New Jersey’s Apostille Service: Brief Guide

The state of New Jersey along with its capital Trenton and most populous city, Newark, is located in the Northwest region of the country and requests monthly more than 250 apostilles of documents.

Isn’t That Number Low?

Not at all! An apostille isn’t a service required often.

An apostille is a type of authentication you receive for a document, which makes it legal in another country.

Thus, when you do get an apostille in New Jersey Apostille Service, you’re submitting (non-American) documents. You then await authentication for legal use.

However, not all countries accept apostille documents. Only countries that have participated in the 1961 Hague Convention operate by that system.

The US State Department provides a list of nations that take apostilles. You can check that list for reference.

Who Provides the Service?

The Secretary of State’s office does. They provide the authentication to citizens and foreign nations, letting them use the documents overseas.

That authentication applies to many documents, which include:

• Corporate documents (articles of incorporation, company bylaws, power of attorney, etc.)
• Diplomas, home studies, or letters that relate to degrees
• Transcripts
• Job certification and references
• Marital status documents
• Adoption papers
• Distributorship agreements

For more details on documents, and authentications are available, you can check the US State Department website.

Apostilling Documents in NJ – Requirements

You’ll need to fulfill the requirements below to legalize documents in New Jersey. Also, below is a list of each document that may be apostilled.

First – Original Documents

Normally, you’ll need to bring the original document for an apostille certification. But, you may also bring a duplicate provided by the state.

Also, the document should have:

• An appropriate signature
• Be recently issued

If those requirements are available, the apostille process should be complete within 4-10 business days.

Also, New Jersey may apostille private and public documents under the following conditions:

• For New Jersey Vital Records, certified copies must be provided by the Office of Vital Statistics and the registry
• For Vital Records (such as marriage, birth, and death certification), the original should be certified through the Public Official

(Important Note): Any marriage, death, or birth certificate starting in 1901 should be provided by New Jersey’s Department of Health, specifically the Bureau of Vital Statistics.

Second – Scanned Photocopies of Original Documents

You’ll need to ensure the following conditions are met:

• An appropriate signature isn’t provided
• Proof that the original document is damaged
• The issuance date of the original document was 10+ years ago
• A country that’ll receive documents accepts apostilles of scanned photocopies from original documents. Most countries do accept such documents
• The apostille can be done in as little as 24 hours

Need to Get A Document Apostilled?

Chances are, you haven’t apostilled a document before. If you have, it’s not something you’ll do more than once every few years.

In that case, be sure to contact a professional service for help. NJ Notary Group is one to try, and will help you finish the process in record time!

With NJ Notary Group, you’ll get an efficient service that’ll save you time, money, and unnecessary headaches!