A birth certificate is a document that everyone owns (unlike a passport or driver’s license), so it is quite common to need an apostille. The birth certificate apostille may present you with two situations:
You need to use a birth certificate from abroad in the country. For example, it may be a request for benefits for your child who was born abroad. Or you want to get married but you were born abroad (you will also need a certificate of citizenship for that).
You need to use a birth certificate abroad. Cases in which you may need an apostilled birth certificate are, for example, a wedding abroad, an application for dual citizenship, or even an application for a temporary stay, when moving abroad (whether for work or other reasons).
Apostille birth certificate in the country
When applying for an apostille of birth certificate, you need its original, which often must not be older than 3 years, sometimes even less. Unable to apostille photocopy. If you do not know how to find your birth certificate, you can ask for an official copy, which can be apostilled. Of course, there is a fee for providing an official copy and it is not always a quick process. Therefore, find out in advance how far in advance you need to count on. We can arrange a new birth certificate quickly and reliably for you.
Issuance of the original document for apostille
In addition to the apostille itself, it is sometimes necessary to issue a document for apostille. You can get into this situation, for example, with birth certificates or an extract from the criminal record. In addition, some documents have only a limited validity. The authorities will only require a document that is not older than 3 years, in some cases even only 6 months. Pay special attention to this data, otherwise you will waste money and your precious time unnecessarily.
Federal and State Apostille
And speaking of those different forms, let’s talk about them for a while. For some countries, one standardized form is not enough. Federations such as the United States or Brazil consist of several individual states. However, they have their own laws. When applying, you must distinguish between the terms federal and state apostille.
For some documents, it is not entirely clear what type of verification you will actually need. This situation can also occur with ordinary documents such as a birth certificate, diploma or an extract from the criminal record. So think carefully about what type of verification will be required for your document.
Problems with forms and their completion
So far, we have not reached the stage where the form of legal documents would be standardized in most countries of the world. The European Union has not succeeded either. The settlement of the apostille therefore requires the completion of a form that is different for each state. Once you submit the wrong form, expect your application to be rejected.
At first glance, it may seem that downloading a freely available sample and filling it in is easy. If you know a foreign language and are able to orient yourself in legal and professional terminology, then yes, it’s easy. Otherwise, expect rejection and wasted postage costs.
Dealing with the birth certificate apostille abroad: What problems can occur?
But what does it look like when dealing with an apostille abroad? Surely you have already guessed that a number of problems can arise. That is why we have prepared this article for you, in which we will shine light on all possible pitfalls.
Payment only in cash, check or stamp
In the Czech Republic, all you have to do is pull out the card and pay all the expenses at the offices cashless. However, this is not the case in many foreign countries. It is often not possible to pay administrative fees by bank transfer. Federal and state agencies only accept checks, stamps, and cash payments.
You will not only need the appropriate documents and a credit (debit) card to process an apostille abroad. In order to fill in the apostille application form correctly, you will also need a check linked to a local account in the local currency and a sufficient balance.
The apostille would therefore force you to create an account in the relevant currency. And let’s face it, this is a relatively expensive and lengthy procedure. Therefore, it is better to entrust this work to experienced professionals who have long had an account in the country.
Slow processing – expiration
Many authorities, banks and other institutions only require documents that are not older than 3 months. And that can get you in big trouble in some situations. Imagine that you have just bought a company and you want to open a bank account. The bank will require an extract from the Commercial Register with an apostille not older than 3 months. The problem is not only in the age of the extract from the Commercial Register. Both documents must not be older than 3 months.
A similarly demanding situation occurs when processing or renewing a temporary stay abroad. It is necessary to submit an extract from the criminal record verified by an apostille which does not exceed 3 months. That means you have to hurry. This is because it can take a lot of time to process individual documents, especially if you process them remotely.
Postage stamps and return delivery
In order for the apostille to be processed in foreign countries, the original of the verified document must be delivered. When sending by post, the competent authorities also require a return envelope with the completed address of the applicant and a valid foreign stamp. And here comes the first snag.
It can be quite difficult to get foreign stamps. However, in some cases, prepaid courier services solve this problem. He will not only deliver to the given address, but also send verified documents back to you. However, foreign branches of popular couriers do not allow foreigners and non-residents to order these services.
So the last solution remains – leave the work to someone who has this opportunity. The best experienced lawyers and professionals who will treat other possible problems. We will talk about these in the following lines.
Apostil EN
Apostille or superlegalization?
Document verification is a complex process. And in some countries this is doubly true. Therefore, when applying, pay attention to what level of verification you will actually need. While in some states an apostille would suffice, in others they require superlegalization. This problem occurs, for example, when buying or selling a company abroad.
The officials themselves can also confuse you. They will often tell you that only an apostille will suffice. However, as is the case with foreign trade, they can often be confused. To properly solve this precarious situation, you therefore need sufficient knowledge of the law, or someone to help you with it.
Nostrification of licenses and diplomas
In today’s world, studying abroad is no longer an exception. When starting a job, a situation often arises where it is first necessary to carry out official recognition and verification of the authorization thus obtained (nostrification). This process applies mainly to diplomas, certificates, stamps and other academic documents.
This often happens, for example, to doctors who want to start medical practice in the country. The same applies to teachers who aim to apply their foreign experience in their home country. Nostrification will help these people to verify their diploma and open the door to new opportunities.
However, verifying academic documents and other authorizations is not as simple as it may seem at first glance. First of all, it is necessary to identify which document needs nostrification at all. Then comes the process of nostrification itself. This can be quite lengthy, especially if you are unfamiliar with the law and the necessary requirements. So be patient or bet on an expert.