Do-It-Yourself Guide to Apostille Articles of Incorporation

Articles of Incorporation Apostille


An Apostille for Articles of Incorporation is to certify the authenticity of the signature on the document. The Apostille stamp is accepted in all Hague Convention Participating countries.An Articles of Incorporation is a vital record that cannot be photocopied or notarized. If you want to get a Articles of Incorporation apostille, you must first request a certified copy of your Articles of Incorporation from the Public Health Department in your State. To Apostille Articles of Incorporation, it must be a certified copy and bear the signature of the current State Registrar in your State. All signatures must be original. You can obtain an apostille for your Articles of Incorporation from the Secretary of State office in the same State where the document was issued.

Document Apostille Guide

On 1961, more than 120 countries have signed the Hague Apostille Treaty to abolish foreign document legalization requirements and replace it with a single certification, which is the Apostille seal. There are two entities in the United States that are authorized to issue apostilles, depending on the document type.

  • Apostille public State document from the local Secretaries of State offices in all 50 States.
  • Apostille federal documents from the US Department of State in Washington DC.

Articles of Incorporation Embassy/ Consular Legalization

There are many countries that didn't sign the Apostille Treaty and still require embassy legalization to accept foreign documents. A Articles of Incorporation destined for use in a Non-Hague Participating Country requires certification from the Secretary of State, authentication from the US Department of State in Washington DC and finally legalization from the embassy of the destination country in Washington DC or on of it consulates.