be issued within the past 90 days. Some countries may have even more stringent requirements and may request a background check issued within the past 30 days with an apostille.
However, you may find that some countries request that apostille is no more than 3, 6, or 12 months old.
Please double check with the country requesting your documents in order to find out how old your documents can be before you mail them in for processing. For example, if you need a California apostille on a California birth certificate, we recommend that you ask how old the birth certificate can be and how recent the apostille should be issued. If the answer is 30 days for both, then the birth and the apostille must be issued within the past 30 days.
From our experience, State and Federal (FBI) background checks have the most restrictions.
Also, some States have restrictions on how old the document can be. For example, documents issued from the States of Wisconsin and Virginia must be issued within the past 12 months. Most documents from Texas and Illinois must be within the past seven years. We recommend that you contact us so we can discuss your documents.
Here is typically what’s included in a Apostille:
Country … [country name] This public document
has been signed by … [name]
acting in the capacity of … [function]
bears the seal/stamp of … [authority] certified
at … [location]
the … [date]
by … [name]
No … [apostille registration number]
Seal/stamp … [of the authority giving the apostille]
Signature … [signature of authority giving the apostille]
You can see examples of US State apostilles.
Obtaining an apostilles can be complicated. Don’t leave this process to untrained employees or non-professionals who do not fully understand the Apostille process and the unique requirements of certain countries. Your paperwork could be rejected costing you time and money. Don’t let this happen to you!
Our staff is available Monday-Saturday from 8am to 7pm to answer your questions and provide you easy to follow-step-by-step instructions. Please call us at 1-888-810-4054 or email: support@washingtondcapostille.com
Do you need an apostille from the Secretary of DC in Washington, D.C.?
Do you need an apostille on your Certificate of Free Sale issued from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)?
Do you need your Certificate of Origin (C/O), Commercial Invoice (C/I), Packing Slip, Halal Certificate, or Bill of Lading certified and legalized through the National US Arab Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC?
Do you need to apostille your US Passport?
Our Washington DC office can apostille background checks issued from the FBI, State of Maryland, and the District of Colombia (Washington DC).
Do you need USA Apostille Services?
