Frequently Asked Questions:
Arizona Apostille and Authentication Services
General Questions
- What is an Arizona Apostille Stamp and why would I need one?
- How can I obtain an Apostille Stamp to certify a document in Arizona for use abroad?
- How do I legalize documents issued in Arizona for submission to countries that are not members of the Apostille Convention?
- How long does it take to obtain an apostille from Arizona?
- What documents can be certified in Arizona with an Apostille Stamp?
- Will an apostille stamp from Arizona be accepted abroad?
- Where can I find more information about certifying Arizona documents?
- Where can I see reviews of Isarey's Arizona Attestation and Apostille Services?
Birth, death and marriage certificates
- How can I obtain an apostille on a vital record certificate issued in Arizona?
- How can I obtain a new certified copy of an Arizona birth, death or marriage certificate suitable for an Apostille?
Academic documents
Notarized documents
Answers
What is an Arizona Apostille Stamp and why would I need one?
An Arizona Apostille is a certificate that is affixed by the Arizona Secretary of State to a public document. It certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized Arizona public official and confirms the capacity of that official (e.g. State Registrar, notary public).
Apostille stamps are often required when submitting an Arizona document, such as a birth certificate, to the authorities of a foreign country or to a foreign embassy in the United States (for example, as part of a visa or citizenship application). Apostilles are recognised by the authorities and embassies of countries that are members of the 
Hague Apostille Convention
For more information on Apostilles, see:
How can I obtain an Apostille Stamp to certify a document in Arizona for use abroad?
Apostille Stamps to authenticate Arizona documents can be obtained from the Secretary of State. Apostille stamps are only valid for documents that are required for submission to countries that are signatories to the Hague Apostille Convention
How do I legalize documents issued in Arizona for submission to countries that are not members of the Apostille Convention?
Arizona documents that need to be authenticated for non-apostille countries (e.g. United Arab Emirates, Qatar) must be authenticated by the Arizona Secretary of State with an Authentication Certificate and then attested by the recipient country's embassy in the United States. Most embassies will also require an additional authentication the U.S. Department of State in Washington DC.
How long does it take to obtain an apostille from Arizona?
Apostilles for Arizona documents take around 2 weeks. However an expedited service is available and expedited apostilles can be processed in 1-2 days.
What documents can be certified in Arizona with an Apostille Stamp?
Apostilles and authentication from Arizona can be obtained to certify document signed by an Arizona notary public, court clerk, or state document custodian.
Documents signed by Federal officials including FBI Background Checks must be submitted directly to the Authentication Division of the U.S. Department of State.
To confirm whether your Arizona document is valid for an Apostille Stamp, please Contact us for a free document check.
Will an apostille stamp from Arizona be accepted abroad?
If documents are required for submission to the authorities or consulate of a signatory country of the Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille stamp affixed by the Secretary of State of Arizona will generally be recognized directly as confirming authenticity, although a certified translation may also be required if presenting to a country that does not have English as an official language.
If documents are required for presentation in a country that is not a signatory to the apostille convention (e.g. United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Taiwan, Vietnam), then an apostille stamp is not valid. Documents will need to be authenticated at State level in Arizona, then by the State Department Authentication Division, and finally by the embassy or consulate of the destination country in the United States. A Certified Translation may also be required.
Where can I find more information about certifying Arizona documents?
For further information about Arizona apostilles and authentications or to obtain a quote for assistance submitting your documents, with free eligibility pre-check, international collection and delivery by courier, please Contact us or send us your documents using our Online Quotation Form.
Where can I see reviews of Isarey's Arizona Attestation and Apostille Services?
You can see reviews from past clients who have used our attestation and apostille services:
How can I obtain an apostille on a vital record certificate issued in Arizona?
Arizona Apostilles can be issued for birth, death and marriage certificates. Arizona birth and death certificates can be obtained from Arizona Bureau of Vital Records.
Marriage and divorce records in Arizona are maintained by the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the event occurred. See Arizona Courts.
How can I obtain a new certified copy of an Arizona birth, death or marriage certificate suitable for an Apostille?
Arizona Death and Birth Certificates can be ordered online through VitalChek. Applications can also be made by mail to the Arizona Department of Health Services, or in person from the local county health department Office of Vital Records.
Arizona Marriage Certificates are available from the County Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the marriage occurred. Arizona marriage records are not available from the Bureau of Vital Records or through VitalChek.
Isarey can assist clients with obtaining certified copies of Arizona marriage certificates from the court.
How can I authenticate Arizona university degree certificates for use abroad?
Arizona university degree certificates, course transcripts and high school diplomas can also be authenticated as notarized copies. A true copy is certified by a notary (this can often be done from a scan without having to submit the original) and then authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the Washington DC Secretary of State. Authenticated documents can also be attested by the embassies of Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.
For further information, see:
University Degrees and School Records
How can I obtain an apostille in Arizona for a Power of Attorney or Affidavit?
To obtain an Apostille on a Power of Attorney or Affidavit signed in Arizona, the original signatures of the signing parties must be certified by a commissioned Arizona Notary.
How can I get a quote to certify my documents?
To receive a quote, you can upload your documents using our online quotation form or send us your documents by email. After reviewing your documents and requirements, we will get back to you with a quotation:
If you don’t have the documents available, just describe the documents you need to certify, and we will get back to you with an estimation of cost and delivery times.
Using our quotation form, your documents will be uploaded over a secure connection and immediately encrypted on our server. For added protection, you can upload password-protected files and provide us with the passwords separately:
PDF,
PERSONAL DATA: If your documents contain personal data belonging to people outside your household, please ensure that you are authorised to share this data before uploading your documents. If your documents contain sensitive personal data, such as biometric data, medical data or data on criminal convictions, please ensure that you indicate this when prompted, upon submitting your documents. For further information on our processing of personal data contained in uploaded documents, please see:
Privacy Policy (Customer Inquiries)
For further information on confidentiality in our handling of document content please see:
Confidentiality (Client Content)