Apostille Services for American Expats

Apostille services tailored to american expats

You are moving abroad, and a foreign government will not accept your American documents until they carry an apostille. A birth certificate for residency, an FBI background check for your visa, a marriage certificate to bring your spouse, each one apostilled and usually translated. For an expat, this paperwork is the gate between you and your new life overseas, and that is exactly what we handle.

We are Apostille Depot, a licensed, insured apostille service that has authenticated documents for more than 2,200 clients since 2012. Because we handle every U.S. state and the federal route, and arrange translation, you deal with one team for the whole job. Meet the team behind your documents.

This page is the practical version. It lays out which documents you need, where each one is apostilled, how translation works, and how long the whole thing takes, so you can move without second-guessing the paperwork. Whether this is your first apostille or your fifth, the goal is the same: a complete, correctly ordered file the destination accepts on the first try, with no wasted filings.

Two authorities: where each document is apostilled

The most common reason a document is rejected is being filed at the wrong office. U.S. documents split into two groups, each with its own authority.

State documents like birth, marriage and death certificates, notarized documents, diplomas and corporate records are apostilled by the Secretary of State that issued or notarized them.

Federal documents, the FBI background check and the Social Security benefits letter, are apostilled only by the U.S. Department of State. A state apostille on an FBI report is the error we see most. We handle both routes in one order.

Keeping the two straight is half the battle. We sort your documents into state and federal at the start, file each with the correct authority, and bring them back together as one set, so a single misrouted page never holds up the whole file.

The expat document file, by life stage

Expat paperwork tends to follow the arc of your move. At the application stage, the headline document is almost always an FBI background check, apostilled federally, often paired with proof of income such as a Social Security benefits letter. Get these wrong and the visa stalls before it starts, so they are the first things we prepare.

At the family stage, the documents shift to vital records. Bringing a spouse means an apostilled, translated marriage certificate. Bringing children means their birth certificates. Registering your own birth for dual citizenship means yours. These are state documents, faster than federal ones, but each still needs the destination country's translation.

At the settling-in stage, new needs appear. You may need an apostilled diploma to work or have your credentials recognized, a power of attorney to manage property back in the States, or a single status affidavit if you are marrying in your new country. Expats often come back to us several times as life abroad throws up new paperwork.

Because we handle every document type and every U.S. state, you are not hunting for a new provider each time. One relationship covers the FBI report for your visa, the vital records for your family, and the diploma or power of attorney you need a year later. That continuity is why expats keep our number.

Translation, handled in the right order

Most countries want your documents translated into the local language, often by a sworn or certified translator. The order matters: the apostille goes on the original document first, then the translation, because the translation has to cover the apostille page. Reverse it and you pay to do the translation twice.

We coordinate the apostille and the translation together, in the sequence each country expects, so your file arrives complete. That single detail, the order of steps, is behind a surprising share of rejected documents, and handling it in one place removes the guesswork.

Languages and rules differ by country, from a sworn traducción jurada in Spain to a perito traductor in Mexico to a certified German translation attached after the apostille. We match the translation to the destination and the document, so you are never guessing which kind you need.

On a deadline? We can move fast

Deadlines are the hardest part for american expats. A federal document like the FBI report runs about four to six weeks on its own, and a fixed date abroad does not wait. The safest plan is to start early and order in the right sequence, working backward from your appointment, enrollment or closing.

When time is short, we have faster options. Our Express service turns state apostilles around in one to five business days, and for documents issued in Massachusetts and New Hampshire we offer a same-day apostille rush service. Tell us your deadline and we will tell you honestly what is achievable and build the order around it.

What you will need

To prepare your documents quickly, here is what helps. Missing something? Apply anyway and our team will follow up, or ask us first.

• The documents themselves: certified vital records, your FBI report, or notarized private documents.
• Your destination and goal, so we confirm the exact list and translation.
• Your appointment, enrollment or closing date, so we time the order and any validity window.
• Which documents need translation, and into which language, which we arrange.
• Your return address and preferred shipping, including international couriers.