Apostille & Authentication
Portland, Oregon
Same Day Apostille Processing Available
If your document will be used outside of the United States, it's often necessary to have the certifying official verified with an authentication or apostille certificate.
Notary of Portland offers expedited apostille and authentication processing. A professional Oregon Notary Public with our team will meet you at any location in the greater Portland metro area to review your documents and verify they meet the requirements for authentication and assist with notarization if needed. We then courier the documents to the Oregon Secretary of State for authentication and issuance of apostille certificates and return them to you the same day. Or if preferred we will deliver them to the carrier of your choice for expedited international shipping.
What is an authentication?
When a public document will be used outside the United States, it’s often necessary to have the certifying official verified with an authentication or apostille certificate. The Oregon Secretary of State can only authenticate the signatures of Oregon Public Officials on original notarized documents, certified copies of Oregon Vital Records issued by a county or the state, or original certified copies of Oregon county and circuit court documents.
Note: The authentication attests to the validity of the Oregon Public Official, but not to the contents of the underlying document.
Foreign Language Documents
If your documents requiring an apostille certificate are prepared in a foreign language it is very important they are notarized by a Notary Public with specific training and experience. We frequently receive calls and inquires after documents are rejected by the state for authentication and apostille because they are not correctly notarized. The mobile notary team at Notary of Portland is highly experienced with handling notarization and obtaining apostille certificates for foreign language documents. Call or text Notary of Portland for assistance at 971-599-3080.
Authenticating an Oregon Notarization
The Oregon Secretary of State will only issue apostille certificates for original "wet-ink", correctly notarized documents or copies of documents (passport copies, driver license copies or copies of other documents) certified by an Oregon Notary Public. Improperly notarized documents do not qualify for issuance of apostille certificates and will be rejected. Documents notarized using Remote Online Notarization do not qualify for authentication or apostille certificates. Background checks by an Oregon agency must be notarized to qualify for an apostille certificate. FBI checks must be submitted to the US Department of State in Washington D.C.
Oregon Vital Records
Authentication and issuance of apostille certificate is available for Birth, Death, Marriage and Divorce Certificates issued by a county or the state. The printed name of the registrar or certifying clerk must be printed by their signature. If your copy doesn't have a printed name you must request a new certified copy of the record from the Oregon Center for Health Statistics or the Oregon county where the event took place. The certificate must be an original certified copy and cannot be a photocopy.
County and Court Documents
To qualify for authentication and issuance of an apostille certificate, all Oregon county and circuit court documents must be original certified copies, and the public official who certifies the record must provide their printed name, signature and title. This is generally done with an official stamp, often found on the front or back page.
Authenticating School Records
When you need an Oregon school (elementary, middle, high school or college) transcript or diploma authenticated, you must have the person in charge of the records (normally the Registrar or Principal) certify to the record, in the presence of a notary, who will notarize that statement. The properly notarized transcript, or diploma will then qualify for authentication and issuance of an apostille certificate by the Oregon Secretary of State. Notary of Portland is able to facilitate notarization of the original or certified copies of transcripts or diplomas to prepare them for authentication and issuance of apostille certificates.
Fees for same business day apostille processing begin at $250 for a single document. Each additional documents adds $30-$50. For more information about notarization, authentications, apostille certificates, and fee estimates in Portland, Oregon, please call or text Notary of Portland at 971-599-3080.
Notary of Portland offers a mobile Notary Public service providing the convenience of traveling to you, same day in most cases. We will meet you at your home, place of work or other suitable location.
We primarily serve the greater Portland Metro and SW Washington areas including Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Marion, Yamhill and Columbia counties in Oregon and Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania counties in Washington.