Washington documents, from overseas

Born in Washington and living abroad? If a foreign government wants your birth certificate with an apostille, I order the certified copy in person and apostille it on the next Monday or Thursday run. I also notarize powers of attorney by video and apostille them. No trip home, and no one in Washington you need to ask for a favor.

What I can order

Washington birth certificates and death certificates, as certified copies that the Secretary of State will apostille. These are the two that come up most: residency and citizenship applications, marriage abroad, and settling a family member's estate from another country.

Washington only releases these to the person named on the record or to close family: a spouse or domestic partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild. You authorize me to pick it up on your behalf. For a death certificate, tell me what it's for, because the state issues a long form and a short form and the office abroad will usually want a specific one.

Timing

The clock starts when your signed authorization reaches me. From there the certificate is ordered and goes on the next Monday or Thursday run, so most orders are apostilled and on their way within a week of the form arriving. The authorization is valid for 60 days after it's notarized, so there's no need to rush it, but don't sign it months ahead either.

Powers of attorney

If you hold a power of attorney that was notarized by a Washington notary, I can apostille it. This is the usual document for selling or managing property, handling a bank account, or settling an estate from abroad. Mail me the original with its notarization from wherever you are, and it's the standard price: $285 for the first document, $115 for each additional in the same file. There's nothing to order, so there's no $75 fee.

Two things decide whether it will work. It has to be the original, not a scan or a copy. And the notary has to hold a Washington commission, because the Secretary of State can only apostille a Washington notary's signature. A power of attorney already notarized in another state or at a consulate goes somewhere else. Upload a photo of the document and the notary's stamp with your order and I'll confirm it before you pay for postage.

Not notarized yet? I can do it by video

I'm a Washington notary authorized for remote online notarization. You join a secure video session from wherever you are, show your passport, and sign on screen. Because I'm the notary, the document becomes a Washington notarial act, which means the Washington Secretary of State can apostille it. That holds even if the power of attorney was drafted for another state or by a lawyer somewhere else.

The notarization is free when I'm also apostilling the document. You pay the standard apostille price and nothing more. If you only need the notarization and no apostille, it's $25.

I can notarize a document you bring; I can't draft it or advise on what it should say. And before I schedule a session with someone outside the United States, I confirm the document qualifies: Washington law allows it when the document has a real connection to the United States and signing it this way isn't prohibited where you are. Send the document with your order and I'll tell you within one business day.

If they won't accept online notarization

There are still two ways to get it done:

Sign on paper the next time you're in Washington. Sign in front of me or any Washington notary while you're here, leave the original with me, and it goes on the next Monday or Thursday run. You can fly home the same day; the apostille follows by courier.

Sign on paper where you live. A US embassy or consulate, or a local notary, can notarize your signature in person. That isn't a Washington document, so it doesn't come through me: a local notary's signature is apostilled or legalized by that country's own authority, and a consular notarization is often accepted abroad as it stands. Ask the receiving office which they prefer. I'm glad to point you the right way by email, no charge.

Already have the certified copy?

If you already hold a certified birth or death certificate, you don't need me to order one. Mail it to me from wherever you are and it's the standard price: $285 for the first document, $115 for each additional. It has to be a certified copy issued by Washington, not a hospital keepsake or a photocopy. Upload a photo with your order and I'll tell you before you spend anything on postage. Full pricing is here.

Everything by email

You're probably many time zones away, so nothing here needs a phone call. Order, questions, confirmation, payment, and tracking all happen by email, and I answer within one business day.

Where it's going

An apostille is accepted in countries that belong to the Hague Apostille Convention. If your country isn't a member, the document needs a further step at that country's embassy or consulate after the apostille. Tell me the country when you order and I'll flag it before you pay.