One of the most common mistakes we see is sending the wrong version of a document: a photocopy, a phone photo, or an emailed PDF. Apostille offices verify signatures and seals, and a copy often gives them nothing to verify.
What the office is checking
An apostille confirms the signature, seal or stamp on a document. So the document you submit must carry a signature or seal the issuing office can recognize. A plain photocopy of a birth certificate has no such signature. A certified copy from the vital records office does.
Three versions, three outcomes
- Original or certified copy from the issuer. This is usually what a state-issued document needs. See our posts on birth certificates and marriage certificates.
- Photocopy you made yourself. Generally cannot be apostilled as a government record. For some private documents, a notary can certify a copy where state law allows, which is a different thing. See certified copy vs. notarized copy.
- Emailed scan or PDF. Often cannot be notarized or apostilled as an original. Ask the issuer whether it can send a paper copy or a signed certification.
Signed documents are different
For documents you sign yourself, such as an affidavit or a power of attorney, the notary witnesses your signature on the actual document. The notarized original goes to the apostille office. A copy of a notarized page is not the same as a freshly notarized one. Our post on power of attorney walks through the order.
Do not alter the document
Avoid removing staples, writing on the page, or laminating. Any of these can lead an office to reject the document. See the reasons apostilles get rejected for more.
Quick self-check
- Does the page carry an original signature or seal from the issuer?
- Did it come directly from the office that issued it?
- Is it a paper document rather than a printout of an email?
- If it is a document you signed, was it notarized on the original?
If any answer is no, fix that before you order. If you are not sure, upload a scan to our free document review and we will tell you whether your version can be apostilled or what to request instead.