Apostille Services
NYS & Federal.

An Apostille is an official government certification that verifies a document is authentic and was issued by a legitimate authority. It was created by the Hague Convention of 1961 to replace the more complex process of embassy legalization. If a foreign country requires your U.S. document to be "authenticated," they almost certainly require an Apostille.

The type of Apostille you need depends on who issued the original document. Documents issued by New York State agencies or courts — including birth certificates, marriage certificates, and notarized documents — require a NYS Apostille from the Secretary of State. Documents issued by federal agencies — including FBI background checks and federal court records — require a federal Apostille from the US Department of State. Call us at 212-426-6017 and we'll confirm which you need.

The Apostille authenticates the document — it does not translate it. If the country you're submitting to requires the document in their language, you'll need both an Apostille on the original and a certified translation. MEJPBS provides both services, so we can manage the full workflow: translate, certify, and Apostille your documents in one process.

NYS Apostille processing takes 5–10 business days standard. Expedited processing is available — call us to confirm current availability. Federal Apostilles through the US Department of State take longer (typically 6–8 weeks standard). Rush federal processing is available through authorized agents at additional cost.

Countries not party to the Hague Convention — including some in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia — require embassy legalization (also called "chain authentication") instead of an Apostille. This is a multi-step process involving the US Department of State and the destination country's embassy. Contact us at 212-426-6017 and we'll advise on the correct authentication path for your specific country.