Alabama Hague Apostille Services: Simplifying Document Legalization
Alabama apostilles for birth, marriage, and death certificates, divorce records, personal powers of attorney, school diplomas and transcripts, articles of incorporation, certificates of good standing, corporate by-laws, operating agreements, resolutions, corporate powers of attorney, certificates of incumbency, etc.
An Alabama apostille is a seal that will make your Alabama document valid outside the United States.
To be eligible for an Alabama apostille, your document needs to originate from the State of Alabama.
We provide fast and reliable Alabama apostille services for all kinds of documents, both personal and corporate.
In the State of Alabama, as in all U.S. states, an apostille is a separate page attached to the document by a staple. It is signed by the Secretary of the State (facsimile signature) and has the gold foil seal (Alabama Great Seal).
Alabama apostilles have additional wording: "The attached document has been signed by an Alabama public official. The Apostille certifies the signature of that official and does not certify the content of the public document to which it is attached."
Alabama apostille: $175
Processing time: 8-10 bus. days + mail
Please complete the Order Form and mail it with your original document(s) to
If you are sending your document(s) from a foreign country, please use FedEx, DHL, UPS or TNT, and email the tracking number so that we can watch for your package.
No hidden fees.
Our guarantee: If we are unable to get your documents apostilled or legalized, we will issue a 100% refund, we do not keep any service fees.
Free document evaluation
Want to double check before shipping your document? Email a copy for a free evaluation.
Alabama State apostilles: general guidelines, personal documents
The following personal documents are eligible for Alabama apostilles:
Alabama vital records (birth, death, marriage certificates) certified by the current Alabama State Registrar and Director for the Center for Health Statistics. Effective January 1, 2018 the Alabama State Registrar is Nicole Henderson Rushing.
documents notarized by a notary public qualified in the State of Alabama (powers of attorney, affidavits, copies of IDs, letters, diplomas, transcripts, etc.)
documents signed by a probate judge documents certified by a circuit clerkBirth certificates
To be eligible for an Alabama apostille, the birth certificate should be certified by the current Alabama State Registrar and Director for the Center for Health Statistics. Effective January 1, 2018 the Alabama State Registrar is Nicole Henderson Rushing.
By Alabama law, birth certificates are confidential records with restricted access for 125 years from the date of birth.
To obtain a certified copy of the birth certificate, please contact Alabama Center for Health Statistics: Birth Certificates | Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) (alabamapublichealth.gov).
Email a copy fo your document for a free evaluation. We will advise if the document is acceptable.
Send the original document to us by mail along with the Order Form and we will be happy to assist you with obtaining an apostille.
Death certificates
To be eligible for an Alabama apostille, the death certificates should be certified by the current Alabama State Registrar and Director for the Center for Health Statistics. Effective January 1, 2018 the Alabama State Registrar is Nicole Henderson Rushing.
By Alabama law, death certificates are confidential records with restricted access for 25 year from the date of death.
To obtain a certified copy of the death certificate, please contact Alabama Center for Health Statistics: Death Certificates | Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) (alabamapublichealth.gov)
Email a copy fo your document for a free evaluation. We will advise if the document is acceptable.
Send the original document to us by mail along with the Order Form and we will be happy to assist you with obtaining an apostille.
Marriage and divorce records
Alabama marriage and divorce records can be issued either by the state or by the county where the event was recorded.
By Alabama law, marriage and divorce records are unrestricted (public).
We can assist you in obtaining a certified copy of your marriage certificate and having it apostilled. ORDER ONLINE.
We can assist you in obtaining a certified copy of your divorce certificate or divorce judgment, and having it apostilled. ORDER ONLINE.
Email a copy fo your document for a free evaluation. We will advise if the document is acceptable.
Send the original document to us by mail along with the Order Form and we will be happy to assist you with obtaining an apostille.
School diplomas and transcripts
Documents with the signature of a school official and the school seal applied by the school registrar are not sufficient. Diplomas and transcripts must be notarized by an Alabama Notary Public before the Apostille can be affixed to the document. If the document requires the Certification, it must be notarized and county authenticated before the document can be authenticated for foreign use. Read more about preparing an Alabama transcript for foreign use...
If you are not able to get your school documents notarized by an Alabama notary, we will be able to have your documents (originals or copies) notarized and apostilled in Washington, DC.
Email a copy fo your document for a free evaluation. We will advise if the document is acceptable.
For Alabama apostilles send the original notarized document to us by mail along with the Order Form.
Notarized documents (powers of attorney, affidavits, etc.)
Documents notarized by notaries public qualified in the State of Alabma include powers of attorney, affidavits, copies of IDs, letters, diplomas, transcripts, etc
Copies of vital records (birth, death, marriage certificates), documents issued by Alabama courts (divorce judgments, name change, etc.) cannot be notarized.
The notary must include a Certificate of acknowledgment or Jurat basically of the following form:
CERTIFICATE OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT
State of Alabama )
) ss.:
County of . . . . . . . )
I, ____________________, a Notary Public, hereby certify that ______________ whose name is signed to the foregoing document, and who is known to me, acknowledged before me on this day that, being informed of the contents of the document, he/she executed the same valuntarily on the date the same bears date. Given under my hand this ________ day of _______, 20____.
_______________ [Notary stamp]
Notary Signature
[Notary's name] Date:
Notary Public, State of Alabama
JURAT
State of Alabama )
) ss.:
County of . . . . . . . )
Subscribed and sworn to before me this ........ day of ........, 20 ...... by ______________ (name of pricipal signer)
_______________ [Notary stamp]
Notary Signature
[Notary's name] Date:
Notary Public, State of Alabama
Can an Alabama notary attest to copies of documents?
Yes, except for vital records (birth, marriage, death certificates), documents issued by the courts or any other public records office. A copy certification is performed by a notary public to confirm that a reproduction of an original document is true, exact and complete. Such originals might include college degrees, passports and other important one-and-only personal papers which cannot be copy-certified by a public record office.
COPY CERTIFICATION
State of Alabama )
) ss.:
County of . . . . . . . )
I, ______________, a notary public, do certify that, on the ____ day of ________, 20___, I personally made the above/attached copy of _________________ from the original, and that it is a true, excat, complete, and unaltered copy.
_______________ [Notary stamp]
Notary Signature
[Notary's name] Date:
Notary Public, State of Alabama
Are documents in foreign languages acceptable?
For apostille / legalization purposes, all documents in a foreign language must be accompanied by a notarized English translation.
Here is a sample Translator's affidavit:
Translator's affidavit:
(This is a sworn notarized statement made by the translator confirming that the translation of the document in a foreign language is complete and accurate)
I, ________________ (name of the translator), hereby confirm that I am fluent in English and _____________ (foreign language in which the document is written), and that I have translated the following document which is attached to this Affidavit:
______________________________ ( Description of document: (title or type, document date, number of pages)
I further confirm that, to the best of my knowledge, this translation is a true and accurate translation into English of the attached document written in ______________
(Signature of the Translator)
(Print name)
=======
General guidelines: what corporate documents qualify for Alabama apostilles?
The following corporate documents are eligible for Alabama apostilles:
incorporation and registration documents, certificates of amendment, certified by the current Alabama Secretary of State, certificates of good standing / status
documents notarized by a notary public qualified in the State of Alabama (corporate powers of attorney, affidavits, incumbency certificates, copies of company resolutions, by-laws, operating agreements, contracts, etc)
Alabama certificates of incorporation and articles of organization
Alabama Certificate of Incorporation (or Articles of Organization, in case your company is an Alabama LLC) is the document that you filed with the Alabama Secretary of State when your company was incorporated / organized. This document confirms that your company was registered as a legal entity, it does not show your present active status (for this purpose you will need a certificate of existence (also called "a certificate of good standing" or "a certificate of status").
For apostille or legalization purposes, you will need a certified copy issued by Alabama Secretary of State. Notarized copies are not acceptable.
Order online a certified copy of your company's Alabama Certificate of Incorporation or Articles of Organization with a Hague apostille. The price for the retrieval and an apostille is $325, processing time: 2-3 weeks.
Alabama certificate of good standing /certificate of status
A Certificate of Existence (also called a Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Status) will confirm that a company is active in the State of Alabama at the present time.
Order online a certified copy of your company's Alabama Certificate of Existence with a Hague apostille. The price for the retrieval and an apostille is $325, processing time: 2-3 weeks.
Corporate by-laws and LLC operating agreements
The original corporate By-laws and Operaling Agreements are kept in the company's files.
To have these documents apostilled, make a copy and attach an affidavit confirming that the attached document is a true and correct copy of the Company's Bylaws / Operating Agreement. The affidavit should be signed by the Company's officer and properly notarized.
Notarized documents (powers of attorney, affidavits, company resolutions, etc.)
Documents notarized by notaries public qualified in the State of Alabma include corporate powers of attorney, affidavits, certificates of incumbecy, letters, etc
Copies of certificates of incorporation or articles of organization cannot be notarized. Certified copies are issued only by the Alabama Secretary of State.
The notary must include a Certificate of acknowledgment or Jurat basically of the following form:
CERTIFICATE OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT
State of Alabama )
) ss.:
County of . . . . . . . )
I, ____________________, a Notary Public, hereby certify that ______________ whose name is signed to the foregoing document, and who is known to me, acknowledged before me on this day that, being informed of the contents of the document, he/she executed the same valuntarily on the date the same bears date. Given under my hand this ________ day of _______, 20____.
_______________ [Notary stamp]
Notary Signature
[Notary's name] Date:
Notary Public, State of Alabama
JURAT
State of Alabama )
) ss.:
County of . . . . . . . )
Subscribed and sworn to before me this ........ day of ........, 20 ...... by ______________ (name of pricipal signer)
_______________ [Notary stamp]
Notary Signature
[Notary's name] Date:
Notary Public, State of Alabama
Can an Alabama notary attest to copies of corporate documents?
Yes, except for for documents that are issued by a public records office (e.g. Alabama Secretary of State). A copy certification is performed by a notary public to confirm that a reproduction of an original document is true, exact and complete. Such originals might include copies of resolutions, by-laws, operating agreements, board of directors decisions, etc., which cannot be copy-certified by a public record office.
Documents issued by the Office of the Secretary of State (Certificates of Incorporation, Articles of Organization, Amendment, Dissolution, etc.), Certificates of Good Standing cannot be copy-certified.
COPY CERTIFICATION
State of Alabama )
) ss.:
County of . . . . . . . )
I, ______________, a notary public, do certify that, on the ____ day of ________, 20___, I personally made the above/attached copy of _________________ from the original, and that it is a true, excat, complete, and unaltered copy.
_______________ [Notary stamp]
Notary Signature
[Notary's name] Date:
Notary Public, State of Alabama
What does a "proper notarization" mean in the State of Alabama?
All notarized documents must contalin the notarial statement, either the acknowledgment or jurat.
Certificate of Acknowledgment:
(for personal powers of attorney, affidavits, statements, letters, consents, copies of diplomas and transcripts signed by school officials, etc.)
Copy certification:
(for certifying copies of passports, IDs, driver licenses, transcripts, diplomas and other personal documents)
IMPORTANT! Copies of vital records (birth, death, marriage certificates, divorce judgments) cannot be certified by a notary public.
Jurat:
(for personal powers of attorney, affidavits, statements, letters, consents, copies of diplomas and transcripts signed by school officials, etc.)
Corporate acknowledgment:
(for corporate powers of attorney, resolutions, agreements, incumbency certificates, affidavits, authorizations, etc.)
Can Alabama notaries attest to copies of the documents?
Yes.
Special rules/restrictions: A Notary may not certify a copy of a vital record or other document that can be certified by a public records office (Notaries Public: The Handbook)
Can a remotely notarized document be apostilled in Alabama?
No. For notarized documents, the State of Alabama requires the original signatures of the signer and the notary.
Does the State of Alabama issue electronic apostilles?
No. The State of Alabama issues paper apostilles only.
Are Alabama apostilles issued for documents in foreign languages?
Yes, if the document is accompanied by a notarized English translation. Here is a sample Translator's Affidavit:
Translator's affidavit:
(This is a sworn notarized statement made by the translator confirming that the translation of the document in a foreign language is complete and accurate)
I, ________________ (name of the translator), hereby confirm that I am fluent in English and _____________ (foreign language in which the document is written), and that I have translated the following document which is attached to this Affidavit:
______________________________ ( Description of document: (title or type, document date, number of pages)
I further confirm that, to the best of my knowledge, this translation is a true and accurate translation into English of the attached document written in ______________
(Signature of the Translator)
(Print name)
=======
Can an Alabama apostille be verified?
No. The State of Alabama does not offer online verification of apostilles / certifications.
Questions concerning the validity of apostilles or certifications may be directed to the Alabama Secretary of State.
Can an Alabama apostille be rejected by a foreign country because it is a separate page (not a stamp), or because it is stapled to the document?
No. According to the Hague Convention Apostille brochure called "The ABCs of Apostilles from HCCH",
"An Apostille must be placed directly on the public document or on a separate attached page (called an allonge). Apostilles may be affixed by various means, including rubber stamps, self-adhesive stickers, impressed seals, etc.
If an Apostille is placed on an allonge, the latter can be attached to the underlying document by a variety of means, including glue, grommets, staples, ribbons, wax seals, etc.
Failure to affix an Apostille in a particular manner is not a basis for refusing the Apostille."
We obtain apostilles for documents originating from all 67 Alabama counties Autauga | Baldwin | Barbour | Bibb | Blount | Bullock | Butler | Calhoun | Chambers | Cherokee | Chilton | Choctaw | Clarke | Clay | Cleburne | Coffee | Colbert | Conecuh | Coosa | Covington | Crenshaw | Cullman | Dale | Dallas | De Kalb | Elmore | Escambia | Etowah | Fayette | Franklin | Geneva | Greene | Hale | Henry | Houston | Jackson | Jefferson | Lamar | Lauderdale | Lawrence | Lee | Limestone | Lowndes | Macon | Madison | Marengo | Marion | Marshall | Mobile | Monroe | Montgomery | Morgan | Perry | Pickens | Pike | Randolph | Russell | St. Clair | Shelby | Sumter | Talladega | Tallapoosa | Tuscaloosa | Walker | Washington | Wilcox | Winston
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