# Apostille (Documents Attestation)



## goldisking (Feb 17, 2011)

I have been researching this topic for a few days and found the answer for the US expats. So I thought I should share this knowledge to help those who are looking to get answers about document attestation. I'm from California so if you're from other state, you might want to double check the information with your state.

Mainly, you have to go through chain of commands from your county that the document was issued all the way to the UAE Embassy like this:

County >>> State >>> U.S. Dept. of State >>> UAE Embassy in the U.S. You can't skip any of this chain or they won't give you the stamp. I'm still in the process of finding out if I can use a copy instead of the actual issued document to get attested.

Here's what I found from a U.S. Embassy web site:

"Authentication of Vital Records, Academic, Commercial or Other Credentials Issued in the U.S.

U.S. Consular officers are not empowered to authenticate public documents issued in the United States. Such documents include vital records (birth, marriage, death, and divorce), as well as academic, commercial, or other credentials. Consular officers do not have access to the records of the issuing office or the seal of the custodian of these records.

For more information on Authentication of Documents, Apostilles, or Copies of Birth, Death, Marriage, or Divorce Records, please consult travel.state.gov." _*I clicked on that link but it never worked.*_

This is the link to the information of how to submit a document to the State of California.

Authentications (Apostille or Certification) - Notary Public - California Secretary of State

Hope this help!


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## goldisking (Feb 17, 2011)

*Documents Authentication Services*

Ok. After a painful research, I have found out that I would have to fly back to have my diploma notarized by a notary public in the county of San Francisco where my diploma was issued. That is something I can't do at this point because of the cost of traveling from Thailand. So I did further research and found that there are companies that offer this service for you. One I found right now is the following and I am thinking of using their service if the price is right. So I would like to share this information in case someone might need it.

Apostille (Legalization on Line)


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## JerryA (Feb 27, 2011)

Any updates on what this costs? I'm very hearing as this will likely apply to me and my wife! Thanks!

J


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## goldisking (Feb 17, 2011)

*Price for a document authentication*



JerryA said:


> Any updates on what this costs? I'm very hearing as this will likely apply to me and my wife! Thanks!
> 
> J


I actually found a better company which is registered with BBB and has an A+ rating. It's the company I'm considering going with. Here's the link to the company:

Authxperts: Apostille and Embassy Legalization Service

They charge $175 per document plus $50 FedEx charge. You can scan your document and email to them too. Contact them first and they'll have someone contact you right away. It takes about 2 weeks for the whole authentication process once they receive your documents. Good luck!


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## JerryA (Feb 27, 2011)

Awesome. Great you got a price. The other has to quote you and charges $100 for FedEx shipping priority which is ridiculous. Let us know what your experience is with this company if you end up using it. 

Thx!


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